[DeTomaso] Light stock flywheels

[JDeRyke at aol.com]

Chuckie, none of your questions are dumb. Shops can easily surface-grind a 
stock flywheel for a 5-8 pounds. This is not a lathe job, though- the good 
shops will use a huge Blanchard grinder to evenly grind both soft and hard 
metal from a heat-checked flywheel, while keeping the surface parallel to the 
crankshaft flange. Any other method will give a wavy surface that will be no 
fun at all to drive. Some of the Pantera vendors sell reconditioned stock 
flywheels at 22 lbs, which is why I used that number. The thinner the wheel, 
the less thermal mass it has and the more likely it is to overheat and warp 
or crack (just like brake rotors but far more destructive). Apparently, 22 
lbs is a safe level but I wouldn't go further with stock cast iron. I don't 
know what thickness that equates to. Steel flywheels lighter than 22 lbs are 
available and are much, much stronger, as are aluminum flywheels.
I frankly wouldn't spend a lot of money reconditioning a stock flywheel 
unless it was to be a stop-gap while my nice strong steel or aluminum unit was 
being paid for, or the owner wanted bragging-rights about how stock his 
machine had been kept. I don't race anymore, but everyone (even Garlits) misses 
a shift now 'n then and a 6500+ buzz might be all a 38-yr-old stocker could 
stand... Tell the wife its just insurance. FWIW- J Deryke


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