Inline-four crankshaft

[Jack Gifford]

Shortblock assembled.
Took a long time to find someone to machine a couple Inconel exhaust valves. I didn't really need Inconel- just happened they were the only ones I found for the needed dimensions. Toughest damn alloy I've ever handled- cost a fortune to have them machined.
So now the engine shop can finish the valve seats, then assembly of the DOHC head can begin.

[generatorshovel]

 Inconel, yeah tough stuff, the baby bike I built last used them, 8 of 'em, Inconel likes an aggressive cut, & work hardens as a result, try doing that with a 3.5 mm valve stem, without flexing it,,
  Because I'm a glutton for punishment, I'm building another small displacement engine, with 16 of 'em in it 

[Jack Gifford]

While awaiting the cylinder head, I came up with a way to measure leakdown of just the shortblock. If anything is amiss it would be easier to correct it now rather than after top end is all together. All four are 96-98%. Not surprising, but I was concerned about the possibility of having broken a ring while installing pistons. My sleeves have only tiny chamfers at the top (~.015"), so entry of the rings is somewhat harsh and worrisome.

[Jack Gifford]

Engine all repaired, ready to test-fire and put back into the lakester. But... realizing that I had done nothing to address the mysterious scuffing of pistons, I'm taking on the task of adding piston-squirters to the oil system. Perhaps my "smoother is better" finishing of cylinder bores doesn't allow sufficient retention of oil? It's looking like I can add the squirter system without teardown of the engine, just oilpan removal.
And... in the interest of getting some low-stress experience with the engine, I'll be removing the blower and run F/FL instead of F/BFL.

[fissionspeed]

Engine all repaired, ready to test-fire and put back into the lakester. But... realizing that I had done nothing to address the mysterious scuffing of pistons, I'm taking on the task of adding piston-squirters to the oil system. Perhaps my "smoother is better" finishing of cylinder bores doesn't allow sufficient retention of oil? It's looking like I can add the squirter system without teardown of the engine, just oilpan removal.
And... in the interest of getting some low-stress experience with the engine, I'll be removing the blower and run F/FL instead of F/BFL.

I'd love to see some pictures of this if you get the chance. On my engine people do it by drilling through the mains and tapping squirters into the other side but I'm too chicken.

[Jack Gifford]

... I'd love to see some pictures of this if you get the chance...

It's difficult to photograph (was also difficult to accomplish!) while the engine is already assembled (mirror didn't help much). I used nozzles intended for a 4-cyl Honda car engine.The brass piece soldered onto them serves two purposes- 1) to reduce the orifice from .049" to .042", and 2) to allow aiming the orifice at the required angles. I machined hollow studs to mount the nozzles inside the pan rail of the block. I've just now finished the testing and leak-checking.

[Jack Gifford]

...

[Stainless1]

That looks pretty good Jack.  Nice job adapting. 

[Jack Gifford]

Not that anybody cares... but I seem to be entering a midlife crisis. With the lakester engine ready to test-fire for three weeks now, I've found a slew of other tasks (and other excuses) to keep me too busy to mess with it. The brutal truth is that I hate how stressful it can be. Up until now I haven't felt "too old" for such activities, but I feel like I've aged about ten years in the last few months.
I guess I need to seriously contemplate not being sole owner/driver/engineer/mechanic/etc. of a race car. I'm most contented fabricating stuff with machine tools.
To be continued... perhaps I'll snap out of this funk...

[manta22]

Not that anybody cares... but I seem to be entering a midlife crisis. With the lakester engine ready to test-fire for three weeks now, I've found a slew of other tasks (and other excuses) to keep me too busy to mess with it. The brutal truth is that I hate how stressful it can be. Up until now I haven't felt "too old" for such activities, but I feel like I've aged about ten years in the last few months.
I guess I need to seriously contemplate not being sole owner/driver/engineer/mechanic/etc. of a race car. I'm most contented fabricating stuff with machine tools.
To be continued... perhaps I'll snap out of this funk...

A blue Funk:

[Jack Gifford]

So... I finally got fed up with being scared to fire up the engine. No drama... no leaks... normal oil pressures... sounds awesome! Fiddled with idle mixture some. Now I can get busy putting the car back together.

[Jack Gifford]

Quite a thrash, but the car is pretty much back together. But somewhere along the way I suffered brain fade- I totally forgot that the engine used the blower to dampen crank harmonics, instead of a harmonic balancer! Just add a balancer, right? Wrong- no way to hold the crank to deal with the 200 lb.ft. of the crank's snout bolt (full centrifugal CrowerGlide, can't remove oil pan, etc.). So now I'm scheming to machine an adaptor to mount a balance on the crank's blower pulley- don't know if I'll have success.

Hmm... having said all that... I suppose I could hold the crank by hydrolocking the engine with fluid in a cylinder. Hmm...

[Koncretekid]

Seems to me I might have heard of stuffing rope down thru the spark plug hole until it's full, but may leave debris in the cylinder.
Tom

[Stainless1]

Jack, have you tried your rattle gun...

[floydjer]

🤔 Or a breaker bar resting on the frame rail and bump the starter a couple times.....Turn the ignition off.