cylinder head print?

[Rabbit on Roids]

i think we are fighting a losing battle. whats a head going to cost? about 3 grand? is anyone even going to be able to afford one?

[theman53]

If we get the prints I could tell you. No idea what machining will cost, but I know I can get the best deal for castings:D

[NintendoKD]

yessssss let' do it

[smoken u]

i do remember a while back on here there was a gentleman by the name Andy2, he was haveing a head cast from iron out in ottawa here in ontario. I havent head from him for quite some time, but it would be my guess he may have connections to either a 3D print or someone who does. i know a few machinests, and vw gurus so ill try my connections as well see what i can come up with

If you guys can get this rolling i am more than interested in a cast head

[Rabbit on Roids]

i just asked tyler about andys head.. he would know if anyone would..

[smoken u]

any news on andy at all??

[NintendoKD]

news keep this alive, many of us NEED! THIS!

[rodpaslow]

As I'm sure you already know, it will likely need to be a group thing as I imagine the patterns will not be cheap.  I would think the drag(bottom part of the  pattern) will need the shape of the head and then other patterns for the cores will be needed as well.  I used to work in the steel industry (foundry) and cheapest I've seen for patterns (in Edmonton, AB) for a simple round part with a hole in the middle is about $2000. I'm not sure, but I can't see aluminum patterns if it's going to be a sand casting being any cheaper.

[NintendoKD]

There has to be a way, this is America darn it.  I believe, I really do.  Big buisness, big production foundry? perhaps not, but there has got to be a crackpot dreamer of a machinist with a finger itchin to make something like this out there, we just have to find him.  Now if you will excuse me I have to go back to finding this hay straw in a needle stack *ow*   I am not condescending your efforts here or putting down the fact that you are trying to help, but the folks here can't afford it, unless, of course we can all pitch in for the R&D, that will also give very accurate no.s for those interested in one, and pretty much set their place in line.  This will also give us a good number to give to the producers of said goody to lower the price per unit.

[arb]

There has to be a pattern making shop (the industry's name for Mold Maker) that has a CT scanner (xray) for creating a 3d CAD model of an aluminum part like this...  They could then print it on their 3D "printer" - a polymer laser printer, that could then be used to create the investment casting (like a ceramic mold that greatly reduces the machining operations)... 

its all about volume as some of these costs are fixed for 1 or 1,000 heads and you need to spread it out. Same thing is true for making a car - the material and labor costs are less than that of the tooling and engineering to design it. One hood may take 5 or 6 sets of dies to stamp out the part. Each die costing tens of thousands dollars just to make..

Someone has done it as Porthe is having his cast in China.

[NintendoKD]

china.....hmmmmm....... upon farther though.... NOPE! cost effectiveness means nothing if the head is junk, which, in this case is quite counterproductive.

[8v-of-fury]

china.....hmmmmm....... upon farther though.... NOPE! cost effectiveness means nothing if the head is junk, which, in this case is quite counterproductive.

Just because it's from China, does not mean it is junk. I have seen plenty junk items come from U.S.A or even my homeland Canada.. don't bash the entire country because they make cheap toys..

Prothe offers a very well cast head if you must know.. No reason to bash things man.

[NintendoKD]

sorry, not bashing, I just don't like to gamble on a bad track record.  If I buy a wrench from MAC tools then I get a lifetime warranty if I buy a toy from china I get a cheap plastic piece of junk it is not bashing, but simple statistics.  I prefer to take the lower odds.  I understand that there is no such thing as a sure bet, "except for amish goods" but well, I think you know where I am going.  I do not want to sacrifice reliability for price, especially if the heads are for other members here, if it were just me te deal would be sealed but I refuse to allow friends to buy a cheap head for possibly staking the life of their engine on to have it crack under just 35 psi.  No bashing here just the facts.


thanks,

Kevin

[rodpaslow]

Okay, speaking of cheap I just had a thought.  I bought a "cheap" head from prothe and I don't plan on using it as I have a 1.9 as a backup.  This was supposed to be for a 1.6, but I was able to find precups for the head I had.

So.. I would be willing to sell this cheap head for cheap,  say around $50.00 CAD if you'd like to cut it up and measure everything you need from it.  I could be wrong, or hope I'm wrong, but I doubt you will find a print for it.  Just a thought...

[NintendoKD]

I already have a junk head to sodomize