Author Topic: 90 degree V twin engine (my own design) (Read 28247 times)

gbritnell · « **on:** January 03, 2010, 08:41:34 AM »

Gentlemen, here's some progress shots of my current project. It's a 90 degree V-twin engine, 1.00 bore 1.25 stroke, air cooled and pressure oiled. Everything is machined from solid material. The crankcase is 6061 aluminum as are the timing cover and rocker arms. The crank is 1144 steel and the rods are mild steel. The valves, keepers and spring holders are stainless. I designed it several months ago and got started on the build shortly after.
George

gbritnell · « **Reply #1 on:** January 03, 2010, 08:59:22 AM »

Some more pictures.

gbritnell · « **Reply #2 on:** January 03, 2010, 09:00:03 AM »

One last shot.

Bernd · « **Reply #3 on:** January 03, 2010, 10:01:04 AM »

George,

That's some real nice fabrication job.

Nice finish. I take it that is was done with a grinder, files and sand paper?

Bernd

S_J_H · « **Reply #4 on:** January 03, 2010, 06:53:27 PM »

Beautiful! Fantastic work!!!

Steve

gbritnell · « **Reply #5 on:** February 17, 2010, 06:06:25 PM »

I know alot of you fellows follow the other forums. I haven't been up-to-date on posting the progress on this engine because of the amount or work involved in posting elsewhere. I thought I would post some information on how this project is going. I have all of the major components made. The ignition and exhaust remain along with small odds and ends. I have the engine assembled for fitting the intake manifold and mainly just to keep everything together. As you can see from the photos I have accomplished a lot. With any luck I should be able to see if it will run around the end of March.
George

gbritnell · « **Reply #6 on:** February 17, 2010, 06:09:01 PM »

The next few shots are with the engine assembled and the intake manifold fitted.

gbritnell · « **Reply #7 on:** February 17, 2010, 06:14:57 PM »

Within the last few days I have finished the engine base/motor mount and the carburetor. Although the carb is just a simple air bleed type I wanted it to look like it was made for this engine so I prettied it up by adding dummy pieces to it like the float bowl and upper barrel and cap. The upper cap was made to look like the cap on a motorcycle carb that holds the slide and spring in place. On my carb it is set screwed to the throttle barrel and will serve as the throttle link. I even went a step further and added a dummy cable adjuster to the top.

gbritnell · « **Reply #8 on:** February 17, 2010, 06:16:38 PM »

Here's the final pics of the carb.
George

tinkerer · « **Reply #9 on:** February 17, 2010, 06:39:44 PM »

I love watching you guys building these things. Not to wish my life away, but can't wait til the end of March.

Bernd · « **Reply #10 on:** February 17, 2010, 08:21:23 PM »

Nice looking engine George.

Can't wait to see and hear it run.

Bernd

Stilldrillin · « **Reply #11 on:** February 18, 2010, 03:30:35 AM »

Beautiful work George.....

David D

GArat · « **Reply #12 on:** February 19, 2010, 07:22:49 PM »

Great poject....well done!!!

Best regards
Mauro

gbritnell · « **Reply #13 on:** February 19, 2010, 08:45:03 PM »

Today's update. I took the manifold off and bored the hole for the carb. It's a snug fit but will also have a small set screw in the bottom. I then made up an air cleaner cover and back plate. I didn't have enough room between the inlet tube on the carb and the head on the adjusting screws so I made the backplate a little bigger and drilled out the holes for the screw. I then relieved the back side around the boss and screw holes. The cover was machined and buffed, after which I drilled all the holes. I did it this way so that the buffing wouldn't round over all the holes. I thought that a shiny piece or two would contrast the finishes on the rest of the pieces.
George

gbritnell · « **Reply #14 on:** February 19, 2010, 08:46:33 PM »

A few more shots.
George

Krown Kustoms · « **Reply #15 on:** February 19, 2010, 08:48:28 PM »

I love it so far and cant wait to see it run.

Brass_Machine · « **Reply #16 on:** February 19, 2010, 09:45:35 PM »

Wow George!

I love the engine! Do you plan to release the plans for it? I would LOVE to build it!

Eric

gbritnell · « **Reply #17 on:** February 20, 2010, 07:40:02 AM »

Hi Eric, I have a complete set of plans for it. I'm up to 14 sheets now. I won't offer them till I'm finished with the engine, that way everything will be corrected for the next guy.
George

Brass_Machine · « **Reply #18 on:** February 20, 2010, 01:55:00 PM »

Very cool George. I look forward to it

Eric

gbritnell · « **Reply #19 on:** March 02, 2010, 01:57:50 PM »

Here's an update on the engine. I wanted to built the exhaust from .375 stainless tubing. I didn't have a bender sturdy enough to do the bending so I had to make another one. In my experience bending tubing, even with a good bender I get somewhat of a flat on the outside radius of the pipe. I spoke with a fellow builder and asked if he had ever used Cerro alloy to fill the tubing prior to bending. He said he did and had good luck with it. I ordered a small cube from Ebay (expensive stuff!)
Once the alloy arrived and I had the bender built I set about bending the tubing. I put the alloy in an old coffee can and put this into boiling water, the alloy I got has a melting point of 154 degrees. I filled the first piece of tubing and when the alloy cooled I took it out to my big shop vice and proceeded to try out my new process. I clamped the tube into the bender, put a 12" adjustable wrench on the lever arm and started bending. It bent much easier than I thought it was going to. I took the piece of pipe out of the bender to check the bend, wow, absolutely perfect, no flat spot whatsoever.
Now it was just a matter of making up the other bends and slowly fitting everything together. Being that the front exhaust pipe had to pass through the motor mount I decided to make it in two pieces and silver solder it together. The construction of the bender and the radius that I used wouldn't allow me to get two bends close together and beside that I didn't know how many pieces of pipe I would go through trying to get a good one.
The rear pipe required different bends than the front pipe because I wanted it to stack on top of the front pipe. I think I have about 24 hours in the bender, cutting the tubing, filling with alloy, bending, melting the alloy out, filling and fitting the pieces and silver soldering everything together.
I must say that I am quite pleased with the outcome. Even with the small connecting sleeve on the pipes I think it looks good.
The first several pictures show the fitting up of the front pipes. I turned down a piece of aluminum to locate and support the pipe for soldering.

The next pictures show everything polished and assembled.
George

Brass_Machine · « **Reply #20 on:** March 02, 2010, 02:09:16 PM »

Looking good so far!

Would love to see some on the bender.

Eric

Darren · « **Reply #21 on:** March 02, 2010, 02:18:27 PM »

Very, very impressive work

gbritnell · « **Reply #22 on:** March 02, 2010, 02:36:35 PM »

Hi Eric, I'll post a separate thread on the bender.
George

Bernd · « **Reply #23 on:** March 02, 2010, 07:00:46 PM »

Holly exhust pipes batman

Nice job George. As I was reading this part of the thread I was about to say that I read else were of a guy doing what you were going to do. Then the bulb went on as to where I'd seen this before.

Hope to see a vid soon of it running. It's got to sound sweet.

Bernd

dsquire · « **Reply #24 on:** March 02, 2010, 09:27:37 PM »

George

It is a pleasure as usual watching you carve the swarf off of a chunk of metal to reveal what is hiding inside. You seem to have such a delicate touch and know just how far to go to get the maximum effect. A real work of art in my book. I will be looking forward to you thread on bending pipes as that is something I think will draw a lot of interest.

Cheers

Don

zeroaxe · « **Reply #25 on:** March 16, 2010, 04:10:00 AM »

Wow, just wow! I feel so inadequate watching you guys build these beautiful machines. With the current problems I have with the accuracy of my Chester Model B Super lathe, I almost feel depressed that I wont be able to build these kind of things ........... one day

But, dont let me sulking take anything away from the awesome thread/work you do!!!!

Brass_Machine · « **Reply #26 on:** March 16, 2010, 11:00:13 AM »

Quote from: zeroaxe on March 16, 2010, 04:10:00 AM

...With the current problems I have with the accuracy of my Chester Model B Super lathe, I almost feel depressed that I wont be able to build these kind of things ........... one day
...

It will come. I am not that good yet either. But I don't let it stop me from trying.

The great thing about these guys, like George, they are willing to teach and give pointers!

Eric

gbritnell · « **Reply #27 on:** March 17, 2010, 01:25:01 PM »

Gentlemen, well today was the second trial. I had started it the other day but ran into a few problems, starter setup, leaky valve, blown headgasket. I got those things taken care of and went out this morning for the second try. All it needs now is some fine adjustment on the carb and I think we'll have it.
George

Brass_Machine · « **Reply #28 on:** March 17, 2010, 01:47:07 PM »

Very nice! Had to watch it a few times. Love the sound of twins!

Eric

Stilldrillin · « **Reply #29 on:** March 17, 2010, 01:49:51 PM »

Fabulous George!

Thank you.....

David D

Bernd · « **Reply #30 on:** March 17, 2010, 03:21:47 PM »

Sounds like a miniature Harley engine.

Nice work George.

Bernd

dsquire · « **Reply #31 on:** March 17, 2010, 08:21:05 PM »

George

That engine sounds just as sweet as it looks and like Bernd says, it sounds like a Harley. Thanks for letting us watch over your shoulder.

Cheers

Don

Dean W · « **Reply #32 on:** March 18, 2010, 12:04:49 AM »

It's fabulous, George, and sounds terrific!
Amazing, to me at least, that this was not even four months from paper to runner. Pretty inspiring!

Dean

Darren · « **Reply #33 on:** March 18, 2010, 06:29:47 AM »

Beautiful George, just beautiful

Krown Kustoms · « **Reply #34 on:** March 18, 2010, 08:53:49 PM »

Good job
Truely impressive.

gbritnell · « **Reply #35 on:** March 19, 2010, 06:15:00 PM »

Thank you one and all for the gracious comments. I have been running it on and off for the last couple of days. It starts great when it's cold but as it warms up I can see the gas being pushed back through the line. My buddy was watching it and he said it seemed like it was vapor locking. It didn't seem right for something like this but as I went to adjust the carb I touched the intake manifold and it was as hot as the head. When the carb got hot and the gas tried to flow to it the heat would push the fuel back into the line. Today I took the intake manifold off and machined .04 from both of the mounting flanges. I then made some insulators to go between the manifold and head. I'll give it another try tomorrow and see if it helped. As with my other engines the tinkering part starts to take almost as much time as the building.
George

madjackghengis · « **Reply #36 on:** March 20, 2010, 11:26:09 AM »

Quote from: zeroaxe on March 16, 2010, 04:10:00 AM

Wow, just wow! I feel so inadequate watching you guys build these beautiful machines. With the current problems I have with the accuracy of my Chester Model B Super lathe, I almost feel depressed that I wont be able to build these kind of things ........... one day

But, dont let me sulking take anything away from the awesome thread/work you do!!!!

Dear zeroaxe, I understand the feelings that arise when one's lathe is less than right, but a large part of learning to get the most out of a machine tool is finding the reason for the problem condition, devising a workable solution in your own situation, and bringing it up to standard. Almost every machine tool I own was bought in horrible condition, precisely because I couldn't afford working machines. Without exception, I worked with them broken and gradually managed to find the time, the technology, and the skill to bring them to good condition, and have them produce as they are supposed to. I learned an awful lot rebuilding my first lathe, having found a book on Machine Tool Reconditioning, and spending almost a month reading it before starting the three months of rebuilding my loose, missing parts bad spindle lathe, and finally getting to use it as it was intended. Get inside your lathe and make it right, and you will be far happier than you are now, and the next problem will appear less of an obstacle. Get old books, as the machinists of a hundred years ago had far fewer resources than we have today, and used their ingenuity to get around things we sometimes call impossible. Mad Jack

gbritnell · « **Reply #37 on:** March 20, 2010, 01:57:15 PM »

Mad Jack is absolutely correct. After looking at my build someone stated, tongue in cheek, "you know you can't build those type of things on a round column mill". You do the best you can with what you have. A good machinist can use a lesser machine and make good parts but a non machinist can't make anything no matter how good the machine is.
See what your machine needs and do what you can with it.
George

zeroaxe · « **Reply #38 on:** March 20, 2010, 03:39:12 PM »

MadJack,

Thanks for the encouragement. I might be a newbie to the home-modeling game, but one thing I know... Is if you have a problem, dont ignore it. Get down to the root and sort it out. I have learned this the hard way. Now, to bring this back to my lathe... I have the owner's manual. But in there, obviously, it doesnt get down to the in-depth of "How to" sort out your machine. It has got the usual maintanance and set-up instructions..... Not much use to man or beast if you have problems beyond the 'normal'.

So, I am all for learning how and WHY. I would love to strip down my lathe, and I could! But what bothers me is after I have it all in parts, what do I do? Where do I start and what do I look out for? I am also for buying old books. I have bought "Workshop Technology" part 1 and 2 (on recommendation of Bogstandard) as a very good intorduction to metals and how to work them. So if you cold kindly advise me of what book helped you sort out your lathe and bring it up to standard, I will gladly hunt for it!

Thank you

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Author Topic: 90 degree V twin engine (my own design) (Read 28247 times)