Forget bike engines....

http://www.weberprecision.com/

How about something like (perhaps slightly larger) powering a bar stool or a yard kart?

Here's a magazine that specializes in this stuff:

http://www.modelenginebuilder.com/

I've been to a couple of the shows they put on and it is very, very cool looking at, hearing and smelling what these engines do. Walking in the building at one of these shows, you get a sense that there is a lot of knowledge and fun to be had. Then someone fires up one of the model V8's and all rational thought stops for a moment and you turn into a kid again.

Enjoy!

I subscribe to that mag. There are definitely some smart people out there. I have built a couple of one lung steam engines, but I doubt I will ever have the skill or patience to build a V8. Very cool stuff there.

turboswede wrote: ... all rational thought stops for a moment and you turn into a kid again. Enjoy!

heh sounds like every time I turn a wrench on our challenge car!

turboswede wrote: http://www.weberprecision.com/

Holy crap! Did you look at the shop tour pics?

I have serious tool-envy.

how bout a 1/3 scale Cheby 350:

Here is a link to how this guy scaled down, cast in aluminum, and built this by hand!!!!

I'll probably never be able to do anything nearly this cool, but I'd want the engine to be roughly half size. Maybe try to cast in a full size bellhousing pattern of a small 4 cylinder. 2.65 liter pushrod V8 sounds great for a locost or MG. Dont know if I'd trust it if I made it though; now that guy...I'd consider it.

I mean use your evil powers for good, not just to show off.

The problem is that when you scale down the engine, the HP scales down much more rapidly...that 350 only puts out an estimated 5-8 hp...not sure on torque. I guess its because while the engine scales down - i.e. the combustion chamber gets smaller - the fuel and air dont. So when you go to fire on the power stroke, the confines change the dynamics of combustion, and therefore the power is significantly decreased.

4cylndrfury wrote: The problem is that when you scale down the engine, the HP scales down much more rapidly...that 350 only puts out an estimated 5-8 hp...not sure on torque. I guess its because while the engine scales down - i.e. the combustion chamber gets smaller - the fuel and air dont. So when you go to fire on the power stroke, the confines change the dynamics of combustion, and therefore the power is significantly decreased.

Take your logic and reasoned replies and stuff em! We're talking about fantasies here man! :)

4cylndrfury wrote: The problem is that when you scale down the engine, the HP scales down much more rapidly...that 350 only puts out an estimated 5-8 hp...not sure on torque. I guess its because while the engine scales down - i.e. the combustion chamber gets smaller - the fuel and air dont. So when you go to fire on the power stroke, the confines change the dynamics of combustion, and therefore the power is significantly decreased.

Must be why the engine at the top uses a blower

logic + reason + 4cf only happen every once and a while, so I had to share while the moons of uranus were in alignment.

Now that things are back to normal, I can now comfortably say boosted V8 baby engine in a shiftercart FTMFW

I think casting inconel turbines will be hard. (pun intended)

Instead of scaling them down, you would need to change the entire design. Low displacements make high power with high revs, so relatively enlarge the bores and shorten the stroke. Maybe even change the valve layout and combustion chamber shape. Pushrod multi-valve hemi....

I also think a pushrod V4 would be pretty neat after seeing: http://www.autoblog.com/2010/01/20/motus-motorcycles-details-new-v4-engine-mts-01-sport-tourer/

xci_ed6 wrote: Instead of scaling them down, you would need to change the entire design. Low displacements make high power with high revs, so relatively enlarge the bores and shorten the stroke. Maybe even change the valve layout and combustion chamber shape. Pushrod multi-valve hemi.... I also think a pushrod V4 would be pretty neat after seeing: http://www.autoblog.com/2010/01/20/motus-motorcycles-details-new-v4-engine-mts-01-sport-tourer/

140hp and 120 torque, forget the motorcycle. It's got more power than my Mazda.

I think that learning how to do your own casting would open up a huge range of potentially interesting things. Heck, the main skills needed to build a lot of those classic racers in the 1960's were the ability to make castings, weld and lay fiberglass.

What if you hacked 4 cylinders out of the middle of an aluminum LSX block?

You'd have two aluminum V-twins left.

pushrod I4s are available in any 2 liter chevy from the 80s and 90s..their called cavaliers and corsicas lol

someone famous once said "all the technology of heavy V8s, only half the weight" hahaha

RossD wrote: You'd have two aluminum V-twins left.

I should have finished...

...then weld the two v-twins together.

...or you'd end up with an early 70's Saab...

xci_ed6 wrote:

RossD wrote: You'd have two aluminum V-twins left.

I should have finished... ...then weld the two v-twins together.

Then you'd have two aluminum pushrod V4s, one of which would be missing little things like a water pump