For the love of a tractor engine: The life and times of the 18R-G

[o_man_ra23]

I got mine through Bursons in Cairns as I didn't realise that superthief could order them... so had to pay extra freight to get them from Cairns to Mackay.

[wal_ra40]

High compression 92mm Arias pistons, Cometic head gasket, Crane or Crow valve springs, Tighe cams, Fidanza 4.3kg flywheel... there's a good start for you...

Good advice Oman, after a few days of reading something like this seems the go. The current plan is to use an EFI manifold and Adaptronic to run it.

I am a little sceptical about the value of the aluminium flywheel though.

The hillclimbs that I usually run in go from a standing start up to third with a lot of mid-range acceleration.

Also cars are restricted to pump fuel. How high can I go with compression ratio?

Are there any dyno charts available for a similar setup?

[o_man_ra23]

Dyno charts I can't help you on.

The aluminium flywheel will give you a huge advantage on hillclimbs due to the rotating mass reduction - especially on a standing start. Do a bit of searching on flywheel mass, the info is all there. I looked at several different flywheels, some don't come with ring gears for the starters, others have between 4 and 6 months lead time due to the manufacturers not generally making them (kameari chromoly flywheel was my first preference). The other advantage is that they aren't prone to coming apart and removing your legs like the stock cast item.

What fuel do you have at the pump? with a good EFI setup (ie you pick the right injectors, and it is tuned properly) 10.5 would be the limit of what I would run on pump fuel.

[river]

Hi,

How many stock 18R-G fly wheels have flown apart, let alone severed legs in the process?

The stock flywheel is strong enough to last the distance.

However, having a lighter flywheel will allow your engine to rev to its peak more quickly, for the reasons stated by Oman. In the lower, higher revving gears the advantage of a light flywheel is more noticeable, which may be beneficial to you in hill climbs.

seeyuzz
river

[lilcrash]

Has anyone got their starter motor on the passenger side? What gearbox/bellhousing are you using?

[river]

Hi,

Passenger side?

My starter is in the usual place, on the driver's side. I have a W58 gearbox which is mated to the engine via a 22R bell housing.

seeyuzz
river

[lilcrash]

Yer I'm trying to keep my stock wiring. Also while on the subject. Has anyone used a G52 from a hilux?

[damian]

They would be the TopGun leads. Compared to the NGK units, IMO they are shit. The boots never stayed in the holes properly for me.

yep, they are Top Gun. Got em on both my cars -- never had a problem with ignition or leads not staying in the holes properly.

Lilcrash - both my babies have starter motor drivers side

River - saw pics on bigmats phone of a monster crummydore last week that blew either clutch or flywheel taking off from lights. Shredded the extractors - looked nasty.
But yes, rare as, more likely to get killed by lightening or a shark

[SilverRA23]

It should be noted that lilcrash is putting an 18RG into a TA22... that makes some of his posts make a whole lot more sense

[o_man_ra23]

River, Wal is intending on racing the car... thus the flywheel and clutch will cop a lot more punishment than normal (especially hill climbing with hard standing starts). Those hairline surface fractures which normally aren't much of an issue can become a real problem real quick with a bit of high revving clutch slip, as is what may happen at the starting line if pressure plate gets stuck (like the one in my wife's old laser decided to do one day when poking around like a granny). It is a risk, and personally, for a few hungies, I am happy to make that risk disappear.

lilcrash, making up a new starter wire isn't real hard, and moving the starter electrics away from the heat of the exhaust will prevent you sitting in a shopping centre carpark waiting for a tow truck when your starter motor windings short themselves (should have seen how hot the RACQ's jumper leads got when my mate's Valiant did that...)

[lilcrash]

Making new wiring isn't really an issue (I wire up trucks all day). I just get sick of wiring at work and don't want to do it at home. Oh well il just use the w40.

[river]

Hi,

River, Wal is intending on racing the car... thus the flywheel and clutch will cop a lot more punishment than normal (especially hill climbing with hard standing starts). Those hairline surface fractures which normally aren't much of an issue can become a real problem real quick with a bit of high revving clutch slip, as is what may happen at the starting line if pressure plate gets stuck (like the one in my wife's old laser decided to do one day when poking around like a granny). It is a risk, and personally, for a few hungies, I am happy to make that risk disappear.

I hear what you are saying, but cars have raced for decades with stock flywheels. Do they explode? Sure, on the extremely rare occasion, as do the odd lightened flywheel. You'd be an idiot to try and lighten your stock cast flywheel, as that's asking for trouble.

All this talk about exploding flywheels and how dangerous the stock units are is as much hot air and urban myth and misinformation as people saying EFI provides more power to an engine than carbs. It seems as though, over time, we can be thankful that modern technology has saved us from the continually murderous stock flywheel and the stubborn carby engine that never worked.

If you want to put a lightened flywheel in your engine for faster revving (to its peak) then do so, but don't do it under the misguided beleif that the manufacturer has put in a stock flywheel that will explode at the slightest clutch dump or high rev and turn your car and legs into shreds.

seeyuzz
river

[Shifty]

I do find it interesting how few legitimate dyno sheets / proven power outputs actually exist for the 18RG...?

I guess I'll find out soon enough how much power they make...

[Javal]

Yer I'm trying to keep my stock wiring. Also while on the subject. Has anyone used a G52 from a hilux?

Hi. I've had some experience with them. They have rather short ratios on 1st and 2nd to suit their commercial application. I'd stray away from that path if possible. Find a nice W55 from an RA60 / RA65 / RT142.

[lilcrash]

i just thought because its a g box no one would want them so it would be cheaper. ive noticed the prices of gearboxes have been jacked up recently. like $500 for a w50 a gearbox i have paid $50 for many times. i would hate to see what a real gearbox is worth. for now il just use the w40 ive got here and keep my eye out for a 5 speed. i did have a w50 but a forum member gave it away with a bunch of other parts before i got them out of the car im just lucky i got my dizzy out quick enough.