Tell your friend to kick those Picco .12 conrods as far as he can, the are the old notorious trouble makers.

The new T3 rods (Mega or JLR) also work in those engines and the hold up.

Oh, and if that's really JB-Weld in the crank, take it out, or it will come out at a bad time. Epoxy and alcohol don't go along well

Yeap, it's amazing how advanced engine performance has become. When I started nitro racing in 1999, a Mugen MT12 was a screamer.

I still had a new one laying around and just broke it in for my son to start nitro as well, and all I could think was: WHAT A DOOOG!!!