Projects Seagrave 531 V12 Special BuiLd Up in Brazil

Oh that must have been hard to take, how many hours had it run before you noticed a problem?

 

sorry to hear this, maybe while its apart you can lighten up some things to make it less of a truck engine?

 

Not for so long. Maybe 10 or 12 days os use.


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It will go together quicker the 2nd time!

 

Was there any damage to the crankshaft? The whole thing severely sucks but you and your crew are motivated and dedicated. That has been evidenced from the beginning. Best of luck and hope it all comes out better this time.

 

It's missing most of the Fire Truck/Big Auto Shell so its already I imagine quite a bit lighter than a Stocker...but this is how Racers probably think of things...

 

Good point Stogy, and with most of the old long stroke motors high RPM is an enemy. but..how about a lighter flywheel?, or maybe even rods? depends on how much more time and money one wants to spend. But, really the car is already serving its purpose just fine, it f'n cool as shit!!!!

 

I hate to see this, especially after all of your effort. The first thing that entered my mind is if there is any source for the parts you need; bearings, etc.; heaven forbid you need a crankshaft or some other major part. There is an organization in the states called the "Society for the Preservation and Appreciation of Antique Motor Fire Apparatus in America" (SPAAMFAA) that has many members with a lot of resources.

It might be a source if there are no others. (You may want to keep what you are doing a secret if you contact them.)

 

The guy built this big beautiful car mostly from scratch in his own shop. I think he can get the engine going just fine.

 

I haven't been on the HAMB much in the last year, but just saw this and it made my day! What a great effort all along and the results are amazing. Hope to see it back on the road again and hopefully take us all along with a good video!

 

From the looks of the bearings, it appears that it did not have enough oil lubrication - as I noticed the rod bearings were worn as well. Did you find an oiling issue by chance?

 

@Drmalacarne
Just stopped in to see the latest.
Oops... a little problem.
Sorry about that. Good luck with it. Lots of confidence that you can fix it. Knowing you, you'll make it even better.

 

The oiling system looks ok.
We used the engine a lot before we noticed the wrong sound.
The ussue we believe is the bearings materials.
Thanks.
Gui


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That certainly looks painful. Though I guess that's just one of the risks you take when running a high performance racing engine. With everything stripped off the top of the motor like that, the crankcase looks absolutely too small and frail.

But to me the worst part of the job would be reinstalling the distributors and routing all those plug wires!

 

"Hi performance racing engine"??

 

Greetings DRmalacarne.
You might want to look at oil starvation when cornering on the race track.
Can you put a baffle in the oil pan or trap doors to keep the oil pick up in the oil.

The Consummate Driver: Baffled Oil Pans Explained

 

Ouch! Do you know the history of the engine, and did you look at the bearings before you ever ran it?

 

LOL! Maybe I should have stuck a few more in my previous post.


I don't imagine that the original engineering for this motor paid any real consideration to oil pan baffling or high speed cornering . . .

 

He's been all through this engine and I believe he MADE the bearings. I think that's why he mentioned he was thinking that the material they're made from could possibly be the problem.

 

Yes Ricky!
We custom made the bearings.
And we believe the materials didn’t meet the ideal criteria.
Gui


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Hey, @Drmalacarne ...
Did you make the bearings out of solid steel? No coatings? I'd like to think that if all the dimensions and the oiling are good, the bearings could be made out of almost anything that's hard enough. But I guess the soft outer coating is pretty important. This time around, after the bearings are machined, I wonder if it would be a good thing to have them sprayed/plated with a thin coating of zinc or something similar? Maybe even one of the modern dry lubrication films they're using these days? Although, I think that the zinc coatings provide some cushion that a dry lubrication coating can't.

 

Or maybe machine the block and/or the crankshaft to accept standard manufactured bearings?

 

I stumbled on this thread and spent the last couple of hours reading through it. Amazing work! The creativeness and cleverness in solving what would be insurmountable problems for some was impressive. Sorry for the recent misfortune but I’m certain it is just a minor stumble and you will be back on the road before we know it.


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That’s the way wi will go Ricky!
Thanks. Gui


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Hey Gui
what a great thread...congratulations! I am very sorry about your engine but you will get that fixed...
keep up the great work you do,
all the best from Switzerland!
Peter

 

Hi friends
Sorry for the long absence.
The V12 Seagrave Speedster now has the engine perfect with the bearings fixed, a electric fuel pump, open giclês in the Zenith carbs and a ultra faithfull Optima Yellow Top battery.
Now the local rides becomes easy and peaceful!
Here are some pics.

 

Outstanding build, you are a legend Gui

 

Outstanding indeed !
So glad that there is this cool update on the " LEVIATHAN "
Perfection cannot be rushed !
Thanks for posting these cool photographs.
Dennis.

 

Stunning finale to a most interesting build...Thanks so much for sharing the journey @Drmalacarne...

Happy New year to you and your team...