Car-spotting thread

UtahJoe said:
maybe some new version of this?

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What seems crazy to me now is how much easier it is to get a fully CNC'd version engine block for so many different types of engines....

MMRs coyote for example....people are making 4-5000hp with these..someone went 5.60 @265mph....granted it cost $47,000 fully built.
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This used to only be Top fuel drag racing, F1 car kinda stuff...But now I have seen versions for so many engines now...2jz, 4g63 mitsu, Nissan gtr, Lambo, big block/small block chevys/ford...hemis. LS' You can even get a fully cnc'd version of my ford big block. Not cheap, but I guess with Ethanol, turbos and modern computers.....The limitations of cast engine blocks is getting more common.
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So I'm just curious, purely from an academic/scientific perspective, why is a CNC block better than cast? As a material, every time aluminum goes through a high heat cycle, it loses its hardness and temper, which is why you can't weld an aluminum bike after it breaks. So does steel to a certain extent, but aluminum is a much softer material to begin with. Is the CNC process more to reduce the number of parts through machining?
 
Not necessarily better. But have way more control and consistency over spacing & placement of the metal removed. Where if you cast you'll still have to machine after if you need clearances to be exact. And you can get a little crazier with a design if it's impossible to mold that shape through sand casting but can on a multi-axis mill.

And really one of the main benefits is cost. Castings are expensive for low volume production but the same billet can make a custom Honda engine and a custom Ford engine.
 
Carson said:
Wood drive. But couldn't look at the glove box door.

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No joke it's cars like that that stand out to me a lot down here. You just don't see anything older generally in NJ, at least not in Morris County.

I'm constantly reminded of the generic cars from the late 80s into the mid-90s down here that I stopped seeing up there. For instance I've seen a few of those Cavaliers, not in that good of condition of course. I saw a Chevy Beretta a few weeks ago.
 
Captain Brainstorm said:
So I'm just curious, purely from an academic/scientific perspective, why is a CNC block better than cast? As a material, every time aluminum goes through a high heat cycle, it loses its hardness and temper, which is why you can't weld an aluminum bike after it breaks. So does steel to a certain extent, but aluminum is a much softer material to begin with. Is the CNC process more to reduce the number of parts through machining?
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well casting a material will almost always introduce imperfections....unless you are doing it under vacuum, the grain structure will never be as good as a forged block/billet. With a forged block of 6061 for example....its going to be pounded/kneeded like dough...then they are going to machine this giant block down into and engine block. And as @Santapez said, you can now make areas of weakness thicker....Big crank journals, cam bearing journals, etc. Plus, with a cnc forged block...you can repair it....they can and do weld them back together if a rod put a hole in the block.
 
UtahJoe said:
well casting a material will almost always introduce imperfections....unless you are doing it under vacuum, the grain structure will never be as good as a forged block/billet. With a forged block of 6061 for example....its going to be pounded/kneeded like dough...then they are going to machine this giant block down into and engine block. And as @Santapez said, you can now make areas of weakness thicker....Big crank journals, cam bearing journals, etc. Plus, with a cnc forged block...you can repair it....they can and do weld them back together if a rod put a hole in the block.
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i'm a little addicted to the machining reels on FB.
esp automated bore welding, the process to get it ready and bringing back to correct tolerance.
 
Patrick said:
i'm a little addicted to the machining reels on FB.
esp automated bore welding, the process to get it ready and bringing back to correct tolerance.
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whats as impressive to me is that someone has to design one of these engine blocks in 3d...and while its not crazy hard for an engineer using solidworks, etc....(like im sure I could do it)....it would be very time consuming....so many aspects go into an engine block...oil/coolant passages, surfaces with very tight tolerances..
 
UtahJoe said:
whats as impressive to me is that someone has to design one of these engine blocks in 3d...and while its not crazy hard for an engineer using solidworks, etc....(like im sure I could do it)....it would be very time consuming....so many aspects go into an engine block...oil/coolant passages, surfaces with very tight tolerances..
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wait until they start 3d printing them....

 
Patrick said:
wait until they start 3d printing them....
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I mean its possible, especially when they add things like titanium strands.....but with a racing engine block...Cost isnt usually the issue....what can hold the most power?? I have no idea what would be stronger with current technolgy. Just 3d printed fused metal tho? no...that would not stack up to a forged block of 6061. And like Bill said...they you would need to do a considerable about of post processing
 
UtahJoe said:
I mean its possible, especially when they add things like titanium strands.....but with a racing engine block...Cost isnt usually the issue....what can hold the most power?? I have no idea what would be stronger with current technolgy. Just 3d printed fused metal tho? no...that would not stack up to a forged block of 6061. And like Bill said...they you would need to do a considerable about of post processing
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3d laser sintering (to my knowledge this is the most common form of am for metals) is very similar to castings in how it is handled, and in its overall strength (similar to the strength of the same material in cast form)
 
Back to spotting.

Didn’t think they made the Lincoln continental anymore but what caught my eye when I parked next to this at work was the funky integrated door handles.

I guess you reach in and it’s electronic button or something.

Looks like Ford Fusion on steroids meh.



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