Ignition cover

Commuta_Busa

Commuta_Busa

Donating Member
Maybe you guys can help me out... I'm looking for a billet ignition cover to replace my cracked OE cover. I only know of two companies that make them but maybe you guys might know other ones. Let me know if you know any reputable companies other than the ones I've listed below. Both Schnitz and Orient racing both sell the FBG cover.

Fast by Gast
TTS

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still curious why it failed... seems like an odd failure point? or is this common?
 
it does seem odd.. it may have been start related as my first guess. The cover is 7 years old. It's never been down and there were no signs of external damage. Maybe it had an internal hairline fatigue crack and it finally cracked from so many heat cycles and vibes... i won't know until I have time this weekend to examine it. I'm only guessing right now. Either way that cheap/flimsy sand cast pot aluminum cover is going to be replaced with something a little beefier.
 
so I talked to the folks at FBG. While we were talking about their ignition housing I asked if they've ever heard of anyone cracking the OE housing. They said there's been more than a few that had that problem. Don't panic it's more related to the older Gen 1 busa with folks running high cr's. Based on this information I'm hoping that this may have been the cause for my failure as well. I don't think everyone with a Gen1 and/or Gen2 needs to run out and buy a new billet housing. If your running very high CR and already have to resort to 24v starts then the OE ignition housing may be something to check every so often to be on the safe side.
 
So this past weekend I had some time on Saturday to inspect things.

The cover was cracked realy bad. Luckily there was no other damage than the cover. :cheerleader:

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Way back when in 2003 I added a small titanium colar to reduce the chance of the starter gear breaking the mounting point in the case. I can't say for sure if it saved my case or not but I'm sure glad it was there. I'm sure it reduced the risk. :bowdown:
There were no signs of anyother damage than the cheap sand cast aluminum cover. :cheerleader:

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yup, Kevin at Fast by Gast is throwing one together, designed by me. He'll machine the extra component for me.

I had thought about replacing the spur gear but there are no signs of any damage so I'll leave the stock one alone. I will replace the pins with a set of heavy duty pins from Brock's Performance. There may have been some flex in the stock pin which caused the outer mounting point of the pin to crack the housing. I say flex because the pin is still straight/true. Yes, it may have been just the shock load which caused the crack and replacing the cover with a stronger billet cover will remedy things as well. Either way I should be covered.

brendanp said:
Did you find a billet one yet Ken?
Click to expand...
 
Man, luckily it didn't cause any other damage. If you don't mind sharing, what kind of compression are you running and how big of a motor?

Cant wait to see the new bling...
 
got busa, I didn't want to start goign off subject because as soon as I post some info more questions tend to pop up and head further off subject. I sent you a PM. :beerchug:

I would say to any one running a 24v starting system should inspect the ignition cover every so often (say during each oil change) just to be safe. I don't hink it's related to the engine size but CR sure does have an effect.

This is also strictly based on the first generation starter system which was beefed up back in 2003. I would still check things out just to be safe. :thumbsup:
 
Ok, so this last weekend I was able to work on this a bit. The assembly is complete thanks to Brock's performance, FBG and DK welding. I don't have the kind of equipment these folks have so all I can do is pass along my specs and they can machine the block of aluminum to produce a replacement. Drilling and tapping the mounting holes is something I can do myself to keep the costs to a minimum. Everything is metric and the bolts will all be allen bolts. The replacement starter pins are from Brock's performance. They’re unmodified/off the shelf heavy duty replacements. The OE pins are hollow vs the replacements which have a solid core. The finished replacement assembly is more than 60% stronger than the original. It has extra "beef" in the areas that support the gear pins. You can still check/adjust crank timing without removing the assembly and the entire assembly will fit behind OE fairings.
Originally I thought about going as light as possible. The OE cover is a thin sand cast assembly increasing the difficulty in machining a replacement with less mass. A replacement can be machined lighter while retaining either equal or greater strength. It would have meant switching to an alternate material which would have increased the raw material and machining costs way beyond my budget. :banghead: The severe shock loads that have to be absorbed convinced me that stronger is better. The replacement assembly is more than double the weight but I’ll be more assured that I won’t experience another crack in the housing, ever! :laugh:

I’m still waiting on delivery of some custom bolts so the assembly can be mounted on the engine. Hopefully they’ll arrive this week and I’ll be able to finish this off next weekend or sooner. This whole assmebly is a one-off so please don't ask where you can get one or how much it costs. :p:

Everyone likes pics so here are a few. :cheerleader:

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PURTY! Let us know how they install after you drill and tap. Must be nice having access to those guys to even cut a one off for you. :bowdown:
 
I was a bit surprised by the aftermarket replacement assemblies that were a bit off in different areas with their measurements. Some more than others. I had expected everything to have the same dimensions as the OE in the critical areas but that just wasn't so. ???
 
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