Shane,
Last fall we made a mold for a company that distributes kitchen cleaner
to Dollar General and several other Dime store type chains. It was a
simple blow mold for a plastic bottle. Alro metals did not have the
correct size block needed. Not for immediate delivery anyway, (the
customer needed a quick turn-around). We went to their "drop" facility
and found blocks of an Aluminum called QC-7. It is high quality mold
plate.
Interesting stuff this QC-7, the more we worked with it, the more I was
thinking billet cylinder head! We drilled a fairly deep large hole into
the stuff dry on a Bridgeport. The drill didn't get hot, neither did the
metal!
I'm fairly certain that we could make the head complete for about
$1800.00. The QC-7 would be about $600.00; the rest is just machine
time.
The problem is the peripheral equipment!, (A complete Rocker set-up,
Header, intake, ignition...etc.) We do not, (at present), have the tube
fabricating equipment to make headers! It would be easy enough to do.
Tube bending machines aren't that expensive. There are others who
manufacture stock replacement headers. I think our only market, (as far
as the purchase of a tube bending machine), would be the special headers
for our billet head. We have everything needed to make the intake set-up
but you would still need carbs...and a fairly long list of other custom
items to finish the install.
I would guess that you would be looking at around 5K for a finished
installation.
I just don't know that very many owners would be willing to spend this
kind of money? I know some would...but we would not be able to justify
one or two sales a year.
In terms of power, 180+ naturally aspirated would be conservative. As
Robert Lang pointed out "you make power in the cylinder head"...the rest
just has to hold together!
Which brings us to the next consideration...would you spend 5K on the
top end without building a bottom end with the best of everything? End
result, a $15,000...8,000RPM...225HP, 2.5L six that has that Ferrari
"sound". Now what about the rest of the Drive-train...?
The next time we get a rainy day, and I'm sitting at the box wondering
what to do next I'll gather all my CAD stuff for the head and create
some renderings for the web site. If nothing else it's cool to look at!
Best regards,
Jim Swarthout
-----Original Message-----
Subject: Alloy hemi x-flow head [was Next Project]
Jim,
What is too expensive? I figure that the 20 extra horses and the saving
in
weight
would be worth $3K for a fully-dressed hemi-head. Is that figure in the
ball park?
If is is a x-flow, figure another $1K for the custom exhaust and
crank-fired
ignition (have
to lose the distributor).
I think it would be an awesome challenge. I'm up for it. The MG and
Healey
guys lap up
the alloy heads for their cars.
Shane Ingate in Maryland
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