track tech need tip on sealing predator motor

kevdoyle8

Member
i have been ask to start sealing the motors at our local track, i have found the lead seals and press needed. I am wonder what would be best when it comes to heat resistant and people matching colors, I thought about getting a paint pen from grainger or another vendor but it would be easily matched, also was thinking of mixing 2-3 colors to create a odd color. any suggestions ?
 
Lead is soft and the lead seal can easily be tampered with an not showing any evidence. If your going to paint the best method is mixing x amount of colors to make your own color and changing each race.
 
get numbered seals (sometimes called railroad seals)....can't alter a number. I think they make them small enough to fit. other than that, try making a certain symbol or mark on the press. then monitor where and how you seal them. but, like it's been said, locks keep honest people honest.
 
Yea there are small dia cable seals with a plastic locking mechanism that has lazer etched numbers on it that the track i run uses. They drill out the tab that looks like it should have a bolt hole in it on the crankcase and lock it there. Im working the next few days but can try and get a pic if u want. I think it also has the manufacturer on it
 
Our guy also "builds" the motors and etches his personal id number of some sort along with which motor it is into the block
 
I remember seeing a thread on the old bobs or another site about how people used to seal motors using the seals like your talking about, until people figure out how to order the same seals online somewhere and copy them, so they basically figured a way to cheat then put a new seal back on it. There really is no foolproof way to seal a motor and keep it that way in my opinion, unless you were to buy a box of those small padlocks maybe where you are the only one with a key and use a steel cable between the block and sidecover like you are talking about doing, then impound the motors at the end of every race day, and let people pick them back up at the beginning of the next race day. You could engrave each persons name or team name into the block to mark the engines so you know who's is which one. That seems like the only real way to keep everyone honest, and even then people will still find a way to tinker with the engines at the track if they get a chance to. There will always be those people who will go to ridiculous lengths to cheat and find a way to beat the system no matter what you do. Even if you seal the blocks, what about the heads?

You might be able to go to a paint store and mix up a one-off odd color and mark the bolts on the engines with paint like the tech officials do at some of the big races, that way you can tell if someone has been into the engine or not. I still dont see a foolproof way to seal engines, but it would be a great idea to keep a level playing field if someone could come up with a foolproof way to seal them. I dont see the little numbered or lettered laser etched cable seals working for very long before someone figures it out....
 
check these out: http://www.seals.com/index.asp looking at them, then have a few ways and means to seal the motors....one is very evident and i think that it would fit your needs very, very well....does away with the wire seal totally, yet does seal the motor.....take a look.....i won't say any more....might be worth looking at. if you want, you can pm me and i'll explain what i'm talking about....
 
Also if you paint motors and mix your own color someone WILL match it. I've seen a bunch of people with paint in their trailers back in the day. And also rusty jones got caught at thanksgiving thunder 1 year back in the 90s for matching paint.
 
We have been down the sealed rd, it doesn't work. Our seals had a signature in it, people copied it. Ours were lead with copper wire, they were always breaking from vibration. Best way it to make rules and tech, or have no rules.
 
No rules works for me

mario.jpeg
 
both can be used together to keep the class as it should be. sealing keeps honest people honest, but at the same time, pull the winner and a couple of others after the feature and tech them. don't say who is going to be teched (except the winner) and break the seals and look. do this a couple of times and if you find someone "altering the rules" then you toss them out and let EVERYONE know that they were caught. too many times others that are running the best that they can legally, get the shaft because the top three or four have monkeyed with the motors and no one will call them on it or do a simple tech.....sealing alone is not the answer and teching alone (althought the best way) can a headache when you have racers that will scream that they are legal and your picking on them! do both of them together and see who all of a sudden is running second or third instead of blowing the field away.....i watched one race where it was announced that the top five were going to be pulled all the way down and if found illegal they would be banned.....when the green dropped, those same front runners that were winning consistently were fighting to finish outside the top five so they wouldn't be checked.........go figure....

just my thoughts....
 
I seal the motors for our track. I bought numbered seals from JC Specialty. We log the seal number and carb serial number for every motor
 
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