olie05 Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 I was looking at alternatives to the popular iron block 6 cyl we have available to swap into the z, toyota sixes and nissan 6es (rb), but I don't really see a whole bunch of aluminum block sixes. is this for any particular reason? The BMW aluminum 6 cylinder engines seem to have a bad rap, because of the nikasil coating on the cylinder walls instead of iron sleeves, but that seems to be the only problem. Lets start a list a few aluminum 6 cyl engines you know of. go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big B Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 chevy's 4.2. lots of potential. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wedge Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 VQ35DE is an aluminium 6 light and torquey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlderThanMe Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 I think Oliver meant inline 6 motors... There was talk about casting an aluminum Datsun L6 over in the UK but I doubt anything came of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olie05 Posted March 7, 2008 Author Share Posted March 7, 2008 I'm sorry I definitely meant I-6 motors. After a little research it seems the TVR engines are all aluminum, but that would require shipping all the way across the pond. Didn't know that chevy's 4.2 was aluminum. Is that an I-6 as well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie-GNZ Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 What is the fascination with having an aluminum block? If it is weight, the 100 or so lbs you save from the block will be partially negated by the fact that an aluminum block engine will probably be DOHC which means the head will be taller, wider, heavier than a stock L28 head. Simply moving the 45# battery from the nose to the hatch area will probably give better F/R weight distribution. If it is for WOW factor, then no questions asked. If it is for N/A power, will it make more power than a stroker? if it is turbo, then that's a whole nuther ballgame and weight savings from the engine block means nothing. Dont dismiss the Chevy L6 as suggested. There is just something about a street car with boundless torque from a big 6. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrett76Zt Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 I have wanted to do the Chevy 4.2 liter for a long time. Very few people have messed with them so far but I think that will change eventually. Here's a picture of the only guy that has given it a shot. This setup has been 8.62@174mph. I know it competed in the 03 or 04 Hot Rod Pump Gas Drags event. link to some info: http://www.wiresandpliers.com/recentprojects.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 What is the fascination with having an aluminum block? If it is weight, the 100 or so lbs you save from the block will be partially negated by the fact that an aluminum block engine will probably be DOHC which means the head will be taller, wider, heavier than a stock L28 head. Simply moving the 45# battery from the nose to the hatch area will probably give better F/R weight distribution. I watched this "Ultimate Factories" show about a month ago and they were at the BMW engine factory. They were talking about how cool the aluminum block was for their I6 motor, and how hard it was to cast. A good 15-20 minutes of the show was about the block. I was surprised when they said that the block ended up weighing 90 lbs. An LS1 block weighs 92. I don't know how accurate the weight they quoted on the show was, but I know the 92 lbs for the LS is accurate. The Chevy I6 was discussed briefly a couple years ago. I think the issue was that it was too tall. Here's the thread: http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=87482 I'm not sure if they ever pinned down the height issue or not. I still remember that Baja truck. Thing sounded insane, like an old F1 car or something. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkyhands Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 aluminum straight 6 would be perfect for the ultra 4 class...King of the Hammers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caperix Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 You could go with the bmw n52 and get a magnesium block, that is super light. But you will have to deal with aluminum bolts on everything that touches it to avoid galvanic corrosion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubergumgum Posted April 23, 2020 Share Posted April 23, 2020 you can get the technical update of the m52 it has a aluminium block with iron sleeves Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rturbo 930 Posted April 23, 2020 Share Posted April 23, 2020 Aluminum block M52 isn't that common here in the US. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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