308 V12 conversion begins

Ok, that's just plain weird

 

No real excitement today, I spent the evening indicating all the holes in relation to the crank center. I guess the only mildly exciting part was when I realized I didn’t have enough travel in the z direction to reach the top hole on the block, but after a little thought I realized all I needed to do was kick the head up and I was good to go.

Tomorrow the fun begins. I’ll pull the engine off the machine and through the bellhousing, indicate the center on the crank and get the trans shaft/oil tube/rear bolt as close as possible to the number I took tonight. Then I’m ready to make chips and by the end of the night I should bolt to the engine.....in theory anyway.
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D'OH!!!!!!!

 

Why do people keep saying that to me?

 

Crossed saw and torch standing on a mound of chips, inscription on the torch handle to read ΕΥΡΗΚΑ! (eureka-I have it!)

You're truly a renaissance man, Mark!

 

I was working at U of MD yesterday and couldn't resist stopping by the Formula SAE shop and showing some of the guys this thread.

 

For anyone within driving distance of York Pa that's into this thread should check this out on the weekend of Jan 17th. http://www.cabinfeverexpo.com/ Model Engineering Show & Auction

Maybe even do a FChat ride up there? Go to the picture section and see some of the stuff these guys have built in the basements.

 

There are ways around this problem. I know a casting specialist who does 1:1 duplicates in several different metals. Proprietary technique. I suspect that he has a material (wax?) that can be made to expand a fixed amount that's used to make an intermediate pattern.

I'll be there Thursday night thru mid-day Sunday. They're having a 3 day seminar on CNC for beginners (aka dummies like me) that I'm registered for.

Mark,
I'd love to finally meet you, could easily swing thru Elverson on my way home Sunday afternoon. Would be happy to buy you dinner, or at least a cold one or 2.

 

Yes, stop in!

I have beer here, as always

 

Verell,
My car lot is literally right across the street from the York Fairgrounds (I can see the Toyota Arena from my office window). Please stop in and say hi when you're in town. I'd love to meet you and maybe go grab some lunch if you have time. I'll PM you my number.

Spang

 

So we should all meet up at the cabin fever expo sunday and stop by Marks on the way home? If the roads are clear I'll drive the 328 up there if I can park it in a safe place. Where the heck is Elverson?

 

Here you go!

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&saddr=Rockville,+MD&daddr=Elverson,+PA&hl=en&geocode=&mra=ls&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=36.999937,78.398437&ie=UTF8&ll=39.60992,-76.300049&spn=2.251351,4.899902&z=8

Shiny Side up!
Bill

 

Hmmm, not exacly on the way for me.

 

Elverson isn't on the way to anywhere I don't think.....

 

Spang,
eMAIL me your phone # & we'll figure out how to meet once I'm down there. I'll have my cell phone with me, but turned off during the seminar lectures.

Lunch probably isn't feasable: The seminar is pretty tightly scheduled w/30 min breaks for nature & lunch from 9:00AM till 4:00 PM on Friday & Sat, & 9:00 till 2:00 Sunday. There are also things being planned for Friday & Saturday evenings, but I won't have the specifics till sometime Friday.

Best bet may be to plan to meet somewhere around 4:30 Fri. or Sat. I'm arriving Thursday, so dinner Thursday PM might work, but would depend on how long it takes me to get down there.

Another possibility might be to meet for breakfast somewhere.

mk e,
Looks like you're just a bit over an hour from York. I'm guessing I'd get there mid to late afternoon on Sunday, the seminar is supposed to end at 2:00 'more or less'... But I may want to stay to see things I haven't had a chance to get to.

 

See you Sunday!

 

Don't have Verell out to late past his bed time.

 

Wow, I didnt realise how close Elverson was to 202/176. I drove right by with #21645 trailing the MH, three years ago come March.

 

I got a little time in the shop today. I popped in the bolt holes so the bellhousing bolts on now. I also bored out the the trans bearing hole to accept the new bearing and picked up the location for the idler gear. I left the idle hole the size of the shaft, not the bearing for now. This will left me test fit everything and set the final depth to match everything else.

Next I need to flip it over and machine the locating pin hole to finish size and there is an oil tube hole I need to correct the location on.....then I can start making it pretty.
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I flipped the bellhousing over to cut the features on the back......and found the original holes really weren't in the right spots after all the welding. So I welded them up a bit and cut them back where they belong.

Then with the housing sitting on the engine straight finally I noticed that I've made aboutg a .025" mistake on the depth of the engine to trans and I have a gap between the engine and the bellhousing. Tomorrow I'll fix that mistake.
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Did Verell show up??

 

no, and it's funny you should ask. I had it in my head it was this weekend too.....but it's not, it's next week.......

 

You mean you cleaned up the shop for nothing?? Oh well.....


Back to our regular scheduled program.

 

mk e,
Sorry about the date confusion. I'll give you a call when I leave York next Sunday, s/b there about an hour later.

Wish I'd been there today tho, I'm still digging out from today's snowstorm. Didn't help that right off my tractor's snowblower PTO threw a belt tensioner spring & I couldn't find a spare. Catch 22: My driveway's 450' uphill & 1' of ice under the snow & needed clearing before I could get to the HW store to get a spring.

Shoveled about 20' of my driveway by hand b4 my neighbor came by with his tractor & took pity on me. Of course when I got back from the HW store w/ some temporary springs I found the one that came off.
:^{

 

Nothing for you you to be sorry about, I'm the one who can't count