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Thread: James Diedrich Hallum, 5/18/32 - 7/19/16

  1. #21
    Team Member OldRJexSea's Avatar
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    Default Pipes, valves, and old guys roadside adventures.

    Smitty; yeah, we old guys are now lucky in that there must have been women in the "Freeway Rest Stop" planning groups. Seems like a number of stops were later additions in the West.

    About your early pipe & valve questions & comments. Here is an unfortunately long comment. I hope none doze off in the reading.

    Hallum & I used two small 1961-62 motorcycles, a 50cc Tohatsu & 80cc Yamaha, as very good test machines for many later porting modifications and pipe test. The Anzani port numbers went to the motorcycles and then added carving & features tested went back. At times the large mostly empty Mukilteo public boat launch parking lot across from Loser’s Boathouse was the easy & quick place to test the pipes. We found some odd effects at different tuning ranges. Both moto's raced the short dirt oval tracks too.

    Mainly, all that was needed was to learn what not to apply to the Anzani or any of the other motors. We could almost simulate the race boat conditions by making higher gear full throttle runs from very low motor speeds. That gave time to see what the tach was reading as we felt the pipe doing normal or strange things.

    We did try various schemes to have pipes be effective over a longer rpm range. I don’t recall that Hallum’s bounce pipes had an operating range that was much different than any others. They did have a strong effect and depended on porting relations for peak performance. Nothing odd there. I will guess that the double pipe for a single cyl. that you saw could easily have been a test set for the 50cc Tohatsu. Dividing the initial pressure wave into two pipes near the cylinder is a problem for returning wave strength. Probably would have done strange things on the Tohatsu, including nasty flat zones and crankcase pressurizing since it wasn’t reed valved. One extra long Tohatsu pipe had 3 nodes where you could feel it “come in” twice more above its start point and wasn’t a strong action pipe either. This was years before the double divergent cone discovery. (Later, Anzani bounce pipe c-case pressurization problems were found when I took a good gage to Hallum for a tank test after seeing a vapor plume out of the Vacturi carb just before the tuned range when at a race).

    At that same time for the 80cc Yamaha I built a coaxial double pipe to test for a broad operating range not needing a valve. The arrangement was an outer megaphone set to start about 6000 rpm with a standard expansion chamber mounted internally on center and set for about 9000 rpm. The test was to find out if the outbound pressure wave would divide equally enough between the outer megaphone and the inner bounce pipe. The tapered header pipe ended at about 2 in. diameter. The megaphone was welded to the header pipe. The expansion chamber divergent cone initial diameter was maybe 1/2 inch smaller and was supported downstream from the header pipe about an inch or two. The megaphone angle allowed for the inner bounce pipe angle.

    The thought was that the initial shock wave would have its center portion “cored out” by the bounce pipe while the outer portion would flow as an annular ring out of the megaphone and hopefully act normally. The result was that both pipes had their effect but much diminished over what would be normal as individual pipes. The power band covered the full expected tuned range smoothly, had marginally OK power to top rpm, but was well below what either pipe would provide as normal single pipes of either type. Adjustments to change the “cored out” area made no difference. This is why I speculate that the outbound shock wave can be easily disrupted.

    The now common two into one siamese bounce pipes on twin cyl. outboards did come after the double divergent cone discovery but that may not be why having half of the header pipe wall fall away at the convergence zone doesn’t seem to cause a large wave disruption.

    === Clear memories from 50 years past seem good, but .... ===
    As for the “ram’s horn” -B- Anzani pipes. I recall being there sawing metal for them with Jim at the farm shop. That particular tubing was the initial expanding curve divergent cone portion starting at the exh. port mount plate and ran several segments around the long curve. I went home to make the end cones because I had the right lighter sheet stock. Brought them to the farm as Jim was finishing the divergent section (double divergent by then) and we rolled up the straight sections, mounted the end cones & exit tubes. That is my early memory. Jim built a good aux. mount system made easier by the short length of pipes aft of the motor.

    The Anzani -A- motor for record use was already sitting on a rack somewhere with the diverter valve and double pipe setup on each cylinder. I recall Jim making the wood pattern for the first cast diverter valve. I rode along with him to a pattern shop - small foundry of an old friend (Peterson) which was near the Spokane street overpass. Seems like it was a year or more before those castings became operating valves. That whole effort was a serious chore for Jim. I do know that the valved 4 pipe -A- motor was in Walin’s trailer box the year I subbed for Halum as his mechanic at the APBA DePue Nationals and the week later NOA Nationals at Midland, MI. I keep thinking that was 1966. I think that was also the first year of the “ram’s horn” pipes on the -B-.

    Both races were very disappointing. Wain said the motors did not seem to have the normal power. Just plain felt feeble but still ran about equal to the other top racers. We didn’t discover the fuel type problem until back at the Boathouse and found that the “sponsored” fuel was not methanol and not nitro-methane. In the test tank the -B- wouldn’t pull the normal load wheel to proper rpm until the “nitro” was added at nearly double their top competition fuel percentage. Jim was very worried about dumping in more nitro so went in steps and hoped to catch problem indications before melting a piston. At something just under 60% nitro, instead of their normal 30% the motor was close to normal power and ran fine. Walin and I had discussed increasing the nitro at DePue after he commented that the motors acted like they were running straight methanol break-in fuel. I think Gerry even called Jim about added nitro but it was simply too much of a risk outside of experience and there was not enough time or extra fuel for testing. Had we tipped the nitro can hard at those two Nat’s the results would have been much more fun.
    R.R.
    Photo of me wrenching on Walin’s -A- to get at the twisted crank in a Milwaukee parking lot in between DePue and Midland Nat’s. Walin was inside getting a proper OMC recognition for his StarFlite 4 record. Yeah, my travel rig was the ’63 Stingray back then. Nice ride for a Model Maker apprentice. It hauled half a trailer box load of late prepared Anzani powerheads & pipes to catch up with Walin in Minnesota.
    Fun times for sure (and a little stretching of the "Reasonable and Prudent" Montana posted highway speed limits).
    1966 Wrench-Milwaukee.JPG
    Thanks racnbns thanked for this post

  2. #22
    Team Member Master Oil Racing Team's Avatar
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    This is some really good stuff. I wish the picture was larger, but you have given us some history I have never heard before. This was just before and during the time I started racing. Gerry Walin was a legend to me, and I was glad to finally meet him in 1970's. We would see Gerry and Ron Anderson come east with some totally different pipe setups. Had no idea of how the ideas, testing, and setups came about. Like to hear more. You guys on the West Coast didn't come East until the nationals, so you always had something going on we didn't know about until you got here.



  3. #23
    Team Member OldRJexSea's Avatar
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    Default A powerful background....

    Team Master Oil; please understand that my involvement & comments about the Hallum-Walin Anzani early-mid 1960's development era was preceded by already powerful Anzanis from Bill Tenney and initial efforts by Hallum. Those are vitally important.

    The British knew how to make a proper 2-cycle motor plus Anzani was an old well established company I think. They made small aircraft engines in the early 1900’s WW-1 years and the motorboat engines in later times but I don’t remember their history well.

    The interesting thing about British and European 2-stroke motors was that they used loop scavenged design in preference to the cross scavenged, deflector piston designs of American manufacturers from early times onward. The first Brit. 2-stroke motorcycle I saw was a loop scavenged 250cc Greeves single "scrambles" machine growling through a short tuned megaphone pipe and slinging sand around the Boise, ID foothills in late 1955.

    For large and industrial 2-stroke motors the US did use various non-crossflow designs. I will guess that the deflector piston crossflow design standard used from the beginning by American outboard manufacturers was driven by manufacturing simplicity. Much less complicated foundry patterns for the cast iron and basic straight machining. Same benefits for the later aluminum production outboard motors. Multi cylinder inline motors also needed some added cylinder spacing distance for loop scavenge transfer passageways even with careful placement but that doesn't explain the old opposed twin's cross flow design.

    Bill Tenney was a noted outboard racer, probably starting in that iron engine era of Jim Hallum’s father. He knew very well how to modify a motor for racing performance. He also had a good machining facility. I can only speculate on what he did to the already well designed Anzani loop scavenged standard production boat motor which he imported. I don’t know the history of his being the Anzani importer with regard to the standard motor or that which related to his providing the racing motors. Whatever the correct history, Tenney sent out Class A & B racing motors which were well modified versions of the standard motor. Their basic design insured immediate dominance over the American deflector piston motors, (and any other cross scavenged motor).

    I would like make note here that the central States racers outboard racers ought to remember the “Aluminum Anzani” produced in northern Ohio by Milford Harrison & son Kaye (and the whole family) at Birmingham Metal Products; home was Vermillion, a lakeshore town east of Sandusky. I do not know the full history of their outboard racing motors but their machining facilities were excellent in a moderately large production shop specializing in products made on cam operated screw-machine type lathes. No shortage of milling machines and other machines either. (I sure hope that I have not messed up the spelling on “K’s” name.)

    The Harrison’s certainly had the capability of manufacturing every part of their racing motors. They may have begun with a racing Anzani and decided that changing to an aluminum block would make a much lighter and more easily repaired or modified motor. Since the motor was approved for APBA racing it must have met the ‘commonly availabilty’ rules of the time. So I will guess that the entire motor was their product.

    Externally it looked like an Anzani, megaphone pipes and all. They may not have used the gear driven magneto, just no memory on that. I also do not recall any internal differences but vague memory is that there were some; maybe something like not using a crankshaft center rotary valve but that is speculation. The motors were powerful and competitive in a fast region. The Harrison’s made the long trip to Lake Lawrence sometime in the mid 1960’s. Towed a very fine and impressive racing trailer, might have included a light machine shop. They ran A & B hydro & runabout, and it seems like more than that too. Kaye may have set a record in one runabout class and did take home the win I think. The Harrison’s were fast, Walin & Anderson & Sutter were fast, the California troops were fast, and so were the newer Konig’s.

    The Loopers were noisy...

    That year and those years at L. Lawrence were fairly spectacular. The little “Mukilteo” motorcycles had done their job as motor mod. & pipe test machines and had tossed some of us boat racers into the flat-track dirt an embarrassing number of times, then retired to dark corners. The mid 1970’s at L. Lawrence were even more spectacular according to the tales.

    R.R.

  4. #24
    Administrator Ron Hill's Avatar
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    Default Lowell Haberman Had One in 1956

    At the APBA Nationals, 1956, I think, Lowell Haberman had an Anzani and Eric Molinar drove it. Very unreliable at the time.

    When I saw Jerry Walin "The Phantom" run at the kilos, Modesto, 1963, was the first time I thought those motors migh have some potential. Jerry went like a hundred in a 350....

  5. #25
    Team Member OldRJexSea's Avatar
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    Well Dean, good to see that you are still alive and maybe kicking grass in Indio, CA.
    I do not think that Bill Tenney used the Anzani motors for racing himself, he did whatever development was needed. It is possible that his shop operations fellow, whose name has left me after 50 years, (imagine that), may have raced them since he was reasonably young in 1966.
    Obviously, I do not know if Harrison used purchased Anzanis in racing since I do not know their full history. By default, the Harrison's needed a base design to produce their motors, including a good racing foot if memory is correct.
    I am sure that Ron Anderson ran Anzani but not sure what brother Don ran; lots of years and many motor types, pretty much all successful for those two guys, for many years.
    Bob & Dick Rautenberg ran Konig or Stock rigs earlier but went fast in the Outboard classes for sure.
    I do not know or remember who ran Anzani outside of Region 10 but there must have been many more than I listed spread around a nation. The Oregon runabout racers were mostly Stock, C-racing, and C-Service guys.
    Really vague memory has you sort of with the Lewis brothers on Lake Sammamish for Outboard class, and doing well in A & B Stock during my ancient times.
    As for Lee Sutter, I mostly recall that after B Stock hydro & runabout he ran Anzani on his runabout and then moved to Konig. I certainly don't remember the details but Lee was a fine racer and a humorous fellow. I have 8mm movie clips of Lee in his runabout w/Konig at the '66 DePue Nationals which need to be put on DVD and handed to him.

    Finally just remembered one other Anzani racer, a friend of Entrop's in Kalispell, MT. business man Chuck Mercord. (Need some luck on spelling the last name). Hard to recall any details of whether 2 classes or one, hydro only I think, but had nice gear and was a local race operations fellow and promoter.

    R.R.

  6. #26
    Team Member DeanFHobart's Avatar
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    I was just wondering if anyone else ran Anzani's.

    And, Lee Sutter is still a humorous fellow. He owns the Stock and Mod equipment that Kyle Lewis runs. And for sure he still knows how to make a race boat go fast.
    Dean Hobart

  7. #27
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    I don't believe Tenny ever drove one, except maybe testing. Dick Hoppenrath was his driver.

  8. #28
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    I think the Harrison's had to quit making the engine when they ran out of the NOS cranks they bought from Anzani. Their engine was close to an Anzani, or so I always thought.

  9. #29
    Team Member ProHydroRacer's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DeanFHobart View Post
    Question...... What other boat racers besides Tenney, Hallum, Walin, Anderson, Sutter and Harrison used the Anzani?
    Clyde Queen

  10. #30
    Team Member ProHydroRacer's Avatar
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    I also seem to remember that Dean Wilson had one too.

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