Well, I've been sorta throwing some ideas around about stuff I'd like to make with my skills and tools available (MasterCam, vertical machining center, CNC lathe, wire EDM, sinker EDM, manual stuff)...I'm not wanting to make anything revolutionary, though. A couple of ideas were a simple two-speed transmission for my future FED project. Dunno what they used to run, but I doubt it was Powerglides or TH350s. Another idea is to make some hemi-styled heads for either a Pontiac (like M/T did) or for an SBC (like someone else did in the 80s). Another guy I was bouncing this off of suggest an overhead cam conversion for the sbc. I guess I figure that they used to come up with some weird shit with a lot fewer resources and it worked. Anyone have any ideas? Suggestions? Knowledge to share on something like this? I'm not trying to solicit anyone or begging for projects. I've just got this itch that's getting harder to, uh, scratch.
How about a double overhead cam conversion for a 5hp Briggs and Stratton? I've got a minibike just screaming for a hp transfusion. That way if you start small you'll make faster progress on a bigger project later, you know, getting used to using the equipment, etc. BTW, I'd be willing to pay for materials Let me know when your done and I'll stop by and pick it up. Frank
I saw this done on a small block sometime back. Pretty cool ! It had like timing belts on it. didn`t get to look to long ,but it did run. A 68-69 Camaro if memory serves me. Invent to your hearts content! A true hotrodder, don`t buy it, build it!
Ideas ? Oddball engine/transmission adapters Aluminum connecting rods Billet velocity stacks Carb spacers Anyone remember the Sam-O-Ram intake manifold from a couple years ago ? Depends on how much design work,and engineering,you want to do. Custom cylinder heads are much more difficult than they sound.
How about a DOHC head for a Buick straight 8. Make it like a baby Duesenberg. I'm salivating already.
Pretty sure Squeak has a OHC SBC in the shed, I spent some time scratching my head over it last year.
The head for the I-8 sounds pretty cool..sorta wish I'd have kept my Buick. Unk, those things are stuff I'd like to make for myself, but I'm wanting to get into a serious project. I can pop out a set of rods on Mastercam in an hour, and mill 'em out in a couple of hours each I would think. Making a set of heads more efficient or better perfoming than even stock heads would be the challenge. And a guy at work made an interesting point about having to make a set of pistons as well, since the combustion chamber would be drastically different. As I said, M/T made those hemi-Pontiac heads in '62...surely they can be made now with all of the technology available to even the simplest of morons like myself.
OHC motors are dime a dozen nowadays in late models, they used to be exotic in the old days. how about a blower housing and drive to put those little Eaton blower guts on old inline engines and make it look old, perhaps with the SCOT look.
M/T also adapted hemi heads to a Ford FE. That would be interesting, Lots of old 390's kickin' around.
In reply to Pontiac Slim: Easy. C9 described how to do this using a template and a drill. Although C9 is a smart guy, I wasn't inferring that he knew how to adapt hemi heads to a 390 with a drill. Now howzabout a supercharger case? Actually, I was going to try to make a supercharger intake for a Pontiac. That wouldn't be too hard and it would be pretty neato burrito.
I'd rather start with something like an A/B instead of a V-8 for the first shot. Cam itself would be a sticky spot, though. What sorta specs? Have to check on the lathe to see if we can do eccentric cuts. If not, I could draw it and have it made.
FED's use either Lenco's or Bruno trans's , sometimes you'll see 'glides used, although you'll need to have them held in with velcro as often as you'll be changing it behind serious HP Do you want to get into production runs?
Maybe source the cam from another engine.... How about from a newer engine... Might have to spend some time measuring engines in a salvage yard...
No, but I'd like to make one or two extra if someone is intersted in assisting somewhat. I sure as hell don't claim to understand everything, not even close, but I can make stuff and this helps me understand it. What did the OLD FEDs run? Crowerglides? Hydramatics? I'm thinking right there in between the flathead/inliners to the big ass hemi years.
I wonder if a call to a cam manufacturer would yield anything? What in the hell would a high lift on one of these be?!
This would probably fall into the DOHC category. And the guy at work was giving me shit for thinking Hemi heads..hehehe.
Before you invest in DOHC stuff, it's already been done, and you need to have a market for what you make. When it comes to anything motorsports related, you first have to read-the-rules. Aside from that, find someone with deep pockets, and make there 'one-off' trick parts that they can brag to their buddies about in there carpeted garages while they sip on wine !!!!!!!!
Depending on what project, but cylinder heads are still most likely gonna involve castings. Castings are fairly cost prohibitive for small runs of large and complex parts unless you can do your own mold work or think you can recoup a significant sum. If I was gonna try to machine one off billet heads w/water passages I'd look at doing two pieces and furnace brazing them. check speedtalk.com for a guy (SCHMIDTMOTORWORKS) going through the design phase of some 4V heads. Search his other post he has some cool 3d port modeling using some high end design software I'm not familiar with. He has already cast an intake. http://speedtalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1572&sid=2df52a456492b0d03c249947e839ee1c I would think a blower case would still be better off starting from a casting, but would be a much less complex/expensive casting. And the machine work, though it might require tighter tolerances, would still be less design intensive than cylinder heads. Good luck with whatever you decide. Ryan
Wow...that looks like Pro-E, pretty high end solids modeling with scary associativity. Screwing around with one drawing in a set can jack up all of 'em. I'll bet he backs up his drawings a lot. While bench-milling (like bench-racing, I reckon), we were discussing two piece heads for the water passages, since merely cross drilling and plugging would possibly cause too many stress points. The insanity would kick in pretty hard at the point of figuring new angles for all of the valves while intersecting the port and combustion chamber, and not intersecting any water passages or bolt holes while still having the water ports of the block match the ones on the heads. Whew.
How about something simple ? Blower intake for the small port w-block Chevy, there were a few made for the for the tall port heads but none for the others. I think you've got one customer already.
Saw the question and immedately thought of the header flange fiasco - haha . Shit happens. I made my own with a drill press, hole saw and (gasp) file. Much too easy for the project in question. If the A/B thing interests you, how 'bout making a whole engine ala Wright brothers? A man with ambition could go the extra mile and add water cooling and pressure oiling for the valve train. OHC? I'd say you have a few more resources available than the Wright brothers had when they did this one.
You must work for the government and have too much time on your hands. What you are suggesting, such as cylinder heads would require an enormous amount of time and effort in r&d to come up with something saleable and unique enough to have people beating down your door with cubic money in there hands. Yep, got to be a government employee!
Exactly...I'm offa the customer base thing. I'm not trying to make money, just...stuff. My ideas of profit for what I do are gone, so I want to make neato stuff for myself. Satisfaction, just like Brian Jones wanted.
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