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Webb Sledge

Webb Sledge

Jedi Warrior
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Here's something I thought you all might be interested in. This guy has taken off the original exhaust (or just failed to install it in the first place) and welded 3 sections of steel pipe together and added an 18" cherry bomb (or glass pack, whichever you prefer) muffler at the end. He states that it's a great way to improve the note for under $20. Listen to his TR4! It's incredible!

Here's the video: https://icdweb.cc.purdue.edu/~macino/TR4%20movie.mpg

The site is at: https://web.ics.purdue.edu/~macino/tr4.htm
 
I'm no expert, but I'd venture a cold ale that he was doing a tad over that posted 45MPH speed limit /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/driving.gif

Basil /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
That thing sounds awful! It's missing on at least one cylinder - I'd bet several cold ales he's burnt a valve. Sounds just like my tractor - wait - it is my tractor motor! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif
 
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I take it you're being sarcastic...

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I don't think any sarcasm was meant... a '55 Ferguson Tractor would have the same engine as a TR4.

I'm on a slow dial-up line so I didn't listen to the engine and can't comment on the lack of smoothness -- but a miss in a 4-pot is, well, hard to miss.
 
I chalk up the apparent miss to perhaps a warm/hot cam. Also, his practice of starting off in second or third gear doesn't help matters much. I really enjoyed the MPEG, and thought it would have been funny to include the conversation with the ticketing police officer. Coming up on 65 mph or so in third gear sounded awesome.
 
No sarcasm. The 4 cylinder TR's and the Ferguson TE20 tractors both used the same basic engine, based on the Standard Vanguard. Different tuning, carbs, compression, etc., but any TR3/TR4 owner would recognize the Fergie engine.

To me, the clip didn't sound like a lumpy cam, as it didn't clear up much once he got some revs in, and it didn't seem to 'come on the cam', as you would expect. Given the poor sound quality of a typical camcorder played through the exquisite plastic speakers here at work /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif its hard to know for sure. Still, if it was my car, I'd be digging out the compression guage.

Webb, an engine with a miss isn't firing regularly on all cylinders. This can be due to ignition problems or compression problems. The engine note will sound uneven or slightly rough. How rough will depend on whether it is one cylinder consistently misfiring, one cylinder irregularly misfiring or all cylinders irregularly misfiring. The discussion about cams is due to the fact that cams optimized for high rpms, don't allow the valves to seal the cylinders up for the "bang" part of the suck, squish, bang, blow 4 cycle motor, which give rough low rpm running. These cams (called high overlap cams) allow the intake and exhaust valve timing to overlap, relying on gas velocity to complete the filling during compression. Works at high rpm, not so well at low rpm. Hence the fascination with variable valve timing in modern performance motors.
 
wonder if it backfires 15 seconds after it is shut off?

sure is a pretty car


mark /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/driving.gif
 
I guess I'd have to hear an engine that didn't miss and then one that did to really be able to tell the difference immediately. I'll say that engine doesn't sound quite as smooth as a TR3 I heard the other day, and I know they have the same engine. And yes, I know all about the Ferguson engine being related to the one in the TR2s, 3s and 4s. I was thinking that he was being sarcastic about it sounding awful. If I had to guess though I'd say he might have a cam in it though, because on his site he said he drives it "like it was meant to be driven" after he had done a full restoration. When you put those together with a college/high school kid... Well, you see where I'm going.
 
An excellent explanation by Eric.
Just to use a couple of examples to ilustrate, the stock TR4a cam is of symetrical design, i.e. the valve timing is the same for intake and exhaust valves, actual timing for inlet 17-57 exhaust 57-17, for overlap of only 34 degrees.
The cam in my car, a Kent Supersprint, has valve timing of 40-70 for inlet and 76-34 for exhaust, so an overlap of 74 degrees of crank rotation.
My car idles at 1200 rpm with a slightly uneven sound, but at about 2500rpm as I acelerate the sound changes and the car builds power quickly.
Many web sites will give further info, it is one of the most interesting areas of engine performance.
Simon, WOFTAM Racing.
 
No doubt that engine is a 3 cylinder! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
The miss is there right from the get go and doesn't go away. Could be anything from a dead plug, wire or valve.
I had a straight through glasspack muffler on my spit 1500. A little too loud, but it sounded great at WOT.
Also tended to set of car alarms. But on the highway it would get quite fatiguing.
 
I've had monza exhaust systems on both my 3s, and I dig the muscular sound. My '59 used to set off car alarms in the corporate parking garage.

His definitely has a miss, and the sound is too tinny for me...like a Civic...but to each his own. The stock system also is very muscular!
 
Sammy NICE GARAGE. BUT WHERE'S THE MINI VAN? I wish I had sound on this box. When I restored the TR2, I installed the stock system. 24 inch muffler,followed by a resonator. It lasted about a week before I cut the resonator off. I could't hear the exhaust. Which brings a question to mind that I pondered as I drove in this AM. Any of you old guys who have been driving LBC for half your life or better, how's your hearing in your left ear? (Right ear for the Brits). This should probably be asked on a new thread.
 
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Sammy NICE GARAGE. BUT WHERE'S THE MINI VAN?

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Thanks...took the pic today, because I finally got the '86 Dodge out of 5 years of storage. I moved the Olds Intrigue out of the driveway for the pic, and my wife had the Ford Expedition (I hate SUVs, but we got it for free when my inlaw's upgraded to a Lincoln Navigator...I'd much rather have a Honda Odyssey! Minivans handle better!)

And after I put 100 miles in one day in my TR3, my ears were ringing!!! Wind and exhaust noise were nasty for a long trip!
 
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...Any of you old guys who have been driving LBC for half your life or better, how's your hearing in your left ear?

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I always use an ear plug (foam type popular among pilots) in the outboard ear. I hadn't thought about it that way, but yes, I've been driving a TR3 for more than half my life.
 
Sorry guys but I just think it sounds like it needs a muffler. It would run better to. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif
 
I don't know about that Ab. I am running a very similar exhaust on my 1493 spitfire, a monza header with a two inch pipe terminating in an 18" glass pack. My car sounds much better than this one does. It deffinately has a miss in it.
 
Sounds to me that rather than a miss, he is shutting the ignition off for maybe some inane dramatic effect. If I had anything that ran like that, I'd dig a hole and bury it.
Jeff
 
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/iagree.gif Why don't you tell us what you really think Jeff? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jester.gif
 
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