It's one thing to build a scale model of a car. It's another to power it with a working quarter-scale V-8 engine. That is exactly what the engineer Gary Conley did at the recent International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) in Chicago. He showed off the supercharged Stinger 609, which is said to be the smallest four-cycle production V-8 in the world.
The engine might never have made it to the IMTS without the outside manufacturing expertise of engineers from Sunnen Products Co., who worked with Conley to make the engine's cylinder liners. Using a Sunnen hone to produce the cross-hatchings inside the liners, along with a separate process to "plateau hone" them, Conley was able to provide adequate lubrication for the engine at speeds of more than 10,000rpm.
"The problem is that the molecular size of oil doesn't scale down," Conley told us. "We found that out when we ran the engine. You couldn't stay in the room with it, because there was too much smoke."
Conley worked with Sunnen to develop a two-step solution to the problem. First, the engineering team used a coarse stone on the honing machine to create cross-hatched "valleys" that allowed the inside walls of the liners to retain oil. Then, they used a finer stone to shave off the "peaks" of the cross-hatchings, enabling the piston rings to seat more efficiently.
"The smaller the displacement of the engine, the more critical it is to control the oil," Conley said. "That's why you need the cross-hatch -- it helps retain the oil."
Conley's Stinger 609 engine, which packed the aisles at the IMTS, is named for its 6.09-cubic-inch displacement. With a one-inch bore and a 0.952-inch stroke, the engine puts out 9.5HP and 13 pounds of supercharged boost at 10,000rpm. It is designed to provide power for scale-model cars.
Production runs of the Stinger 609 are small. Conley's company, Conley Precision Engines Inc., built 40 on the first run and is producing 70 on the second. Eventually, he hopes to scale up his runs to between 150 and 180 of the units, which cost between $5,600 and $7,500 each.
The production runs could have easily been zero without Sunnen's help. "We worked nine months, 12 hours a day to solve the oil problem before we finally talked to Sunnen," he said. "Without them, this engine would not be available right now."
I bought my 91 Honda CRX for 5 grand a decade ago. Spent a couple of grand on over the years, great car. Something like this looks like throwing good time after bad, unless you happen to be Jay Leno. Now if he owns one that is a different story...
This is TOTALLY AWESOME! Engineering at it's best. Find a difficult challenge and then find an innovative solution. The idea of putting valleys on the cylinder walls is genious. I wouldn't have thought that the molecular size of oil would matter or that oil would be the limiting factor.
WELL DONE!
As for the detractors, time to start living again and seeing the beauty in the world around us and the fun and excitement of exploration. I have no doubt that this innovative design will be used in many more 'lubrication intensive' designs.
Ditto that Xjandin. I thank the Thor daily that RF scales down nicely. Forget what the naysayers think. Another 'for what purpose' is I had a Vette that would do 120mph and live in an area where the max speed limit is 55mph. For what purpose? No purpose, I just loved a car that would slam me into the seat from a dead stop. Today I drive a 'mild' Mustang GT convertible. Old age is setting in.
But his engine is indeed awesome. An engineering WOW.
@Xjandin: I think nearly everyone agrees that a working V8 engine on this scale is an exciting development. But as for putting valleys on the cylinder liners, that's nothing new. Plateau honing has been around pretty much forever. It's not quite clear from the article what's new about the honing (other than the scale).
Yeah, I'm computer/electrical engineering, so this might be well known and not innovative (although at one point it was innovative). Even so, I still think it's better to be excited than dismissive.
You're right, Dave. As far as the honing goes, the scale is the only new aspect. Conley discussed the honing of the cylinder liner because he highlighted the engine at the machine tool show.
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