PeeWee V4 slow build

[Cogsy]

Hi Edi, this is going to be a slow build so I wouldn't be surprised if you finish your Peewee before me! I've got the same plan as you, first the V4 then Steve's V8. I can't look any further in the future than that.

 

[Cogsy]

Aonemarine - thanks for the heads up. I did some checking and these castings are heat treated 356 which has only a 0.3% magnesium content and is supposed to have excellent welding characteristics. Still, I hadn't considered the possibility of high magnesium alloys in aluminium. I'll be a bit more cautious with unknown alloys in the future.

 

[aonemarine]

??? I thought they were almag 535. 7% magnesium.... Ok.now I'm totally lost... Was the information you received from the mfg?

 

[Cogsy]

I'm only assuming they're still made from 356, as per the description at this link. Just to be on the safe side, if/when I attempt to weld I'll do it outside in a safe area.

 

[aonemarine]

Ok, so this engine was passed along to Dirk to produce them? That explains alot. More research is required LOL

 

[Cogsy]

I still haven't made the decision about the oil pan yet. I do have some aluminium 'solder' that I might try out as long as my attempt at making the pan from solid works out. I don't want to burn up my casting when I don't have a replacement. If I can't make an acceptable pan from scratch then I'll take the casting to a professional welder to be repaired.

Here's what I've managed so far.






To give you an idea of how slow this build will be, so far I've spent 11.5 hours on this oil pan alone and I still don't know if it's going to work out. I know there's a few guys on here that could have built a complete single cylinder engine in that amount of time...

 

[aonemarine]

you know you could all ways drill a hole thru the bad area, then turn a plug on a slite taper, drive it home, then machine it.

 

[e.picler]

Hi Cogsy,
You are doing really well.
The oil pan you are making from solid is OK, it looks really good, and 11 hours for a person that have no experience in machining is not bad at all. I`m sure you will end up not using the cast one.
My building of the Tiny 4 inline is also progressing in a very slow pace, but getting there.
Don`t rush yourself.

Keep up the good work.

Edi

 

[Brian Rupnow]

Cogsy--Obviously, the gentleman from Brazil has no knowledge of your previous machining exploits!!!!---Brian

 

[Cogsy]

Brian - I have to admit, those photos do make it look like I machined it with a chisel and a sledge hammer and I've never even touched a machine before. It looks a little better in the flesh but will need a heap of finishing. Of course it was looking really nice until I made a mistake, then compounded it several times trying to fix it.

I did consider plugging the cast one but I'm not sure how the different colours of the alloys would turn out considering I wanted it polished. I'm starting to think a little JB weld then paint might be the best option after all.

For now I'll just keep going in multiple directions until the problem resolves itself.

 

[gus]

Oil Pan looking good.

 

[Cogsy]

Finally I believe I have made a decision and I will be using my from-solid oil pan. It still needs further machining but I'll wait until it's mounted to the block before I do any more. Then I will need to improve the finish and polish it up properly.

Now I need to take a few days off and take care of some jobs for the lovely wife, and clean up the mountains of swarf in my shed, then I'll be making a proper start to my engine.

Here's the last shots of the oil pan saga...







Thanks for looking.

 

[Brian Rupnow]

Ha!!! Knew you could do it!!!

 

[mikemott]

Very nice piece of machining.

Michael

 

[Swifty]

Didn't realise that it was so small, unless that's a giant lighter. Great job on that.

Paul.

 

[gus]

Oil Pan looks good.
Will follow this thread . Meanwhile Gus has too many distractions.

 

[Cogsy]

My 'few days off' lasted longer than I'd hoped. Turns out my few jobs for the wife included a major plumbing problem that raised it's head. It's all fixed now, I just have to wait for the ground to dry out a bit so I can replace the patches of concrete floor I had to dig up. Luckily for me it was only a grey water problem - I DO NOT deal with black water.

So with my work space all clean and tidy I tried to make a proper start to the Peewee yesterday. I spent nearly 2 hours measuring, marking, aligning and clamping the block onto the mill, after careful study the night before and writing up a machining plan step by step. I was really nervous and I wanted to make sure I did everything right.

I took my first couple of passes and found some holes in the casting. I machined to the full depth that I needed, hoping the holes were just in the bottom, but I discovered more and more, especially the smaller holes.

I've never machined a casting before but I think this one is no good. Can I get some expert opinions please?

If the castings are bad I'll have to get on to the seller and in the meantime I'll shift onto other stuff like the crankshaft and camshaft. I don't want to stop now and I definitely still want to build this engine.

 

[Cogsy]

I've had it confirmed that the castings are no good. I also checked the heads and oil pan and they're the same. There has been some issue at the foundry, but more castings are going to be sent to me. I hope the new ones are OK.

No pictures yet but I've started preparing for the crankshaft. I've cut the stock to length, faced both ends and machined flats on one end. Now I'm making a 'jig' of sorts to hold and drive the stock, almost like 'between centres'. Then it's on to the mill for roughing and back to the lathe for finishing.

So far I have about 3 hours into it and I'm guessing it'll be a 20+ hour piece. I really, really hope I only have to make one.

 

[michael-au]

It's good Dirk is replacing the castings
Hope the ones I have are ok, have to machine mine to see if they are the same

 

[michael-au]

Just took a cut of my castings and they look the same as yours.... bummer