<VV> Re: White Pushrod Tubes

[vairologist at juno.com]

Smitty says:  For the most part you are right Ron.  As Roger said though,
there are times when a change has a dramatic effect and you don't need a
micrometer to read it.  (taking manifold covers off).  A reasonable
measurement could be made on road test if done on the same road against
the same wind at the same speed.   Making a run with them unpainted and
then another with them painted would not convince me of anything.  You'd
have to go back to unpainted and test again both ways.  Then you might
have some provenance.
        Bob Coffin's suggestion about the RTV brought to mind a product
developed for the F-14 to keep internal fires from burning out the cables
and tubes to the flight controls.  The only name I ever heard it called
was "Fire Ablative Compound"  It was white and rubbery, brush painted on
to form a thick coating, maybe 1/16 inch.  You could paint it on a square
of aluminum, lay it flat on your hand , and direct an acetylene flame
against it for two or three minutes before it became uncomfortable.  
That was state of the art 20 years ago and cost somewhere in the
neighborhood of a couple of Trumps and a Gates or two for an ounce.  It
may have come down to a reasonable cost by now and would be ideal for the
tubes no matter what your goal 

> > Ron <ronh@owt.com> wrote:To be worth anything, it has to be done in a
lab with controlled conditions and calibrated instruments. Anything else
is mostly speculation.