Engine Casting

[HHGT]

I was watching the "Ultimate Factories" show on Ferrari today and when they got to the engine segment they claimed that every engine gets a "one time use" sand casting. I started to think, did our GTs use a similar engine building process or where the GT engines mass produced. Ferrari also claims that every finished casting gets x-rayed for microscopic imperfections. Does Ferrari do this to emphasize superiority in manufacture-ship and hence charge a higher price yielding higher profits?

Now I know we (US Auto Manufacturers) have been building quality engines and have perfected the mass production process for many years, but my question is really focused on the manufacturing process of our engines.

What process was used to ensure longevity of a 1000 HP engine?

 

[Quickdraw]

I didnt think there was another way to make an engine besides a one-time-use sand mold? The sand molds themselves would be mass produced from a form and the molten iron or aluminum would be poured into it. After the molten metal has cooled the sand is removed and re-cycled.

BTW, Henry Ford was the first to cast a V-8 in one piece - before Ford perfected the process V-8s were cast in two pieces and machined before joining the two halves.

 

[fjpikul]

Quickdraw is absolutely right. All sand molds are one time use only. I have several ashtrays made of the sand molds from a nearby foundry. Nice to look at, hard to clean. Our engines came from the niche line at Romeo and all were built only by, I think, 4 teams of two individuals. We met some of the guys at Indy last year.

 

[DanQ]

Off topic a bit, but if you want to watch state of the art engine block mfg, watch the BMW ultimate factory show. BMW firsts casts an aluminum cylinder bore section and then puts that into another mold and injects molton magnesium into the mold in about 1/10th of a second! It bonds the mag and aluminum together.

WOW!

The water wetted section and the cyl bore is aluminum and the oil passages are magnesium. Magnesium doesn't like water so that is why the water jackets are aluminum. Their inline 6 cyl block weights 65 lbs if I remember correctly.