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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - DJB guidance on casting new heads from old core?

Hi DJB, if I have a new ally or CI head casting, where could I go at reasonable costs to have some copied?

Peter
Peter Burgess Tuning

Peter,

If you mean me then I can't really help with any company suggestions but a number were made in the recent thread on casting started by Rob IIRC. As a starting point I would make enquiries about 3D xray scanning as that'll get internal and external details that can be used for CAD modelling for patterns and core moulds or rapid prototyping of lost foam maybe. X Tek springs to mind http://www.xtekxray.com , looks like they're part of Nikon as it redirects to http://www.nikonmetrology.com/en_EU/Products/X-ray-and-CT-Inspection . Hope that helps a bit, what is the head off?
David Billington

Tis an MGB which is NMC but if we shrunk it it could be MC :)

Thanks for info

Peter

Peter Burgess Tuning

I forgot to mention that popping round to a local foundry, if you can find one these days, with the head in question might prove useful for getting suggestions. I suspect you don't want to destroy the head which is why I suggested the xray process as otherwise getting the cooling passage details would be tricky or impossible. This sort of thing might be an option http://www.shellcast.com/prototyping.html but might be better in CI unless you can treat the aluminium after casting to get the right properties. A mate works in engine development and the casting of aluminium head is quite specialised to get the correct dendrite formation at the cylinder head face for durability. I'll give him a bell this evening and ask who he would suggest as I haven't spoken to him for a while.
David Billington

Thats.awsome peter,

Any chance you can incorprate my idea from years ago and make adjustable combustion chambers that can move up and down to better adjust and control compression ratio, as well as replace damaged combustion chambers aka crack between the valves ...that way the head would only need replacing when it runs out of resurface skimming material

Prop
Prop and the Blackhole Midget

Hi Prop, I seem to remember my little compression ignition model engines used to have adjustable CR cylinder head to make em run crisp.

B series will have to come first as castings are getting very hard to obtain. A series are still plentiful on the ground and not too pricey it seems.

Thanks for all the info and help David, most helpful.

Peter
Peter Burgess Tuning

Peter,

I emailed my mate in the end and this was his reply.

"The best known foundry for prototype parts and small series production who specialise in automotive components is a company in the north west midlands called Grainer and Worrall. I have been working with this company for over 30 years. There are probably the best in the world at this type of thing but not necessarily the cheapest.

Grainger and Worrall make most the worlds F1 and NASCAR engine castings and make series production engine castings for Aston Martin and the W16 block for VW Bugatti.

They have a rapid prototype sand core facility and made all the parts using this process or a SwRI project last year, casting all types of cast iron and aluminium.

They also do the machining for cast components but this is quite often done in Germany.

The company web site is http://www.gwcast.com/en/
""

Hope that helps.
David Billington

Perfect, I will contact them. Thanks.

Peter
Peter Burgess Tuning

Peter,

I spoke to my mate last night and mentioned that I had passed on the information about Grainger and Worrall and that I had suggested X ray scanning, he said they have that capability as they use it to check for casting flaws amongst other things. Apparently they have recently reproduced RR Merlin heads so sound like not a question of if they can do it, just how much.

Keep us informed as it should be interesting to see how it goes.
David Billington

Thanks again.

Peter
Peter Burgess Tuning

ooohh! A midget with a Merlin head would be interesting.



Norm
Norm Kerr

Not such great news, looks like around £75000 to get the ball rolling without cost of each casting :(

Peter
Peter Burgess Tuning

Only 75,000 ???

Eh, No problem... ive got that in purple chicken money, right from the monoply game board set

Ive also got a color ink jet printer and a $100 bill if that helps

Just a thought to the serious side peter... there is a huge differance in currency valuations between the pound and the dollar, plus some usa states dont have state and local sales tax, and I doulbt VAT would need to know what you purchased in the usa....plus cash is still king all across the USA over checks and credit cards, and cash is easy to get over hear, no interrogation committee for your proving its purpose

A savings of 40% or more easily

Give it some thought

Prop
Prop and the Blackhole Midget

Peter,

That's a shame, did they give any idea of cost per casting after that depending on quantity. With that much required for a start up it sounds like backing would be required from some bigger player but that could get more complicated. May come to it in the end if supplies that hard to get. Maybe time to check out what a few of the other smaller companies mentioned in the previous casting thread have to say. Maybe a more manual approach could be taken to the water passage forms if some scrap heads can be sacrificed, the external form should be easy to 3d scan these days by various means.
David Billington

Hi David

3d scan was in price at 12-14000. Raw castings 7-800 each.
Have plenty of scrap CI heads!
Peter
Peter Burgess Tuning

This thread was discussed between 20/03/2014 and 25/03/2014

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG Midget and Sprite Technical BBS is active now.