Car engine building

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Discussion

chassis

Original Poster:

300 posts

273 months

Monday 4th February 2002
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*** MESSAGE DELETED ***

smeagol

1,947 posts

291 months

Monday 4th February 2002
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The cost would be phenominal chasis. This is why car manufacturers often use the same engine or buy in engines from other manufacturers. May I suggest you go via the build from parts route.

chassis

Original Poster:

300 posts

273 months

Tuesday 5th February 2002
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quote:

The cost would be phenominal chasis. This is why car manufacturers often use the same engine or buy in engines from other manufacturers. May I suggest you go via the build from parts route.



What do you mean by "The cost would be phenominal chassis"?
Chassis?
Can you show me where to get the engines?

smeagol

1,947 posts

291 months

Tuesday 5th February 2002
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Your name is chassis!

Never mind, if you look in most kit car mags there are lots of adverts for various engines (rebuilds, new parts etc.)

Hope that helps.

domster

8,431 posts

277 months

Tuesday 5th February 2002
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Chassis, I love your ambitions re engine and car building! I would suggest that both of them may prove slightly more difficult (and expensive) than you imagine... but, hey, that's ambition, right?

Good luck to you, and maybe invest in an Ultima kit instead. Check out ultimasports.co.uk, plus the build websites it links to. It is much easier to buy a 500 bhp Chevy engine for the cost of a Ferrari bonnet, plus a car you bolt together with the minimum of fuss.

Rgds
Domster

350matt

3,766 posts

286 months

Tuesday 5th February 2002
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An excellent series of engine books are the 'Engine Technology' series by Heinz Heisler, you'll be able to pick these up in any decent bookshop / libary. That said I have to say I don't think the info you need will be contained in any one book, as you need to know about manufacturing techniques, material science, combustion theory, and engine testing to be able to make an engine from scratch and even then you have to be prepared for lots of little subtle problems. May I suggest an Engineering course of some kind if you're really keen?

Best of luck tho'
Matt

chassis

Original Poster:

300 posts

273 months

Tuesday 5th February 2002
quotequote all
quote:

An excellent series of engine books are the 'Engine Technology' series by Heinz Heisler, you'll be able to pick these up in any decent bookshop / libary. That said I have to say I don't think the info you need will be contained in any one book, as you need to know about manufacturing techniques, material science, combustion theory, and engine testing to be able to make an engine from scratch and even then you have to be prepared for lots of little subtle problems. May I suggest an Engineering course of some kind if you're really keen?

Best of luck tho'
Matt




I understand but I ain't interested to go back to college or even uni so if you ever come across any books then do drop a line.
I do understand that one book will not have all the answers but a book with some is good enough.

adeewuff

567 posts

277 months

Wednesday 6th February 2002
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Chassis,

I'm not sure you understand just how complex this kind of Engineering is. I've got a degree in Mechanical Engineering and that's only a basic introduction to say the least.

To design an engine you'll a need a complete understanding of Static Mechanics, Dynamic Bodies, Vibrations, Material Science, Thermodynamics, Finite Element Analysis, Modern Production Methods, Oh and an infinite supply of cash.

I tell you now, NO-ONE, has a complete understanding of the above topics. That's why car companies employ thousands of engineers to do it!

Now seriously, if you do want to build a car from as little as possible try looking out for a Haynes Book called 'How to build a sports car for £250'. You have to weld you own chassis together from metal tubing, just what I think you want to do, and you have to make up body panels etc...

So have a read and start making it happen, or you could buy a book on Thermodynamics and scare yourself witless with the Maths!!!

Good Luck!

>> Edited by adeewuff on Wednesday 6th February 09:38

MEMSDesign

1,100 posts

277 months

Wednesday 6th February 2002
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they should show you how to produce the engine parts with what machines (lathe, milling, drilling, casting etc.) and how to assemble them to construct the engine.



Many parts in car engines are cast or forged. This makes them pretty expensive on a one off basis. Have you ever heard of 'tooling costs'?

mel

10,168 posts

282 months

Wednesday 6th February 2002
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I keep reading this thread and thinking "IS THIS GUY FOR REAL ???" and have now decided its one of 3 options:

1. A naive but ambitious fool. If thats the case no real harm done and that exact quote has been attached to some very sucessfull people in the past. So good luck

2. A very rich but bored fool that wants a challenge and can afford it. So good luck you lucky bastard

3. A complete dick head who's on a wind up. So piss off

Oh well only time will tell

stig

11,822 posts

291 months

Wednesday 6th February 2002
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Mel - half 1 and half 3 I reckon

adrianr

822 posts

291 months

Wednesday 6th February 2002
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My dad was a proper mechanical engineer. As part of his apprenticeship he made most of a single cylinder engine, turning pistons, crank etc up from scratch with lathe and milling machine. I don't think he ever tried to run it, but it is possible.

There are also people who make scale kits of engines, either complete or you can buy the castings and finish them yourselves.

As TVR owners you should know you can make DIY engines...wasn't it the Speed 12 that had two Speed 6 cylinder heads bolted to a block fabricated out of sheet steel.

Most of the problems with building engines these days are related to emissions, smoothness and longevity, so by all means have a go at building your own. You'd need a machine shop, but sign up for some evening classes at a technical college and off you go.

Cheers,
AdrianR

P.S My grandfather made an entire model steam engine from scratch - that's gotta have more bits in it than a petrol engine.

domster

8,431 posts

277 months

Wednesday 6th February 2002
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I made an entire engine for a model plane once.

I think it's called a 'rubber band' in laymen's terms.

Bombjack

483 posts

274 months

Wednesday 6th February 2002
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Adrianr, your post put me in mind of this: www.cabinfeverexpo.com/Merlin/RRMerlin.htm

Pretty amazing work.

MEMSDesign

1,100 posts

277 months

Wednesday 6th February 2002
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a block fabricated out of sheet steel



Sheet steel block! That sounds impressive.

MEMSDesign

1,100 posts

277 months

Wednesday 6th February 2002
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Pretty amazing work.

Does that actually run?

If it does, I'm very impressed.

Roadrunner

2,690 posts

274 months

Wednesday 6th February 2002
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Jesus! There are some many things to go wrong! It would take a lifetime to get it working. Even the slightest variation in tolerances due to heat and expansion would affect every component. Would be cheaper to buy a new 360 modena and remove the lump from that.

Bombjack

483 posts

274 months

Wednesday 6th February 2002
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MEMS - yeah, it ran first time! All purpose-built parts, 1/6 scale. I don't know if he included the supercharger though

MEMSDesign

1,100 posts

277 months

Wednesday 6th February 2002
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quote:

MEMS - yeah, it ran first time! All purpose-built parts, 1/6 scale. I don't know if he included the supercharger though



How long did that take? Whoever built it must have either had access to some pretty smart kit, or have been a very skilled machinist.

domster

8,431 posts

277 months

Wednesday 6th February 2002
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Notice how old the bloke is who made it.

If chassis is 25 years old, then he'll have a few more greay hairs and a bus pass by the time he finishes his full size bespoke Ferrari engine!