Lookin' sweet. Put me on your list How many points off at a concours will I get for having one of these?
YES! The end caps are done, the carriers are being drilled then everything goes to get case hardened (which will darken the colour) then some final grinding. Ill know more today and ill post the findings.
The caps, next week everything should be ready. After heat treating they are finish ground to the final size. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Here are some current pics. The clutch housing slots are cut, a few finishing touches then off to the heat treat shop. After they are heat-treated for case hardening purposes, they need a final grind to get them in spec. The heat-treat will darken the metal as well so they may look like OEM after that. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Yes ill be using one in my boxer, a friends boxer and a friends TR. I wont be the first one to use one however due to timing. My car is still a running/driving car since its still winter here and I have no heat in my garage nor is it insulated. The term Guinea pig implies uncertianty and experimentation. Neither is the case here and ill explain why. Because I took an OEM component and had it reverse-engineered by a professional (not myself), didnt alter the dimensions or physical shape in anyway other than the flaw we all know about, used very expensive high quality steel and went the extra mile where we have checked, double checked and triple checked every step of the process, there is no question the part will fit the car. The is also no question it will function as an OEM one would except the potential to break. I have no doubt in my mind the part will do a superb job and outlast any other part on the car because of all the effort and experience that went into this component. Some people will be na-sayers and thats fine with me because to some, seeing is believing. Because im in the automotive trade (24 years now) I know that a carrier is a simple device that should never break and it either fits or it doesnt. This carrier of mine is for arguement sake identical to an OEM unit and the quality or the material and machining is without question top notch. As an extra measure to satisfy potential buyers we are taking an additional carrier to do destructive testing on. We will be applying shearing force to the bearing supports to see how many tons it takes to damage the snout. I have access to a press that can apply up to 200 tons of load with the component mounted in a fixture. The test is moot really because the aluminum carrier supports of the TR/Boxer gearbox are far weaker than the pre-hard steel we're using for the carrier. If anyone has any other questions please feel free to ask here or PM. Thanks!
Even if it weight 5 times heavier, it would be worth the weight compared to the possible damage that could be incurred. This is something Ferrari should of done in the first place.
Im not sure of the weight but I cant see it being much heavier at all really. Ill ask the machinist to weigh them.
Jim, cap and carrier: OEM - 10.9 lbs Mine - 11.4 lbs With all dimensions being the same its safe to say the new material is more dense? half a pound over stock which is fine. Im debating offering them in titanium as an option ($$$$) to anyone that just has to have an exotic material.
Adam (SilverGTS) - my question was not related to performance, but to load on bearings. The 10% difference is unlikely to be an issue. However, if the new part was twice the weight of OEM, then the bearings would be subjected to additional loads and might influence durability. I simply did not know the difference is material density. Furthermore, if the weight difference were more than might be accounted for by difference in material, then there might be a hidden dimensional aberration as well. Jim S.
The carriers are now case-hardened and ready for finish grinding of the critical surfaces such as bearing mounts, crown gear flange etc.....they dont look as pretty but thats life. They look OEM now because the originals are case-hardened too. Image Unavailable, Please Login
And after the final surface grinding, they'll be even closer the the OEM weight, if that really makes a material difference in the grand scheme of things, particlarly considering the weight of the entire rotating assembly.... David
True and I wanted to comment on Jim's concern for a dimension aberration. If I understand the term correctly, it would apply to the photo below, not one of my carriers. The reason there can be no "error in dimensions" accounting for a weight change is the fact they are machined from a block of billet steel on a lathe, they are symmetrical as well. The additional weight is due to a different material, not a flaw. The orignal carriers workmanship (forget design) is laughable and now that I have disected one and measured it in every way possible im shocked even more! They simply pumped these things out with little or no quality control as far as machining accuracy goes, particularly the interior and the weld......well the pic says it all. I would be more worried about the warp that every boxer crankshaft is born with. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Progress, slower than hoped though. The caps are done and the carriers are underway. Thats an OEM carrier off to the side. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Paul - you answered my question precisely. A small "aberration" in a radius or wall thickness might manifest itself in a weight difference, one that might not be measureable with a caliber on the inside aspect of the part. Your photograph is quite revealing. Which leads to another question. If one had the luxury of viewing their carrier (and weld), and after examination found no such defect (as demonstrated in your picture), might that suggest that the failures thus far experienced are related to the few parts that were poorly welded? Yes, I understand that magnaflux or x-ray would be better tool than eyeballs, but if the defects can be as obvious as you demonstrate, perhaps the remainder are sound. I have a spare 512 TR carrier on my shelf. It appears to be a perfect weld. No obvious defects. Just a thought. Jim S.
I had the welded one magnafluxed but it wasnt clear if it was cracked or not as the flux follows the edge of a good weld anyway. The only way to know for sure is to have it x-rayed which I didnt do. The pic of the massive weld on the 365 I posted is very different from the TR one I have. I would say the welding quality is the issue from one carrier to the next, too inconsistant and then driving habits will probably play a roll as well, maybe tire size, track use or not, etc. For me, no weld means peace of mind. On a side note, they are all sold. If anyone wants one ill be making a second run of carriers soon. P.
