Air cooled SBC?

[Cob]

Rat rodding seems to be so much about visuals and so little about mechanical innovation.

I find that frustrating cause everyone seems to think that all innovation must incorporate electronics.

There was precedent for reverse flow induction before I designed the engine in RVS FLO. I don't think there is any precedent for air cooling an engine that was designed to be water cooled

Part of me would like to add this innovation to RVS FLO engine just to demonstrate another means of cooling an internal combustion engine.

However in this economy I am reluctant to spend any money since I believe interest in rat rods has passed its crest.

Would like to hear some feed back before I contemplate this new venture

 

[Tripper]

However in this economy I am reluctant to spend any money since I believe interest in rat rods has passed its crest.

Doubt rats & beaters are on their way out... probably the opposite! Bad economy... all the more reason to build a ratty style hot rod!!! No expensive paint job, no expensive interior etc. There have always been beaters... I've had a bunch of 'um. WHen I was younger & raising kids I put my $$$ in the motor & mags & couldn't afford anything else. A rat rod is sorta like a beater taken to the extreme. Air cooled SBC... hummmm!?!?

BoB

 

[Unkl Ian]

Unless you can add a LOT of cooling fins, I doubt
a water cooled V8 would live very long with just air cooling.
Local hot spots would create problems.

Easy enough to try on a junk motor.

 

[Unkl Ian]

A couple supercharges would be a nice addition
on the RVS FLO motor.

Rat rodding seems to be so much about visuals and so little about mechanical innovation.

I find that frustrating cause everyone seems to think that all innovation must incorporate electronics.

There was precedent for reverse flow induction before I designed the engine in RVS FLO. I don't think there is any precedent for air cooling an engine that was designed to be water cooled

 

[rockb1]

I really believe that ratrodding has only started to gain popularity across the country. There are more and more of them in shows, parking lots where ever. Just look at all the parts a guy can get his hands on. You can build and entire running car for next to nothing and have a ton of fun doing it. I mean where else can you hang with your buddies spend little money and see a result. These guys are always looking for new and crazy ideas. As far as Rat rods go I think that its only gaining steam.

 

[wrecker55]

air cooled sbc??? was thinking about a 2-stroke sbc

 

[Cob]

I want to believe that.

Now I know a lot more about internal combustion engines than I do message boards.

So heres where I could use some clarification. Total views seem to be dramatically lower than they were a couple years ago at most sites. I have a hard time understanding how that doesn't translate to less interest in our hobby.

I guess I am asking people to understand that I don't want to go through all this effort to build prototype engines if there is only a very small amount of people interested in seeing them.

 

[Cob]

air cooled sbc??? was thinking about a 2-stroke sbc

I did that on a single cylinder OHV engine back when the Orbital engine was going to be the new rage. Was a dismal failure. Been a lot of new rages since then and all were failures.

Ethanol,hydrogen, fuel cells, hybrids and my favorite - Electrics All Losers

I think Honda has a patent on a engine that can change from 2 cycle to 4 cycle?

Another one of my fantacys is to Cobberize a Honda VTEC mechanism onto a SBC.

So many dreams- so little money

 

[hotrod preacher]

I want to believe that.

Now I know a lot more about internal combustion engines than I do message boards.

So heres where I could use some clarification. Total views seem to be dramatically lower than they were a couple years ago at most sites. I have a hard time understanding how that doesn't translate to less interest in our hobby.

I guess I am asking people to understand that I don't want to go through all this effort to build prototype engines if there is only a very small amount of people interested in seeing them.

well i don't know much about the message boards either, but my opinion about the numbers going down would suggest a drop in "fad followers" and the REAL rodders who are going to rod no matter what-take a look sometime at the number of members here even who posted an intro, and never contributed any more..
as far as engine types go i'd love to see some of your ideas/diagrams/sketches/computer models or whatever you'd call it even if it doesn't make it to a working prototype....

 

[Lightning]

Water to air cooling

Changing a water cooled internal combustion engine into a air cooled engine has been done before ie: water jacketed barrels on big inch Harley engines, such as in the old shovel heads compared to the V-Rods, but it changes the dynamics of the engine - power bands are different, torque is different, running temps are different and of course the cost is different. So it can and has been done, but to perfect it would cost a lot. Everything in a water cooled engine - cam,pistons,bearings,valves,ect. have been designed to operate at max operating power with a water coolant in mind. It's almost like taking a gas powered engine and modifying it into a diesel, which has been done , but the effectiveness and reliability suffered.

 

[Gearhead10]

A local drag racer around here ran a dry block setup in his car. They fill the block with a substance kinda like jb weld or simular and just run coolant through the top end. Succesful for 1/4 mile at a time but not for driving down the road. An air cooled 350 seems pointless to me. If I wanted air cooled motor in my rod I'd just get a V-dub engine and slap it in.

 

[Cob]

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=bruce+crower+6+stroke&btnG=Search

Heres a variation of what I propose to do.

Can't get my self excited about Steamoline cause you are still tied to water

However if you run the camshaft at 1/3 crank speed and then leave the exhaust valve open for the conventional exhaust stroke AND the next up and down of the piston you essentially uses ambient air to cool the engine internally.

From the outside you would not be able to see any aspect of engine cooling.

Now for RVS FLO I have just eliminated the need for a lot of plumbing ,a electric water pump, a radiator and I wouldn't really need a charging system except for long drives.

Considering the engine has no external moving parts and no auxillary support I think it would look pretty cool

 

[Unkl Ian]

Interesting, worth trying at least.
I would use a test mule motor, to prove the concept,
rather than risking the RVS FLO motor.

Just have to figure out how to drive the cam at 1/3 speed.

 

[eyesore]

So heres where I could use some clarification. Total views seem to be dramatically lower than they were a couple years ago at most sites. I have a hard time understanding how that doesn't translate to less interest in our hobby.

I think you're mistaken. Some sites may be down but those are probably the "less friendly" places but look how many forums there are now on every subject & niche under the sun. I think hot rodding is bigger than ever & will just get stronger. People will probably start spending a lot more time in their garage doing it themselves!

ISore

 

[Willowbilly3]

When I was a wee lad, I got to visit a local museum. One thing that I will never forget is the engine from the first airplane in the area. It was a teens Hispo-Suzia and was an air cooled V8. Still one of the most magnificent pieces of art I have ever laid eyes on.

 

[Unkl Ian]

If you started your testing with the block and heads full of water,
and no water pump, then the water temp gauge would give you
an indication if the idea was practical.

 

[Bandit Ls-1]

i hope your right and the hotrod/ratrod style is dying down so it doesnt end up like the muscle car crowd always looking down at people at shows and that whole barret jackson junk.

 

[Tripper]

i hope your right and the hotrod/ratrod style is dying down so it doesnt end up like the muscle car crowd always looking down at people at shows and that whole barret jackson junk.

Now that would be funny!!!

 

[hotrod preacher]

i can see it now.... a pristine model a sedan, rusted out door-bottoms and all rolling thru w/all those barrett-jackson lights unable to find one shiny spot to reflect off of.. oil dripping on their floor, a camera man slipping in it, hitting the car w/ camera and some red-rusty dirt falling out on the floor...
authentic red texas dirt..... we'll start the bidding at 100,000


sorry i couldn't resist-did not mean to steal a thread....

 

[Thunder1]

It's hard for me to wrap my mind around an air cooled V8?? That's not that unusual though. I have a hard time wrapping my mind around a lot of things these days. I'm not meaning to sound critical and there's nothing wrong with being unconventional. I just don't understand the need for it I guess??? Engines have to be cooled either way so whats the benefit of it? Seems like you'd still need a forced fan set up of some kind to generate enough air flow around the block or through the heads like you mentioned but I would think that would somehow seriously effect your air/fuel ratio not to mention the correct firing sequence etc.. This is too much for me to contemplate - I'm getting out now.

Good luck with it!

Thunder1