Lotus Europa Community
Lotus Europa Forums => Garage => Topic started by: ralf on Thursday,September 22, 2022, 09:22:56 PM
-
I intall a 4AGE engine to my Lotus Europa. To get a classic look I made a new valve cover for this engine.
First I messured the cylinderhead and make a 3D Model and printed this to check the messurement.
-
Next I made a 3D model and tried to transfer the BigValve design to the 4AGE dimension. One oft the difficulties was that the 4AGE camshafts are belt driven which regular get a seperate cover for the belt. Because I want to get a similar design like the TC I choose to make the upper beltcover as a part of the valvecover.
-
For the sandcasting I need to scale up the model by 1%. Then I split the model in the inner and outer part. The outer part was filled and mounted to an old which can be mounted to the sandfilling mashine in the foundery company.
-
The model for the inside was also mounted to a plate. The models were fillered painted to get a better surface.
-
The foundery company installed the canals to cast the cover to the plate.
-
The foundery fix the plate to their filling mashine, put a frame to the plate and fill the frame with casting sand. The frame with the sand get removed from the plate. I was very lucky to find a foundery which still make sandcasting for privat people. Most of the founderys get bankruped in the late 1990th because of invirement expenses increased. The next days I will extend this post with the casting and mashining.
-
Hello Ralf,
:Welcome:
That valve cover is superb! :trophy:
Mark
-
8) 8)
-
I just love to see the individual talents members bring to this forum. What a unique Europa we could put together if we got together. Ralf "Gut gemacht" thank you for sharing.
Sandy
-
Thanks,
the upper mold is put in top of the lower mold.
-
The two workers at the aluminium casting company put smelt aluminium into the mold.
-
After the aluminium is cooled down they put the mold to a shaker where the sand is removed.
-
The worker at the company cut the sprue and ballblast the cover
-
I don't make only one part, because I was scared to destroy some parts at the mashining and to equip the mashine has to be paid even if I make only one sample.
-
Very, very cool. Well done.
For those of you with expertise in plastic printing. Would it be possible to print just such a valve cover using high-temp plastics? Perhaps add steel inserts at the bolt holes. I know some some valve covers are plastic now but have zero knowledge otherwise.
-
With my small cheap milling mashine I cut the area where there is a waterplug at the 4AGE cylinderhead.
-
The hole for the oil filler was cut, first with a circlesaw.
-
The exact diameter was made with a boring head. Final the axial surface was cut.
-
The pins which hold the filler cap were made of aluminium. They are screwed in and fixes with LOCTITE.
-
The cover is made for the filler cap of the Lotus TC
-
A fiend of mine who has a big milling mashine cut the planar surface of the cover and drilled the 8 bores.
My cover did not use a gasket. I will use silikone.
Next I make a light countersunk to the 8 bores and mesured the gap betwen the head anf the cover.
-
To reduse the stress in the cover when tighten the 8 nuts holding the cover, I want a clearance between the countersunk of the bores and the struds of 0,05 to 0,1mm.
-
The cylinderhead and valvecover need an opening for the O-ring area of this bracket. because I dont have a big milling mashine I used a manual Hunger valveseatcutter. A guide was made to position the cutter in the center of the camshaft.
-
With he Hunger I cut the bore in the head and the cover fixed together.
-
Maybe the most complicated work was to mashine the radius which will seal the cover to the first bracket for the camshaft. Because I don't want to damage the front of the cover I could not use a milling mashine (I dont have somebody with a CNC Mashine). It was done by positioning a guide to the cover und use a homemade cuttingtool which is driven by a drilling mashine. Finaly I could do it with a clearance between cover and head of 0,05 to 0,1mm, which can easy sealed by silikon.
-
Before painting the cover with VHT Wrinkl Plus the cover was cleaned with aceton and some surfaces get masked.
-
After spraying the cover it was heated up in a oven at around 90°C.
-
Finaly some areas were sanded down to the aluminium to get the TC like design.
-
Great stuff, ralf!!! Very neatly done! I'm anxious to hear about the rest of the car!
-
Phew . . what an absolute over the top spectacular undertaking, Ralf.
Very well done. 8)