In a message dated 9/7/2003 6:34:40 PM Eastern Daylight Time, dsbarno@vbe.com
writes:

>   Anyone remember who made the oil coolers that caused the in-flight fires
on
> the 20b pusher?
>  

I wouldn't suggest that any particular cooler may have caused a fire. I quit
building racing engines because it became obvious that unless I went with the
team the first time out, in most cases, they would loose the engine in the
first weekend. If you don't go with the team the first time out, you have no idea
what support equipment is being used on the engine. It was comical what
information some seemingly intelligent sounding people were using to tune an
engine.

In some cases, no oil cooler was in use. In some cases the new owners could
not get an engine started because they lacked the most basic knowledge on
installing a distributor or timing the engine once it was installed. What chance
was there that this team would gain full value from a new race engine? Or that
my reputation would survive their loss?

I blew a Fram APH8A filter up like a balloon on my Fiat. I showed this
amazing filter to My NAPA counter man. The whole gang had a good laugh at my
expense. Then he gave me a NAPA 5151 (or a similar number) as a cross for the Fram.
They are made by Wicks. The Wicks element has 416 square inches of paper media.
The Fram has 104 square inches. It also has 1/3 the burst strength of the
Wicks.

So is the Fram a bad filter? Not if you don't exceed the limits of it's
performance. It wasn't designed for racing, and that fact never occurred to me (or
many others). Now Fram sells a line of racing filters that perform well.
(Although I think somebody else makes them.) But I didn't know that, so it was my
fault because it was my job to know that sort of thing.  

I didn't test the coolers that are said to have failed. I think it was
supposed to have been a Chinese built cooler sold by Griffin. I have never seen
them. I run a Griffin double pass water radiator. It is outstanding. Would I
guarantee that you will have no problems with one the first weekend you try it?

No way!!!  

I only know half of the stuff I know, and I'm only half sure of the half.  

Lynn E. Hanover