Need a pic of a 348 and 355 engine so I can compare it against this. thanks. Image Unavailable, Please Login
I notice 1 difference between these two - Daniel doesn't have this plug circled in red on his, what is it? Image Unavailable, Please Login
Here is a 355 block. The plug you circled is in an oil galley plug. Not sure why yours has it and the others don't. Your engine also has another pipe plug that the others don't have also, in the upper left part of the block in the pics, going into the water jacket it appears. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Check my thread "thanks Ernie and Lars". Do not know how to copy the threads to this page. Hope you can find it. Rgds, //B//
Well... I believe that this detail may answer some doubts. On Sy's thread I didn't notice any coment on engine block casting number, but it's diferent from regular 348 castings. For example my GTS has the F199H casting number (10,8:1 compression ratio), so I believe that remaining versions have F119D and F199G castings. The heads on above photos are all F119 castings, but this engine block (Sy's LM engine) is a complete diferent casting.... F129B.... More details/inputs anyone? Image Unavailable, Please Login
There is another plug at the 10:00 o'clock direction (4-odd inches away) from the red box that is not on the F348 nor F355 blocks. I am pretty sure the 129 blocks are for F355s.
Sorry, I should have given more info. The original picture I posted is the Le Mans engine I have. It's a 355 block with 348 heads. Just wanted to see how it compared with 348 and 355 blocks. I've also been wondering if my 348 gearbox will actually attach to it.
I am going to take a long shot WAG and say..... Before production began on the 355, Ferrari had planned to use a single belt on those as well and that oil galley lines up with the cam chain drive tensioner oil supply port??? The production 355 engines got the twin belts with gears driving the belt drive gears and eliminated the oil port for the chain tensioner????? Was the LM block you have, given to the race teams to test the new casting design to make sure it was ready for the production 355's but still used the on hand 348 components to run a single belt for homologation reasons???? Ferrari knew the single belt design had to go away so I highly doubt the first guess is correct and would bet on the last WAG. I have long studied this from the reverse, how convert my 348 Sprint engine to twin belts as per the 355's as that would eliminate my belt stretch issues. I made mock ups based on the Chevy gear drive designs but abandoned that idea fairly quickly. I came to the conclusion I would have to use an entirely different engine block for that test as I am always careful not to modify something on an important car thus loosing a part of its history. Engine blocks for the race cars are usually stacked up like cord wood in the corner but.... until proven otherwise one has to be careful. Now I have to look at the number on my block's and see what I have. All I can come up with for something in line with that plug in the block and that is by memory without a block handy to look at and none of my engine number data at hand. This is the reason I was interested to see what is under the front cover of your block... was this a pre production block that had the bosses for the twin gears already cast into it OR was changing to twin belts an after thought? Sy, see if your engine job number is stamped into the front engine cover and on the block right next to it. Seeing what is under that front cover will answer a great many questions and show some fine details into the evolution of these engines. Full blown LM Pro efforts being used as test mules... there is a reason Ferrari states their designs were track tested, you may very well have proof positive right there. I would consider merging your two threads and keep all the related data together. Some of this is VERY unique, cant be duplicated and is total justification for a complete nut and bolt tear down of that engine... its a piece of history that needs to be fully documented in every respect. Its the missing link I have been looking for since starting on my IMSA engine. Ferrari doesnt change something over night, its always tested before production. I would bet that there were twin belt 348 engines that came right after this evolution block but I have never seen or read of proof of that. GOOD EYE'S Guys!
This stuff is absolutely amazing, and has me (really) on the edge of my seat. Sy and Dave... this is so cool. It's like peeking under the kimono of a honest-to-god magician's workshop in Italy.
I find this extremely interesting as it is working backwards into an understanding of the minds of the engineers. My highest compliments to Sy and Raj, without those two pairs of eye's looking for the smallest, seemingly un important details such as this it would go lost and over looked. I suspect this will not be the last important detail to be found by Raj.... This will become a very important thread for those wishing to understand the engineering minds behind the model's.
A quick look at a 348 engine Niki is working on shows the extra plug to be too high to fit with my guess of it being for the cam chain tensioner drive galley. The mystery remains unsolved.
Could it be an oil pressure feed for some other type of gearbox/transmission? May it have been an attempt to use these engines on single seaters (or other) with a complete diferente transmission? Could it be the beginings of the new generation F1 gearboxes testing? Just thinking out loud...
I understand the idiom, but I don't think Italian wear Kimono of anykind. Italians are known for cigarette smoking, espresso drinking, Ferragamo shoes, Prada handbags, Valentino sunglasses, Armani suits, but no kimono. Maybe ... Peaking under the Armani suit of a honest to god Magician'w workshop in Italy?