Foundry anyone?

[KeithTurk]

When we were down in Australia... I was amazed at how comfortable everyone was with having small parts made by the local foundry's ... or doing thier own foundry work...

Anyone here knowledgeable? I'm somewhat fasinated with the subject..

Thanks

Keith

[biginch]

Re: Foundry anyone?

have you seen this?

http://www.dmdaustralia.com.au/block1.html

[KeithTurk]

Re: Foundry anyone?

Virtually double the original Hp of the Healey engine... What a cool series of pic's... and that's freaking classic in Australia... I watched a guy build a brand new Vincent Engine...

K

[BlackoutSteve]

Re: Foundry anyone?

..Or you could buy a 5-axis cnc..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsmiIeAkE-o

[BlackoutSteve]

Re: Foundry anyone?

have you seen this?

http://www.dmdaustralia.com.au/block1.html

http://www.dmdaustralia.com.au/block2.html

http://www.dmdaustralia.com.au/block3.html

http://www.dmdaustralia.com.au/block4.html

http://www.dmdaustralia.com.au/block5.html

;)

[BBR]

Re: Foundry anyone?

I had a local foundry cast some adapter plates out of aluminum one time. Seemed pretty reasonable price-wise when I did it. I sent them the dimensions and they made the pattern, cast them and shipped the rough castings to me.

[DanStokes]

Re: Foundry anyone?

We did aluminum casting in HS shop class. It was WAY COOL (after it was way hot). We all had foot-shaped gas pedals after that section. Wish I knew where mine went. We learned a LOT about spacing riser holes and so on, but mostly by trial and error. I know that there's a whole science to that stuff.

Dan

[Ron Ward]

Re: Foundry anyone?

Kansas State University offers a course called "Production Processes" which is basically a shop class. Students learn casting, heat treating and machining (milling, turning, broaching, etc) with hands-on experience. I still have the shop vise I manufactured 25 years ago in that class. I wish I had all that equipment at my disposal today!

Ron

[squirrel]

Re: Foundry anyone?

When I took AME 212 (production engineering) we only got to use a lathe and mill, no casting or heat treating. Although we did some heat treating in high school shop class, the putty knife I made is long gone...but I still have my lathe wrench from that class, and my center punch from the college course.

[BBR]

Re: Foundry anyone?

Kansas State University offers a course called "Production Processes" which is basically a shop class. Students learn casting, heat treating and machining (milling, turning, broaching, etc) with hands-on experience. I still have the shop vise I manufactured 25 years ago in that class. I wish I had all that equipment at my disposal today!

Ron

We had machine shop, pattern making and foundry, welding, etc at Tarleton State University. I remember having a hard time coming up with ideas for projects back then. : Man, to have that killer equip today would be killer!

[PackardV8]

Re: Foundry anyone?

I spent some time in a steel foundry. Between the EPA restrictions and the union overhead, it was cost prohibitive to even consider short production runs. Aluminum is easier and less expensive, but if you check, many/most of our aftermarket heads and intakes these days are coming from Mexico and China.

There are fewer and fewer forged aluminum piston companies still surviving, still made in USA. Too many of us shop just the catalogs and just the lowest price.

thnx, jv.

[ADV1]

Re: Foundry anyone?

I sell high end CNC equipment as some manual stuff as well if any of you are interested! ;D Hey, I would'nt be a good salesman if I didn't try!!! ;)

[Eric68]

Re: Foundry anyone?

Very cool pics Steve. Thanks.

I like unique stuff like that Healy engine, but man, that is an aweful lot of time and $$s for a 3.8L 290 HP engine!

[BlackoutSteve]

Re: Foundry anyone?

Don't thank me, thank BigInch.

Yeah I saw the $6000 cylinder head price and figured the block would have to be at least $10.
All that money for 300hp.
Lucky I don't care for healys. I'd be broke and slow.

[KeithTurk]

Re: Foundry anyone?

ahhhhhh... But Steve... if it wasn't for Donald Healey getting in the Bonneville 2 club in 1956 you would have never heard of me... sooooo HEY... them Healey's aint' that bad... and oh... not many cars are better looking....

They may not be fast... but they are the ultimate panty droppers...

Keith