Steve,

Mindgame can be a little harsh sometimes, but then again he doesn't have to appease anyone. OTOH the guy has a lot of knowledge to share and a lot of experience that you can only begin to imagine. I personally its good to have him around. I agree with him that the how and why are what make these threads interesting. The threads don't have to just be about the question at hand, and they regularly spin off into other things that relate and sometimes a post some people can consider dumb turns into a really good dam post.

Maybe you should think about your two posts in the thread and see how much they relate to the question asked? Coming from you this is like the pot calling the kettle black.

Bret

 

Bret,

I'm sorry that you see my involvement as being unrelated to the OPs intent. My reason for following this thread is that I was interested in the answer to the original question. My reason for posting was that I shared the frustration the OP expressed earlier in the thread that his question wasn't getting answered. I felt it was appropriate to support him in a thread where most of the posts seemed to be saying "this is a stupid question to ask."

I do appreciate the substantial knowledge that you guys have. That's why I'm here. I have a Corvette, but I'm here instead of the CF because after two years of reading both boards I happen to think that there is more knowledge about building the LT1 over here. When it's time to build my engine I would like to be able to ask you guys for advice. But based on threads like this, I might not bother asking.

I've got a couple of engineering degrees and I can figure all this out on my own if I have to. But that would waste a lot of time and money vs. getting help from people who have been there before.

You guys have been a great help to me just from reading your threads. I'll go back to just lurking in them rather than commenting.

-Steve

 

Steve,

With a couple of engineering degrees, you understand that sometimes the answer to a seemingly simple question isn't "yes" or "no" or "112" or "114". The real answer is more like "it depends" on a lot of things. The world (and engines) are not simple, and don't always have simple answers. A number of posters have been saying this throughout the thread. My take is that they are trying to teach us why things happen. That's the reason I read a lot of threads.

There's no such thing as a stupid question if the questioner doesn't know the answer. However, the answer may be more complex than the questioner wants to hear, so he isn't satisfied. If the answer is beyond the questioner's ability to understand it, the correct answer isn't accepted. This is not to imply that that situation exists here.

It's like trying to understand a good deal of basic physics (how things work) without ever using calculus, or trying to explain what it feels like to dogfight in a jet fighter to someone who has never been close to that situation. Another example, which I am not familiar with, would be driving a Top Fuel car. I have experienced similar g-forces and similar speeds, but not in the directions and time frame that a TF driver operates, so I can't relate too closely to what they experience.

Stick around and join in the discussion. Participation usually benefits everyone.

My $.02

Jon

 

At the risk of being accused of being "non-responsive, here's my "contribution".

It is often said that there is "no such thing as a stupid question", but I think that there are lots of stupid questions. Common varieties include poorly framed questions (when the questioner should know better), questions asked when the questioner already knows the answer, and questions that the questioner could easily answer for themselves but is too lazy! It's this last that I frequently get from medical students. I have noticed a generational pattern to this. It is becoming more and more common for me to be asked basic questions that are easily answered by referring to readily available reference sources. I refuse to answer more than one of these per day per student, and sometimes I won't even give them one "freebie". What I do is direct them to where they can find the answer, that way they learn how to find information, an invaluable skill, rather than just hearing me regurgitate a factoid. They are, of course, more likely to remember the fact when they find it out for themselves. But much more importantly, they may learn about the context and go off in an entirely different (and fruitful direction.

112 or 114LSA is NOT a stupid question, but as Bret, Jon, MG, and others have pointed out it does not have a simple answer. By exploring why there is no simple andswer, we may all learn something. My suggestion: look at a cam catalog form Comp, Crane, or other manufacturer. Look at the listings and try to see the patterns in terms of the relationship between duration, LSA, and lift wrt the intended use of the cam and the suggested rpm range. You will see some intersting patterns that may provide some insight. A more interactive way to do this is to play with engine simulation software. Even they generally maligned DD2K can give some insight, in spite of the obvious divergence of results from the "real world". If you have access to EA Pro, you can learn a whole lot, thought there is still no substitute for real world experience.

Rich

 

Some apparently, show their gratitude differently, than others might. Unfortunately, it is secondary, with what sentiment the message was sent, but rather, how that sentiment was interpreted, on the receiving end. Some may interpret (receive) this post, as displaying arrogance, especially coming from someone, whom also may have benefited from this thread. Some might also interpret the post in question, as showing a lack of respect as well, for the person that supplied the informative link.

 

Arnie: I love your posts. They remind me of listening to Alan Greenspan!

Rich

 

LOL Rich that's great..... I can remember my days at Morgan Stanley listening to him even with the Econ background... It's almost like a intelligent Yogi Berra

Bret

 

Jon Rich arnie bret all good posts and I too enjoy what arnie has to say, he only lives a few hours away and I swear one day I will meet the man behind the keyboard.
Jon's comments"There's no such thing as a stupid question if the questioner doesn't know the answer. However, the answer may be more complex than the questioner wants to hear, so he isn't satisfied. If the answer is beyond the questioner's ability to understand it" ring all too true all too often. Many times the ofenders get nasty when you answer their next question, or they ask a question for instance about the cost of a product and instead you jump into don't bother with it and they already made up their mind. I don't think any of us here claims to be all knowledgable but when someone who obviously has some knowledge answers a question in a manner such as that you would hope the asker would go back and do more research. A good example can be seem here http://impalassforum.com/cgi-bin/ult...c;f=4;t=003953 he made a bad series of mistakes and din't want to know about it.

 

"Intelligent Yogi Berra"

Yeah, when listening to Greenspan you know it's profound but you just wish you could fully grasp what he saying!

Rich

 

Well guys, you're not alone. Occasionally, I need to reread my post, to make sure I don't misunderstand me. Usually, I'm on top of things, though. Da mind.....

 

"You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you are going because you might not get there. " -Yogi

Gotta love Yogi...

 

Yogiisms:

"This is like deja vu all over again."

"You can observe a lot just by watching."

"He must have made that before he died." -- Referring to a Steve McQueen movie.

"You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there."

"You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I'm not hungry enough to eat six."

"Baseball is 90% mental -- the other half is physical."

"A nickel isn't worth a dime today."

Once, Yogi's wife Carmen asked, "Yogi, you are from St. Louis, we live in New Jersey, and you played ball in New York. If you go before I do, where would you like me to have you buried?" Yogi replied, "Surprise me."

"Do you mean now?" -- When asked for the time.

"I take a two hour nap, from one o'clock to four."

"I made a wrong mistake."

"Thanks, you don't look so hot yourself." -- After being told he looked cool.

"I always thought that record would stand until it was broken."

"Why buy good luggage? You only use it when you travel."

"It's never happened in the World Series competition, and it still hasn't."

"He can run anytime he wants. I'm giving him the red light." -- On the acquisition of fleet Ricky Henderson.

"The towels were so thick there I could hardly close my suitcase."

"You should always go to other people's funerals; otherwise, they won't come to yours."

"I didn't really say everything I said."

Rich

 

Perhaps Yogi was somehow predicting the direction of this thread.

 

LOL talk about off track on this topic now!

Maybe it's just me but that whole Yogi Greenspan deal might be because they look similar AND you look at them when they talk like a dog with it's head cocked to the side.

Bret