inline6

Finally got the LD block (V07 casting) bored to 89 mm. And, would you believe it didn't break through to water? Crazy I know. But it is obviously paper thin at this point. We'll be doing some more cutting on it to explore what we are dealing with. We're thinking brazing the liners in is the way to go now. So, looking for some assistance locating someone who can furnace braze the LD block. If you have leads, please send them my way. This is not a common thing these days.

Congrats Mark! A couple of questions: 1. Looks like all of your exhaust valves were hitting the pistons (looks like hitting them hard). Did you conclusively determine the cause? Was your timing chain off one tooth, like happened to me? Or, were the Ex. valves hitting the pistons for another reason? I have learned that the Sunbelt cam we are both using (the .565" gross lift one) was developed for use with titanium valves. My engine builder knows the guy that owned Integral Cams and worked on the development of our camshaft with Jim Thompson (formerly of Sunbelt). As you know, the AVG3E-L6SPR spring from Jim Wolf Technologies is the correct valve spring for use with the cam, and it has a very light (by comparison with most others) installed and max compressed loads. This spring is handling the additional weight of stainless steel valves, and chrome moly retainers if you are running those. Perhaps valves were floating and hitting the pistons? 2. What ever happened regarding the "reversion" area of the rpm band? Were you able to address it at all? When I was trying to do my dyno pulls (chassis dyno), the operator was telling me to go full throttle from 2k RPM in 4th gear and the engine simply wouldn't do that. It would just choke up and go dog rich. Same thing in third. How were you able to do "full range" RPM pulls to get your power charts, and do you have any of the AFR charts for those runs? 3. Are you running stock main cap bolts? My engine builder doesn't care for them. He says they are too big and don't stretch like they should to achieve proper fastening. 4. You are still running race fuel, right? 5. And I guess I missed it, but what was the most direct cause of the latest engine failure - debris sucked into chamber #1? Garrett

Daylight between cylinders is proof positive that the block won't take an 89 mm bore. What is the engine number on the plate? Maybe we can get Speedtripper to tell us the number on his as well.

Yes. NZ is where I have been looking to source them. Any chance your sonic tests aren't accurate? And just so we are on the same page, 85 mm is the stock bore, correct? 3.5 mm and the requirement to run no less than .120" inch wall thickness means you couldn't bore that block more than about .010" inches? Just seems to fly in the face of logic that it could take so little.

I just heard back from someone that a sonic test on a V57 block showed 3.7 mm of wall on a stock bore. That's bad news for using a V57 block. You seem to have the only block that has taken a 89 mm bore!

Ok, it is time to start an engine build thread for my next engine. My last engine blew up spectacularly at Road Atlanta. Very disappointing. This one will be off the well beaten path, so there will be risks. So, here we go... Block work is stalled for now, but the N42 head is getting some attention. Per the Frank Honsowetz book, the cylinder head was bolted upside down on a block with a spacer to pre-load (bend) the head. The spacer used was 0.040". The welding is not done - this is just the start - welding rod was 40/43 I think. I will correct that if I find out differently. A few pics: Engine block will be a LD28, either a specially sourced V57 casting (one Hybrid Z member claims he has one that took an 89 mm bore and left 0.120" or more of cylinder wall), or a one off, custom liner design will be utilized. Garrett

Hi Leon, I just read through from start to finish. Really nice car you were able to get from your prof. I was a member of the Virginia Tech FSAE team in 90 and 91. Ah, the good ol' days. Had to LOL at the advice you got to do whatever it takes to finish the car before you got married. I did that over a period of year and a half and she bailed on me. Sorry to see you are having multiple problems with the head, but thanks for sharing. I came across SI valves as a potential source a while back and now I have more information I wouldn't otherwise have. Sounds like with Dave fixing things up, you'll be at the end of your issues. Garrett

Interesting. I wonder what the stroke is and what the rod journal sizes are. Maybe I'll ask them. I am planning on running Honda sized rod journals. I'll be needing 90 mm of stroke though.

Thanks. Sent you a pm. You need to source some stuff in the US? I am sure I could help with that.

Bump. I wasn't very clear with my first post. I am looking for someone in New Zealand or Australia to buy some parts for me off of trademe.co.nz. I can't register to buy parts on that site being that I am in the US. Looking for someone to buy some stuff for me and communicate with the seller on my behalf. I will pre-pay auction amounts, plus additional for your time. Thanks. Garrett

Very interested in hearing more about this. I have been intrigued about the stroker billet cranks that Crower made for Rebello over a year or maybe even two ago now - per the Youtube video. These were "greater stroke" than the stock V07 crank, but I haven't heard anything more about them. I plan to get a billet crank for my next engine and consider Dave to be a top 2 source for it. Wonder what this new one is...

I am looking for some engine parts that I know can be found in NZ and not in North America. Please pm me for details. Garrett

I have some questions about your block. Can you tell if the front three and back three cylinders are siamesed? That is, are there no coolant passages between 1 or 2 or 3 and none between 4 and 5 and 6? Instead of separated/isolated castings for each cylinder, is each set of three connected/contiguous? And by contrast, there are cooling passages between cylinders 3 and 4? Could you post some more pictures of it when you get a chance? Front, back, and the two sides? The pistons you have mocked up are 89 mm diameter? Garrett

I sold a pan like that when I parted out a V07 a while back. I would think it wouldn't be "too hard" to find. I'll keep an eye out. Sorry if anyone is annoyed with the digression. We can move the theads for getting the V57 blocks to another thread?

I think I would like two also. That is four or five already.

Ok, so you have a friend who can source these blocks? I am seriously interested in obtaining one. And I might be able to get others interested in a group buy. The V57 block never came the the US from what I can tell. Looks like it might be the version that was used for the factory supplied LD28T (turbo) as well as some industrial and marine applications. Garrett

Thanks for the pics. Your block is a V57 casting... which has external ribbing. You have a completely different animal there than the LD28 that came to the states. I found this image of a V07 block in another hybridz thread. Very different even just looking at the exterior, if I am seeing this right. Regarding uploading pics, look on the bottom right of the blank post area for the next post in the thread and you should see a button labeled "more reply options". If you click that, you will get more functionality exposed including the "choose files" to upload option. Maybe a group buy of V57 blocks from you is in order!

Thanks for the update. My engine builder recently completed making some mandrel adapter rings which, as I understand it, will be used to locate/hold the block while they bore it out.. We are going to bore both an L28 and an LD28. With the L28, we're going to go to something like 92 mm (I forget precisely the number). We are trying to remove all of the bore so we can examine the thickness of the deck and the bottom shelf of the bores. This is just to provide any information that may be helpful with regard to liner design. With the LD28, we'll try to go to 89 mm, but given others experiences that we know of here in the states, we aren't giving that a high percentage of success. This is why I find your information so intriguing. Anyway, if upon examination of the L28 bored out we see there is still promise with using a wet liner, then if we break through the LD28, we'll keep going until the bore is gone on that one also. Then we'll have to see if we can come up with a final design of the wet liners. Thanks again for the info. I wish I had your block.

Any updates, Speedtripper?

Anyone have any dry sump parts for the L6? I am looking to switch from a wet sump oiling system to dry sump. Garrett

My Maxima block will be machined this week and we'll see what is possible with it. The plan is to go to wet liners. It would be amazing if the block will take an 89 mm bore. I don't think it will. If we break through, we'll keep going to 88 or so mm and examine the height of the deck and the height of the floor of the block. Should know more soon. I wish I could get my hands on a block that would take a bore of 89 mm. I tried looking for a Nissan Patrol diesel block on a couple of auction sites in South Africa. Nothing on either of those.

Uggh. Need to be able to drop the engine down at least 3/4". Thanks for taking the time to measure and provide the pic.

I've never come across this one before - automated engine block machining? Automated transmission assembly? Early computer aided design (CAD)? Definitely some interesting footage:

I got the diesel LD28 block I was looking for. Thanks to those who offered.

So, you've sonic tested after boring and have 3 to 5 mm? Yes, very interested in seeing more about this engine. I am exploring using an LD28 block for a new engine. My engine builder started examining the one I just sent him. It came from a US spec Maxima. He knocked out the front and rear freeze plugs and estimated the bore thickness at around .220". However, he notes that there are spaces between the as cast bores, meaning none of the bores are siamesed. He's going to sonic test a few of them to see what we're faced with. IF the bores are around .220" thick, we MIGHT be able to bore to 89 mm and have .120" (3 mm wall left). He is very doubtful... Maybe those Patrol engines are different?