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Miniature Spark Plugs and Testing

4:49
49:56
472K views

At 4:49 in

Leonard Wood's Workshop: Half Size Holley Carb and Ford 429 Hemi Project! (Wood Brothers Racing)

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What happens here

Leonard displays tiny spark plugs, which are similar in size and function to glow plugs used in model airplane engines. He explains that he developed a method to test these miniature spark plugs by mounting them into a larger spark plug, screwing it into a go-kart engine, and running it wide open. He then made a miniature distributor to spin and fire these spark plugs, showcasing their viability for the half-scale engine.

Goal: Showcase tiny spark plugs and their unique testing method.

Tools and materials

  • Go-Kart Engine — Providing a platform for spark plug testing
  • Larger Spark Plug — Housing and testing the miniature spark plug
  • Miniature Distributor Custom-made — Firing the spark plugs for testing
  • Miniature Spark Plugs — Powering the miniature engine

What they say

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I think you saw the 4500th. I showed them the blocks and stuff. It's a little sturdier than this one, but we like this one because it's very compact. It is smaller than the other one. And all of this is made from a single aluminum bar. I do everything by hand. And Benny Bell, a very talented craftsman, does the machining, and I do all the handwork. What is this little engine for? Well, this is a test stand. He probably didn't tell you anything about roller pushers, did he ? No. We are building a camshaft for this engine and are going to put a cam from the map. And the card cam required a mushroom-shaped pusher about an inch in size. And the engine we're building only holds half an inch. So the pushrod would hit the cam. So I came up with a roller tappet with a brass bushing and pin to keep it from turning, and installed it in the engine. And we put it in this kart engine for the test. It worked for 4 hours at 3600 rpm and didn't wear out at all. That's it . And I also tested the spark plug. This is a

Auto-generated from the video audio.