SpinTron has plugs for the lifter bores that aren't used. Several times, we blew out the plugs with the large volume of oil we had (I had sent Leif an old high-volume oil pump I had lying around). We had so much oil flow that we had to bypass some back to the pan. Next time I'll bring a used stock pump.
Don uses the most modern measuring equipment available. Here, he's using a combustion chamber burette to measure our installed heights. In the foreground you can see the beehive valvesprings along with the Anderson Ford Hi-Rev dual springs we tested. Don wants to keep me away from any measuring tools, as I've broken two of his burettes.
This cam is now dedicated to SpinTron use. While testing recently, I broke one of the stock Ford horseshoe retainers. It allowed the lifter to turn and cause the damage you see here. It isn't the same cylinder we use on the SpinTron, so we're good to go. An over-rev condition is usually what causes this to happen. Good valvetrain components should prevent this.
This little baby, a friction dyno, was sitting next to the SpinTron we used. It's number two of two built, and uses a 250hp electric motor to spin a complete engine to whatever rpm you're brave enough to run. With it, you can measure gains in reducing friction. Imagine testing different ring packages, skirt designs, or friction-reducing coatings. The first unit was sold to a NASCAR team. Don and I offered to bring a couple of Real Street engines to test, but Bob has his Salt Flats speed-record engine way ahead of us. Oh well.
This is our current '06 setup. We use the Trick Flow 7/16-inch studs and 1.7:1-ratio rocker arms. You can see the lightweight steel retainers and AFM springs on the exhaust valves. The intake springs in this photo were used on the dyno until our new keepers arrived.