Well, I dissected my Earthquake. I noticed that the piston and the top of the jug had some carbon buildup. Probably from the cheesy spark plug it came with. I got an NGK BPMR7A to stick in it. When I cleaned the piston, I also noticed that the top was not smooth, but mottled (sorry, no pic). I hope they come that way, and that mine isn't defective, because I finished done modding it. I cleaned it up, widened the exhaust and the intake ports, and reassembled it without the base gasket. The squish with the base gasket was 0.042, and with RTV it should be about 0.020 or so. It was pumping 155 psi before the mod. I'm waiting for cure, and will check the compression cold, and finish assembly tomorrow. I had already done a muffler mod.
Has anyone cut slits in the double d carb screws? If so, did you cut through the housing that surrounds them, or cut the housing back to expose the heads? Thanks.