Safety Tip Of The Month

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Moderator: Rob Voska

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Rob Voska
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Joined: Fri Jun 15, 2007 9:04 am

Safety Tip Of The Month

Post by Rob Voska » Mon Dec 17, 2018 7:23 pm

On another thread they are talking about aluminum flywheels. Sometimes we take things for granted because we have been doing them so long.

A few engines are notorious for blowing up flywheels. 580 West Bends for one but EVERY flywheel should be checked. They blow at high RPM and are like a BOMB going off throwing sharp aluminum fragments & magnets everywhere. Lots of these old parts have been laid around, kicked around and EVERYTHING needs to be checked before installation. I'm sure you don't want to hurt yourself, a bystander, another person at the track or scratch your shiny new paint!

IF YOU HAVE A CRACKED FLYWHEEL please DESTROY it. Make it so no one else can get their hands on it and even think about using it. Bust it in half, saw it in half, bash it with a hammer, whatever you do make it unusable in any way, shape or form. This also goes for heavily modified flywheels, broken fins, etc....... Some of the McCulloch flywheels I have seen have fins broken from one side & then they broke them off the opposite side to balance them.

My Hoffco with twin WB's had spark when I got it but I decided to take them apart anyhow. One of the flywheels was cracked.

To test a flywheel just watch this 2 minute video it's the very same thing. I usually hang mine on a screwdriver & tap with the wooden handle of my mallet.

Good luck & keep safe!

https://youtu.be/QSQiLxDBpu8

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