Cylinder head alignment for Chevy V-8

[Greg Myers]

Aaah, as a service brat I was awakened many a night to the sounds of radial recips being run up. .

Edited May 31, 2015 by Greg Myers

[Crazy Ed]

Greg, I'll just bet you recall the sound of a Lockheed Constellation flying overhead also.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Greg, I'll just bet you recall the sound of a Lockheed Constellation flying overhead also.

I sure do.

There's a DC-3 in this area that occasionally flies over fairly late at night. Quite the time-travel experience to be lying awake in bed in the dark, and to hear that.

[Greg Myers]

Mostly late night run ups. Only knew what they were because you knew what flew out of the base you were on. Lots of jets, too.

[afx]

Porsche flat six with offset.

[Greg Myers]

The Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major, the largest mass-produced aircraft piston engine ever made. A 28-cylinder, 71-liter, air-cooled radial monster, the ultimate incarnation—the “51VDT”—could deliver a staggering 4,300 hp.

Edited May 31, 2015 by Greg Myers

[Art Anderson]

Correct.

One side of a vee- or otherwise-opposed engine with any number of cylinders will ALWAYS be offset or staggered somewhat to allow for connection of connecting rods to the crankshaft.

This is a flat-4 opposed engine, but you should get the idea...

And a V8, with shared rod-journals...

Not quite true, Bill. The earliest Vee engines tended to have what were called "Fork and Blade" connecting rods, meaning that the big end of the rods on one side of the engine were made in a split, or "forked" manner, with the corresponding rod from the other side looking much like any other engine connecting rod--it's big end mounting on the same journal as the forked rod BETWEEN the two "legs" of the so-called "fork" rod. Perhaps the most notable of that style V8 was the first series Lincoln V8 engines, from 1921-about 1929-30 or thereabouts. I also believe I've read of a few aircraft Vee-engines, from WW-I into at least the early 1930's that used this sort of connecting rod layout as well.

Art

[Greg Myers]

Boy that looks like fun double the weight on the opposite side, fun balancing it.

Edited June 1, 2015 by Greg Myers

[Ace-Garageguy]

Not quite true, Bill. The earliest Vee engines tended to have what were called "Fork and Blade" connecting rods, meaning that the big end of the rods on one side of the engine were made in a split, or "forked" manner, with the corresponding rod from the other side looking much like any other engine connecting rod--it's big end mounting on the same journal as the forked rod BETWEEN the two "legs" of the so-called "fork" rod. Perhaps the most notable of that style V8 was the first series Lincoln V8 engines, from 1921-about 1929-30 or thereabouts. I also believe I've read of a few aircraft Vee-engines, from WW-I into at least the early 1930's that used this sort of connecting rod layout as well.

Art

Yes, zenrat reminded me of the "knife-and-fork" arrangement in post #21, and I modified my statement to "any vee or opposed engine you're likely to encounter in a car"...