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Is there anyone here who builds custom engines? I would like to build a prototype

MetalArtistCandy

Aluminum
Joined
Jun 1, 2017
I am looking to build a diesel engine. I want to see what is possible in some of the ideas I have had. Curious who out there would be willing to help guide my way.

Also a rough cost on machining a engine would be nice... but I know there are a ton of variables to that cost like size and materials.
 
This sort of post should include a mandatory "This is how much money I have to spend".

Forget things like size, construction design, required power, operational life, working environment, etc. Just tell us how much money you want to throw at it.
 
LoL... ya, lots of us can build an engine... but wow oh wow the cost!

I used to protottype drone engines for the UAV market.... there is a shit ton of cost and development involved! We had a full time engineering team doing fea's of cranks, wrost pins, bearings, etc....
 
I dont have a budget right now. Hopefully I can get some stuff figured out soon. Maybe I should call or go down to Cummins and see what their process is and how they handle developing prototypes.
 
Hp and torque is not something I have thought of, I just know I want to build a engine that will out last the crappy manufacturing of Dodge, Ford, and chevy. I am tired of driving piece of crap vehicles made over and over from these companies who have been around so long and still have trouble putting out a solid automobile.
 
How often do you change the oil and filter? Maintenance in general? Do you rev the engine cold, or let it warm up before stomping the pedal?

Most modern cars are remarkably good, especially when you factor in pricing. To think that you'd "save" money by getting a company to design an engine for your transportation needs (that don't seem to be out of the ordinary) is a curious viewpoint.

Note: I have worked in combustion research, high-energy ignition systems (including spark plug design and manufacturer), and have been bouncing a specific engine design around in my head for years. Who knows, one of these days it might leak out of my ears and become real...
 
Hp and torque is not something I have thought of, I just know I want to build a engine that will out last the crappy manufacturing of Dodge, Ford, and chevy. I am tired of driving piece of crap vehicles made over and over from these companies who have been around so long and still have trouble putting out a solid automobile.

Umm... ya, not gonna happen. I know cars in general seem like crap maybe, but there is shit ton of hours that go into their development. .....
 
A part (only a part) of the budget can be $250,000 per employee per year just for shop rate - and that is but 125.00 per hour

Don't forget the numerous false starts due to inadequate / half baked information - you get to pay for all that

Quite a wide gulf between "building" an engine some office full of experts engineered - and one with zero engineering
 
Umm... ya, not gonna happen. I know cars in general seem like crap maybe, but there is shit ton of hours that go into their development. .....

"Shit ton" is too small a measure, we have a unit called the SBWYETE (Standard Blue Whale Yearly Excrement Time Equivalence) for measuring such things, equal to 1,233.33 US ton-time. A typical small car will require around 233 SBWYETE's, a larger, more "tricked-out" land yacht could go over 570 SBWYETE's.

So the next time you go car shopping, please consider all the shit that went into designing and making it. You'll have renewed respect for our glorious production capabilities...
 
Damn.. you guys are so depressing! First there was the guy wanting to build his own lathe. Ya’all rain on his parade. Now, this guy wants to scratch build an engine that his primary criteria is to out-do them half baked, so called engineers that build them there injuns that only last a minute or two in the cars we been driving for the last hunert years! A pox on all of you! I WAS going to let you all in on the ground floor on my new design space ship- I perfected a faster than light drive that is based on the Dorito manufacturing process... not now!!
 
Are you going to use commercially available parts such as cranks cams Pistons lifters con rods bearings push rods balancers valves and rocker arms, then design and manufacture heads block intake exhaust...will there be sensors on it? Computer controls?
 
.. have been bouncing a specific engine design around in my head for years. Who knows, one of these days it might leak out of my ears and become real...
If it's an overweight slow-revving longstroke laydown three cylinder opposed piston fella, I'll go in halves witcha. I'm thinking maybe 350 cubes and a hunnerd fifty horses at a rompin stompin 1200 rpm ? Target of 1500 lbs ?
 
Never seen anything about emissions. That will quadruple the time money and red tape, then f up all your good “engineering “ funny engine-ering.
Unless your going to move to Mexico and run it.


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