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Fast Lane Be careful of which additives or tape. This glorious silver products you use on the engine. roll of pressure-sensitive As I found with some silicones, adhesive has helped you may have trouble removing many a racer cross the the product from engine parts. finish line. These days, duct tape comes in all colors and designs. It has been used for so many things by racers it would take a page to list them. The most bizarre and dangerous use of “racer tape” was by yours truly back in ‘84. (As I currently serve as a racing tech official, I shouldn’t even be telling this story. But, it was long ago when I still
had a healthy overload of energy and zeal to win). In 1984, my team and I had updated my Pro Stock Mercury Zephyr (nicknamed “Zeke,”as you may recall) from a small block Cleveland to a huge 672-cid Mammoth Boss Hemi engine. Our first run with the new combo was qualifying at the AHRA Chi Town Nationals at US 30. When launching, the brute torque of the new monster engine twisted the car with enough force that my fiberglass doors popped out of the door frames and could’ve flown off like Frisbees. We tried to fix it properly without success. Out of frustration and youthful reckless abandon, I had my crew chief tape both doors shut on Zeke with me in it. (Yes, the tape was orange to match the car). The doors stayed on fine. The problem was, after a run, I had to wait till my crew chief came down to the back of the return road to un-tape the doors so I could get out. Talk about dangerous! You would get ejected for a stunt like that today. After that event, we installed Dzus fasteners in the Lexan side windows to keep the doors shut.
RTV Silicone Many types and colors of silicone are used by engine builders and racers. Most aftermarket intake manifold manufacturers recommend silicone instead of cork or rubber end seals. Silicone is used on countless types of gaskets or in place of a gasket. There are a many types of applications the product can be used in, even as a thread sealer. I have had engines with oil pans Circle 56 for more information 56 September 2013 | EngineBuilder
so complex, silicone was the only way to seal them to the block. My big Ford Hemis are still that way. However, some of those silicones set up at different rates and strengths. Some are not compatible with electronics, but some special ones are. Some are for high heat, too. There seems to be a silicone sealer for all purposes. A few years ago, someone told me about a special black silicone Ford had. It came in half a cartridge and was very expensive. It was supposed to be very strong and fast setting, so I got some. We were racing a UDRA event at Xenia, OH, with my “Ballistic Bird” Pro Mod Ford Thunderbird Super Coupe when after first round, we noticed dangerous oil spatter on the passenger side lower frame rail. The pan, which had been sealed with clear industrial titanium silicone as normal, had lost about a 2-inch hunk from between the pan-rail and block. The gap was wide enough to stick a business card in it. I had some of that new black Ford special silicone with me, so I said to my crew chief, “Let’s give it a try.” We cleaned the area with brake cleaner and squeezed that black silicone in the cavity and spread a generous layer on the outside covering the breached area. By the time we serviced the car for the next round, the silicone had set up like hard rubber. It got us through the night with out a drop of oil leaking. Back home, I decided to freshen the engine. That black Ford siliconed area was completely stuck. It took