Topic: valve spring retainers Al or Ti?

[754]

Time to dust off that Rimac my buddy put out behind his shop....

[scottly]

weighing the stockers would add persepctive. 

Sheesh, now you are getting picky..... .   I'll weight a set of steel stock retainers when I get home today to compare.

George

Still waiting to hear what the weight of the stock retainers are.

[MRieck]

Whut's a Rimac? Valve spring tester?

Yes sir.

  And they are now out of business.  WE have two of them.

Supply was extremely sketchy for new units the last 8 years. Take one apart.....something out of Bedrock in terms of mechanical sophistication. Some very nice digital units out there.....just very expensive.

[70CB750]

If you ever tried to cut Titanium with a hack saw you will know the difference

[madmtnmotors]

If you ever tried to cut Titanium with a hack saw you will know the difference

    

[gschuld]

weighing the stockers would add persepctive. 

Sheesh, now you are getting picky..... .   I'll weight a set of steel stock retainers when I get home today to compare.

George

Still waiting to hear what the weight of the stock retainers are.

OK, you got me.  I found that I actually did not have any factory stock steel retainers handy like I thought.  So out of pure guilt, and curiosity, I grabbed one of my crusty parts motor heads and pulled the 4 intake springs retainers and keepers.

So, we have:

Aluminum RC retainers.          60.9 grams for 8
Titanium (? brand) retainers   96.8 grams for 8
Factory steel (K1 head)           110.4 grams for 8 (55.2×2)

Frankly, there isn't as much difference between the titanium and the factory steel retainers as I would have thought.

George

[scottly]

Take one apart.....something out of Bedrock in terms of mechanical sophistication.

You mean even more caveman than this?

[gschuld]

And for those interested in such things, here are the weights for the factory springs (set of 4) and factory springs, retainers, and keepers(set of 4)

George

[gschuld]

And just to add another data point CycleX sells these for the f2/3 heads, 11.25 grams per come in to 90 grams for the set of 8.

A little lighter than the titanium ones.

George

[dragracer]

Somehow my mind would allows lean towards those retainers breaking due to the holes.

[Don R]

Somehow my mind would allows lean towards those retainers breaking due to the holes.

 I think they stopped making them. Hmmm.

[MRieck]

Somehow my mind would allows lean towards those retainers breaking due to the holes.

 I think they stopped making them. Hmmm.

Yoshimura used that design in their later model ( like mid 2000's) heads BUT they had Japanese manufactures making them. Nascar has used the for years to. I think they are OK.😉

[MRieck]

BTW.....I'd never use aluminum for anything unless it was being rebuilt on a schedule.

[Don R]

 I have a set of red retainers on an old head and read up on them, I assumed they are aluminum.

[MRieck]

I have a set of red retainers on an old head and read up on them, I assumed they are aluminum.

Yes sir....more than likely RC parts.

[Don R]

I have a set of red retainers on an old head and read up on them, I assumed they are aluminum.

Yes sir....more than likely RC parts.

 Agreed, Steve, the PO went there a couple times. He said he met Russ and the guys and brought parts home. He even bought the ATP kit I have from Jay Gleason's father.

[willbird]

BTW.....I'd never use aluminum for anything unless it was being rebuilt on a schedule.

I remember seeing aluminum retainers where the keepers were pulling through the retainer on a friends SBC sprint car engine back in the early 1980's. Same guy had a few "rev kits" too...nobody actually USED a rev kit.

[Don R]

  I read the way to tell is touch it to a grinding wheel, if it makes sparks its Titanium. Buuuut can I do that without ruining it? 

[scottly]

  I read the way to tell is touch it to a grinding wheel, if it makes sparks its Titanium. Buuuut can I do that without ruining it?

Weigh it Don.

[scottly]

Same guy had a few "rev kits" too...nobody actually USED a rev kit.

What is a "rev kit"?

[MRieck]

Same guy had a few "rev kits" too...nobody actually USED a rev kit.

What is a "rev kit"?

Was wondering that too. I'd think aluminum retainers, maybe Ti keepers and light aluminum rocker arms
pushrods. Beehive springs with the small CrMo retainers is about as good as you can get IMO in regard to strength vs weight.

[turboguzzi]

funny that nobody heard about the Archimedes "wreath problem" here..... the answer has been found about 2000 years ago

[Don R]

 A "rev kit" was another set of springs in the lifter valley, I believe it helped keep the valvetrain from floating the valves. Maybe, by keeping the lifters seated on the cam.

[Don R]

  I read the way to tell is touch it to a grinding wheel, if it makes sparks its Titanium. Buuuut can I do that without ruining it?

Weigh it Don.

After re-reading the thread, that's pretty obvious. Sometimes google is not your friend.

[MRieck]

A "rev kit" was another set of springs in the lifter valley, I believe it helped keep the valvetrain from floating the valves. Maybe, by keeping the lifters seated on the cam.

A different version of Desmo valve train. Maybe easier to install rather than straight 400lb springs.