Milwaukee Midget

[Peter Jack]

Block's done

Was that a picture that didn't come through?

Pete

[jacksoni]

TA DAH!!!!!

[Milwaukee Midget]

Was that a picture that didn't come through?

Pete

Yeah - I've still got to figure out a posting scheme that won't set me back the cost of the bare block and doesn't tax Slim's forum.

But wow, this thing looks absolutely gorgeous in the pictures.

Should ship back this week.

Mark's agreed to do the align hone, after which we'll have concise deck height measurements, and we can order pistons and rods.

You have no idea how glad I am to have this sucker back on track.

[Hoody]

Now photobuckets charging Imgur seems possibly the best option for uploading images?  https://imgur.com

[jacksoni]

Attaching photos less than 500k is easy and Slim will be glad to accept a small $ donation to support the site if you are feeling guilty. Don't need some hosting site. JMHO

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Gentlemen, I can't figure this one out - except for the obvious conclusion.

It seems that the $25/year I've been paying to Photobucket was good enough.  I haven't had any interruption in service (as far as I know).  I still use it, post there, etc.  I get ads from them now for other products and services they offer, but no lockdown.

Go figure.

[Milwaukee Midget]

Okay - let's try this . . . it shipped today - might even have it in my hot little hands by Friday!

[jacksoni]

Okay - let's try this . . . it shipped today - might even have it in my hot little hands by Friday!

See how easy that was! and boy does that  look sweet!!!!

[Milwaukee Midget]

Well, for comparison, these are the old liners.

While there are guys taking these out to 2 liters and pushing 300 hp with the stock liners, I think we've just turned this into a genuine, bonafide racing block.  

[Peter Jack]

It sure looks like you'll have a much more stable platform to work from. Nice work Chris. Good luck with the build. Actually I know luck has little to do with it. You and Mark make an excellent team. 

Pete

[fordboy628]

Well, for comparison, these are the old liners.

While there are guys taking these out to 2 liters and pushing 300 hp with the stock liners, I think we've just turned this into a genuine, bonafide racing block.  

Well, you know it the same old story:   How do you make a decent racing engine out of a good design that was compromised by the need for cheaper production costs? ?

MANY manufacturers have done the same thing, Renault comes to mind, but there are others, such as the stock Chevy alloy LS blocks.    It is amusing to note that Darton manufactures a sleeve for the LS that improves the racing "reliability" over the stock component.    Go figure . . . . .

The thing to remember is that the "precision" needed to reliably produce 55/65 bhp per liter @ 6,000 max rpm is dramatically lower than what is required to produce say 125/130 bhp per liter with a safe rpm limit of oh say, 10,000 rpm.    (I'm allowing for 5' 17" sized feet stamping on, or getting caught up in, the pedals.    )

I think that a HUGE improvement has been made to the "casework".    Now for some more "trick" machine work; some precision measurements and the ordering of the remainder of the short block parts.

What is the next step?    An offer up to the chassis?  Or?

Are the main bearings already in Beerhaven?    I confess I forget . . . . . .    Been sort of cylinder head centric lately.

 

[fordboy628]

midget,

Just a thought.   Maybe post the rest of the pics from the block re-machine? ?

Or not . . . .

Back to my Oktoberfest!

 
Marzenboy

[fordboy628]

It sure looks like you'll have a much more stable platform to work from. Nice work Chris. Good luck with the build. Actually I know luck has little to do with it. You and Mark make an excellent team. 

Pete

Thanks Pete!    Very kind of you.

You are right you know.   It is just a tough grind to accomplish things "properly" and do a "professional" job of it.

Most guys probably know what to do.   They just are not willing to go the distance, or they want to "shortcut" the process.   It is foolishness . . . . . .

 
Detailfocussedboy

[Interested Observer]

Sneakyboy:  In comparing the photos in replies 6471 and 6473 it appears that the headbolt bosses of the original configuration are isolated from the surrounding materials whereas in the “new” configuration everything, including the outer perifery, appears to be coplanar.  What’s going on there?  Are we losing preload to the water jacket and other areas?

[Milwaukee Midget]

Sneakyboy:  In comparing the photos in replies 6471 and 6473 it appears that the headbolt bosses of the original configuration are isolated from the surrounding materials whereas in the “new” configuration everything, including the outer perifery, appears to be coplanar.  What’s going on there?  Are we losing preload to the water jacket and other areas?

IO, you always bring up the best questions.  I think I understand what you're asking.  I'll play student, you play adjunct professor, and if my explanation misses the mark, dumb it down a bit, and I'll resubmit. 

I'm not too worried about the bosses, in that they taper back toward the inside wall of the water jacket about an inch down into the block at about a 45 degree angle.  The bulk of pre-load should remain largely centered around the inside of the block and the sleeves.   

We DO end up with pre-load being spread out over a larger area of the head and block with respect to the cylinder liners - both at the top and at the bottom of the liners.  I haven't resized the pictures yet, but the step of the liner where it fits into the block at the bottom of the water jacket is probably twice as wide as the stock step, and the machining is much more precise than stock.  Additional pre-load will be available with the ARP studs we've discussed previously.   

Steve Demirjian thought it best to simply cut it flush across the top.  We're talking about a ~2" height of the sleeve from the bottom of the water jacket to the top of the block.  It's my understanding that most wet liners are taller than that, and, comparing it to a Honda block, Steve said this -

"The Honda blocks have a sleeve seating depth of 4.5" which is why those are step decked.  This thing will most likely pi$$ coolant out the sides if step decked with a copper head gasket.  You don't want that happening at speed."


Hell, I don't want that happening at all!
 
Yeah, I've still got concerns about expansion with this thing, but I think thoughtful, careful preparation during assembly should address that.  In the grand scheme of things, I think we're simply spreading the preload out over a larger effective area.  I'm confident we've gained a greater degree of longitudinal and lateral block stability, which is where these engines tend to go south.  Lateral stability should be further sistered by the O-rings. 

Submitted for grading.