December 2011
Updates
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
I have committed to give a seminar at next year’s MARC convention in San Diego (June 2011), and my goal is to have a running engine by then.
In case someone gets this Email without seeing the article on the new Model A engine, the article can be found at: http://www.modelaengine.com
If anyone has a question, concern, comment, or suggestion, please let me know at model.a.engine@hotmail.com, and I’ll do my best to resolve the issue.
I have informed Lodi Iron Works that the next opportunity to display our efforts will be at the Turlock, Calif. swap meet on Jan 29 and 30, 2011 at the Model A Times booth which is in one of the buildings. Lodi Iron Works has promised to do their best at having raw castings available for display.
Cylinder Block
As I write this update, I know of no engineering issues regarding the cylinder block.
Nine additional sets of core holder spacer tooling along with a storage box have been made and are at Lodi Iron Works. This additional tooling will allow Lodi Iron works to make 10 core assemblies at a time.
Gating and the other casting problems documented in the 23 July 2010 update have been addressed by Lodi Iron Works in preparation for pouring cylinder block casting #2.
Cylinder block casting #2 was poured on Dec 17, and the mold was broken open on Dec 20.
The gating worked and the exterior surface finish was good, however there were venting problems and a cylinder wall that broke through. These problems were not evident in casting #1. Don’t be alarmed because castings of this complexity often require several attempts to get everything right.
Lodi Iron Works is analyzing the problems in casting #2 and will address the problems before casting #3.
Connecting Rod and Crankshaft
The gating and runners for the 3 aluminum match plates that will be used to cast the connecting rods and main caps on the automated line was specified by Lodi Iron Works. These parts have been added to the match plates using poplar wood, and are at Lodi Iron Works awaiting 1st article pouring. If changes to the gating and runners are needed, they will be easy to implement.
Using the crankshaft half pattern picked up by Lodi Iron Works on Nov 3, Lodi Iron Works provided a drawing that specified match plate and flask size along with dimensions for gating, runners, and sprues. The flasks have been delivered, and the match plates will be finished before Christmas. The original plan to cast the crankshaft vertically has been changed to cast it horizontally however the match plates are large enough and arranged so they can be changed to vertical if needed.
GD&T, Tolerances, Machining, and Surface Finishes
I have nothing new to report. I am waiting for Lodi Iron Works to complete the first useable cylinder block casting and the main cap castings. I will then be able to take the new parts along with an old original cylinder block and my SolidWorks machining model for the new cylinder block to machine shops for real discussions and quotes. The first machine shop to be contacted was intended to be Lodi Iron Works with their new CNC capability; however they have advised me that the weight of the raw cylinder block casting may be too heavy to man handle.
Next Update
The next update will be in Feb 2011.
Terry Burtz, Campbell, Calif.
Updates
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
I have committed to give a seminar at next year’s MARC convention in San Diego (June 2011), and my goal is to have a running engine by then.
In case someone gets this Email without seeing the article on the new Model A engine, the article can be found at: http://www.modelaengine.com
If anyone has a question, concern, comment, or suggestion, please let me know at model.a.engine@hotmail.com, and I’ll do my best to resolve the issue.
I have informed Lodi Iron Works that the next opportunity to display our efforts will be at the Turlock, Calif. swap meet on Jan 29 and 30, 2011 at the Model A Times booth which is in one of the buildings. Lodi Iron Works has promised to do their best at having raw castings available for display.
Cylinder Block
As I write this update, I know of no engineering issues regarding the cylinder block.
Nine additional sets of core holder spacer tooling along with a storage box have been made and are at Lodi Iron Works. This additional tooling will allow Lodi Iron works to make 10 core assemblies at a time.
Gating and the other casting problems documented in the 23 July 2010 update have been addressed by Lodi Iron Works in preparation for pouring cylinder block casting #2.
Cylinder block casting #2 was poured on Dec 17, and the mold was broken open on Dec 20.
The gating worked and the exterior surface finish was good, however there were venting problems and a cylinder wall that broke through. These problems were not evident in casting #1. Don’t be alarmed because castings of this complexity often require several attempts to get everything right.
Lodi Iron Works is analyzing the problems in casting #2 and will address the problems before casting #3.
Connecting Rod and Crankshaft
The gating and runners for the 3 aluminum match plates that will be used to cast the connecting rods and main caps on the automated line was specified by Lodi Iron Works. These parts have been added to the match plates using poplar wood, and are at Lodi Iron Works awaiting 1st article pouring. If changes to the gating and runners are needed, they will be easy to implement.
Using the crankshaft half pattern picked up by Lodi Iron Works on Nov 3, Lodi Iron Works provided a drawing that specified match plate and flask size along with dimensions for gating, runners, and sprues. The flasks have been delivered, and the match plates will be finished before Christmas. The original plan to cast the crankshaft vertically has been changed to cast it horizontally however the match plates are large enough and arranged so they can be changed to vertical if needed.
GD&T, Tolerances, Machining, and Surface Finishes
I have nothing new to report. I am waiting for Lodi Iron Works to complete the first useable cylinder block casting and the main cap castings. I will then be able to take the new parts along with an old original cylinder block and my SolidWorks machining model for the new cylinder block to machine shops for real discussions and quotes. The first machine shop to be contacted was intended to be Lodi Iron Works with their new CNC capability; however they have advised me that the weight of the raw cylinder block casting may be too heavy to man handle.
Next Update
The next update will be in Feb 2011.
Terry Burtz, Campbell, Calif.
