interest: 34/30 steel head

[R.O.R-2.0]

it would be kinda cool to see an engine siht the crank out the bottom... not gonna lie.

[gnavs]

I'm there with you, destruction is fascinating.  As long as the root cause can be determined it's a learning experience. 
So where's Nintendo on this little project?

[Syncroincity]

The next step, obviously, is you let the clutch out and your transmission disembowels itself. 

[Jetmugg]

Can anyone name another engine with a 41xx series or 43xx cast steel cylinder head?  I certainly can't.  If you don't have a LOT of experience in the foundry and machine shop businesses, you may not quite understand just how difficult this proposition is. 

You cannot forge a cylinder head like the VW IDI head.  They must be cast.  Without a tremendously sophisticated effort (major $$$ and a lot of potential volume), you cannot "reverse engineer" a usable mold and set of cores from an existing cylinder head.   This is not "mom and pop" shop stuff.  You would need access to the original patterns, or VW engineering drawings if you want to have a usable end product.

I'm not saying that it can't be done, but I know enough about manufacturing to know that what Nintendo has been dreaming about will take a lot more resources than an enthusiastic dreamer and a mom & pop fab shop in Vietnam.

That's my 2 cent dose of reality.

SteveM.

[R.O.R-2.0]

we need to build a head thats multi-piece, and has an iron or steel deck, with an aluminum rocker assembly

[RabbitJockey]

I agree it's mostly a dream I kind of wish andy2 would shed some light on the process.  Anyways at my work one of the ventilators we sell has a bezel that breaks very easily the manufacturer is no longer supplying a lot of these types of parts so were having a local guy who prides himself in casting lots of one off and low quantity things.  He's been working on our mold for months now doing tons of little tweaks to accommodate shrinkage and small details and this is for just for basically a picture frame shapes pierce of metal with a few tabs on it. Imagine a head with 8 ports in it the whole valve train area and the water jackets.  Then once all that is made u gotta have the cam journal and caps all machined the valve cover sealing surface valve guid holes lifter bores valve seat prechamber glow plug hole and head surface all machined and I know I'm forgetting a few things it's a big job especially for a limited market like ours to make it worth anyone's time they'd have to cost a fortune

[R.O.R-2.0]

I agree it's mostly a dream I kind of wish andy2 would shed some light on the process.  Anyways at my work one of the ventilators we sell has a bezel that breaks very easily the manufacturer is no longer supplying a lot of these types of parts so were having a local guy who prides himself in casting lots of one off and low quantity things.  He's been working on our mold for months now doing tons of little tweaks to accommodate shrinkage and small details and this is for just for basically a picture frame shapes pierce of metal with a few tabs on it. Imagine a head with 8 ports in it the whole valve train area and the water jackets.  Then once all that is made u gotta have the cam journal and caps all machined the valve cover sealing surface valve guid holes lifter bores valve seat prechamber glow plug hole and head surface all machined and I know I'm forgetting a few things it's a big job especially for a limited market like ours to make it worth anyone's time they'd have to cost a fortune

im sure andy2s CAST IRON TDI HEAD was alot easier to machine..

[RabbitJockey]

Easier sure but it still needs the same amount of machining

[R.O.R-2.0]

casting iron is 100,000% different from forging steel..

[RabbitJockey]

Can they even forge a cylinder head?  It would need 10 times the machine work. Why would we want forged over cast?

[R.O.R-2.0]

pretty sure his plan was to forge the head..

[Jetmugg]

I cannot envision any way to forge a cylinder head for one of these engines. There is no way to forge an internal passage in such a complex shape.

[NintendoKD]

@ jetmugg, "the only thing that is possible is the impossible"

I am planning on having it cast, not necessarily 34/30 but steel or iron, I want to avoid thermal expansion to prevent from cracking the precups, and causing valve seats from going bye bye.  and yes, I am still on this one.  I am at a transitioning phase in my life, The budget crisis hit the Marine Corps hard, I may not be allowed to stay in, and right now the welfare of my family "my job security" comes first.  I'll let you all know of any changes.

God bless, Semper Fi,

Sgt Kevin A. Davies, USMC

[BlueMule]

A bit of info for the doubters, and some support for Nin. I have a business contact that can get anything copied in China. For example, how about MANN, Bosch, oil filters copied to the exact metallurgy of the can and even the exact amount of folds of filter media. I would only cost me one container, or 5k us to have these done. In other words, all I would have to do is buy 5k in product, oh, how much would be my cost??? 60 us cents a piece. I can also get Garrett turbos copied, not the cheap knockoffs you see on line, but balanced and with all of the proper casting and materials, these can be had for about $250.00. Of course I would have to buy minimums, but the main point is ANYTHING you want copied, you can get it in the BIG C.

Now as far as the head, it can be done, absolutely, but you need volume to get it done, the Chinese thinking is different than the West, if you go to them and ask to have something copied as a one off project, they will look at you like you are nuts, but talk volume they will throw the r&d in for free. I think a better solution for the head is a steel billet girdle and set screws/pins for the prechambers, you could even machine the prechamber areas to beef them up, and then re machine for new prechambers. Anyway just a viewpoint from the bleachers, oh and I don't know anything about Vietnam, but I have no reason to doubt that this project could be done.

BlauMaultier

[Jetmugg]

My input is just from the viewpoint of a metallurgical engineer, who has spent plenty of years in steel mills, foundries, and machine shops. 

From my viewpoint, it is extremely beneficial to understand the "in's and out's" of making good castings or forgings, and the sometimes subtle differences between alloys, in terms of not only the final properties, but also in terms of the ease of making the part. 

If you are looking for unsolicited advice, you will save yourself a lot of grief and money by using a conventional casting alloy, whether an aluminum alloy or one of about 100 cast iron grades.