Hi from Elkton Florida.

[unclelou]

I have always loved engines of any kind. In the 70's I worked at the best engine shop in the St petersburg/Tampa area. (Then called Pils Service and Machine - Now Southern Style Racing Engines) We had the first Sunnen cylinder hone in the area. Long after I left there I went back to visit and saw George dynoing a SBC on his new (to him) dyno. I thought it was the coolest thing in the wold! I had this idea to build one for small engines using a disk brake. And yes it does work. I can already take torque readings but I have no tach yet. I will post some pics in a day or two.

 

[Poboy kartman]

Welcome to the forum. ......

 

[OzFab]

That sounds intereesting, I wouldn't mind see it & how well it works...

 

[landuse]

Welcome!

 

[unclelou]

Here is a pic. It is just a disk brake with two sets of bearings. One set is from the S10 pickup truck that I got the brake off of. The second set is the pillow blocks that you see. They are on the same axis. There is a torque arm coming off the whole brake assembly that rotates on the pillow block assembly. The torque arm has a roller tip that pushes down on a piston in a cylinder. That pressure is read on a manual gauge. Since the area of the piston and the length of the torque arm is known, the torque may be calculated. Then HP is torque X RPM / 5252.


http://i62.tinypic.com/256raqf.jpg

 

[OzFab]

Just to clarify, the reading on the gauge then needs to be calculated to achieve a torque reading or is that already calculated into the reading?

 

[unclelou]

If the gauge reads 60 psi. The 60 gets multiplied by .994 (area of piston acted on by torque arm) and by .682 (length of torque arm in ft) and divided by 4 which is reduction by the sprockets ratio which is 4 to 1. So it becomes 10.16 ft pounds of torque given gauge reading of 60 psi. Only unknown now is RPM. Tiny tach is on order.

 

[landuse]

Welcome

 

[OzFab]

If the gauge reads 60 psi. The 60 gets multiplied by .994 (area of piston acted on by torque arm) and by .682 (length of torque arm in ft) and divided by 4 which is reduction by the sprockets ratio which is 4 to 1. So it becomes 10.16 ft pounds of torque given gauge reading of 60 psi.