Hobbies for every1

Engine port matching principles/basics

2012-05-01T02:11:00.003+04:00

Engine port matching principles/basics

Porting an engine
The inlet and outlet ports on the engine block are usually larger than those of the manifolds that connect to them.
This allows for scope in the manufacturing process to allow for mismatched alignment.
Generally the engine ports are larger in the upstream flow direction avoiding turbulance but power gains can be made by matching these up.
Most internal surfaces are far from smooth due to the casting process so small gains are there to be had by smoothing out the rough edges although polishing the insides offers little if any extra gain. Engines need to breathe as freely as possible and obstructions, seams and pits cause turbulence and this is not very good for airflow.
Generally speaking most standard non performance cars will benefit greatly from even a little DIY head porting. A high performance engine usually comes with a fairly optimum flow and these can only be improved by a specialist wich a proper flow bench. (The S2000 is a good example of this anomaly.)
The air intake port would not benefit much by opening up to match the intake manifold, unless there is a step that obstructs the airflow into the engine. So most DIY port matching work is best performed on the exhaust ports.
It is worth noting that enlarging the port size is not always beneficial and is only required in highly tuned engines where the port size has become a bottleneck. Often better flow rates are achieved with slightly narrower channels and fewer bends or angles.
A word of caution though if you enlarge the exhaust port fully to the size of the gasket when the manifold port opening is smaller than the gasket you will completely mess up the airflow. This will lose power - the aim here should be to get the two port openings to roughly the same size avoiding turbulance on the exhaust side.

This picture shows the aim of getting a smooth join between the manifold (x) and the engine port (y) in a highly tuned rally car engine.
The Fuel injector (f) indicates the limit to intake manifold polishing. A rough surface after the injector will help with fuel atomisation due to the greater surface area.
Ideally you want the intake directly above the cylinder but this is not possible due to valves and spark plugs and cam assemblies.
Many manufacturers take the intake through a 90 degree bend into the cylinder. The straighter you can make the intake path the better it will be.
Additionally the intake side of the head will benefit if you can create a Spiral flow into the cylinder as this gives much better fuel atomisation. Careful work around the valve can help with this further.
TorqueCars members have done a satifactory job on their heads but a specialist really has so much more to offer. Really, as far as a DIY approach goes, do little more with the ports and manifolds than a smoothing up and polishing (the intake manifold has the job of assisting with vapourising the fuel and benefits from a pitted rough surface so please do not polish the intake manifold downstream of the fuel injectors marked f in fig1!).

Maximum airflow can only be achieved by a specialist using an air flow bench and the very latest fully programmed milling machines.

Air flows in a similar way to water, the faster the air moves the more gloopy and sticky it behaves. If you have ever hit the surface of water at speed you will realise that it is not soft and liquid!
The aim in the head is to get as much air and fuel mixed as effectively as possible into the combustion chamber. The most important area within the engine, as far as air flow is concerned, is the valve seats and bigger power gains can be has here especially for engines with slightly higher lift valves with some careful blending below the valve seat insert to remove the steps and grooves.

Concentrate on a clean flow into the engine rather than just widening the inlet and exhaust ports. Bigger is not always better.
Beware, not all engines benefit from the inlet ports being opened up to the size of the gasket. NASP engines rely on the vacuum created by the engine to suck in air, and widening the inlet port will actually slow up the flow of air, sacrificing low end power but it will generally allow more mixture to be introduced at high RPM. The port sizes should be setup for the optimum desired characteristics of each engine.
In a turbo or supercharged engine bigger is usually better as the air is being forced into the engine but the entire inlet and exhaust channel should match the dimensions of your new port sizes.
Putting the gasket over the ports will show how much can be taken off for a good airflow match but you will rarely want to go as wide as the gasket. Use some nail varnish to mark the area then remove the gasket and start cutting away with a grinding wheel in slow, long deliberate arc movements.
The angles on the valve seats is also of concern to the engine tuner. Generally speaking, the thinner the seat, the more unreliable the engine will be so we are back to the eternal compromise of power vs reliability. A progressive 3 or 5 angle step will greatly help the air intake around the valves.

Because each engine type is different with some producing more heat than others, various cylinder configurations from an inline 4 to a W8 and a wide variety of 24v 20v 16v and 8v it is almost impossible to give a one for all guide to porting. For best results we always recommend leaving head work to professionals who are able to measure the airflow through the head and help create the perfect head setup for you.

Each type of engine is better suited to a specific valve seat shape just as your driver requirements will create a different range of properties that the head machinist has to work to. Fitting larger valves will generally improve the airflow through the head of the engine into the combustion chambers and will help the engine cope with a much higher state of tune. Adding longer valve stems will also release a little more power too in many engines although you really need to avoid the possibility of a valve hitting the piston and you still need the valve to fully close!
Caution – if you mess up the airflow you can end up ruining the engine. It is possible to cause an inbalance of airflow to each cylinder and it is equally possible to ruin the bottom end power.

Air/fuel gauge install

2012-05-01T01:58:00.000+04:00

Air/fuel gauge install

Hi Guys following are the tools and steps required to install air fuel guage.

ENJOY!!!!!

Tools:
-Air/Fuel Gauge (I used an autometer sport)
-1 wire 1 volt O2 sensor (narrowband Bosch)
-Wire insulation
-22mm Open End wrench
-Extra 18gauge wire (any color)
-PB Blaster (optional)
-Wire taps (16-18 gauge)
-Heat Shrink Tubing (Optional)
-Zip Ties
-Wire Crimper
-Solder/Electric tape (or you could use those small red tubes that connect the wires together...ur choice)

Step By Step
1:
I didnt disconnect my battery so i just started off with turning the car off and mounting my airfuel gauge in my column pod next to my boost.

2:
Find a ground and positive connection for your air/fuel gauge. I fed my wire from the back of the dash to the fuse box and made my own ground there. I used a wire tap for my positive wire and tapped into my escort radar direct wire connection.

3:
Add enough wire to your purple wire so that it can go through the firewall and run underneath your car. I just guessed and checked.
4:
Once you get your wire through the firewall, start putting the insulation cover on so it protects it from the heat.
5:
Once i got the insulation on, i fed the wire through this nice convenient tunnel in the firewall that looks Taylor made for this project.

6:
Run the wire underneath the car to the downpipe. (it looks loose now but i made it tighter after i connected it.

7:
Now spray your O2 sensor with pb blaster (if you are using the post cat bung) and use your 22mm open end wrench and see if you can get that thing out. if not, try a heat gun and spray some more pb blaster until it comes off.

8:
Now install your single wire 1 volt o2 into the bung.

There is a connector at the end of the o2 sensor that you can just run your wire to and crimp them together.
9:
The setup should start looking like this

10:
I just zip tied my post cat o2 sensor to another o2 wire just for the time being (i will see if i can disconnect it and not get a CEL)
11:
Make sure that
-all your connections are correct
-your ground is correct/Positive is tapped correctly
-you havent tapped into the headlight switch dimmer...(this will mess with the voltage on the airfuel gauge)

Start your car up, and you should see your airfuel gauge start working with one single green LED light. After you idle your car or drive it for about 5 min, it will start reading correctly. The sensor needs to get hot enough to read the volts right.

Couple pics at night

Air Brushing and Stencils

2012-04-30T03:20:00.002+04:00

Air Brushing and Stencils

This article I am writing about air brushing with the help of stencils. How to make stencils is a different topic we will discuss that in some other post. No matter how great artist you are but u will always need help of stencils and masking. Some shapes and designs can not be done without proper masking and stencil work. For example pic..

The picture above is my latest work. It is pretty simple. Now to explain, the maroon wavy design was done with the help of masking tape and the black design on silver was done with the help of stencil stickers. You can see one sticker on floor in green color.

With the help of stencil and masking my work was way more easier than I thought.

How to set a Fresh Water Aquarium..

2012-04-26T02:09:00.000+04:00

STEP 1: Realize the responsibility involved.
Learning how to set up a fish tank is not all that difficult, but there are some steps you should follow for a freshwater aquarium setup. First, you must realize a few things about an aquarium setup. A tropical fish tank is just like having a dog or a cat when it comes to the amount of effort on your part. In order to have a successful freshwater tropical fish tank you will have to work at it. Once a week, or at most once every two weeks, you will need to perform some kind of maintenance on the tank. Most of the time you will be performing water changes. You will also have to feed your fish at least once a day. Setting up and running a fish tank does cost money. There are recurring expenses such as replacing filter media, buying food, etc.

STEP 2: Decide on an aquarium size.
It's a good idea to have in mind what kind of fish you want to keep in your freshwater aquarium setup before you purchase an aquarium. Some fish only grow to be an inch or two, whereas other types of tropical fish can grow 12 or 13 inches or more in length! Knowing what kind of fish you want will help you decide the size of the tank they will need. If this is your first time with an aquarium, it may be a good idea to start with a 10 or 20 gallon aquarium setup for now and stock it with some smaller and hardier species.

STEP 3: Decide on the aquarium's location.
Place your freshwater aquarium setup in an area where the light and temperature of the tank won't be affected by external sources such as windows and heater vents. Sunlight that enters the room through an unshaded window could affect the temperature of your tank. This could also lead to green alge problems for your tank down the road. You will want to place your aquarium on a stand that will be able to hold its total weight. You also want to be sure that the floor is able to support the total weight of the aquarium and stand. A good rule of thumb for determining the total weight of a full aquarium is 10 pounds per gallon of water. For example, a 55-gallon tank will weigh approximately 550 pounds when filled with water!

STEP 4: Buy your aquarium and equipment.
Now is a good time to decide on the type of aquarium filter you will want to use. You will also need to purchase a heater capable of heating the freshwater aquarium setup size you have. Buy the gravel, plants, a power strip and other decorations. A good rule of thumb for the amount of gravel that you will need is 1 to 1.5 pounds of gravel per gallon of water.

STEP 5: Set up your aquarium and stand.
Wash out your tank with water only! Do not use soap or detergents. Soap residue left behind will be harmful for your tropical fish. If you are going to use an under gravel filter (not recommended) now would be the time to set it up as well.

STEP 6: Wash Gravel, plants and decorations.
Be sure to wash the gravel thoroughly before adding it to your tank. An easy way to do this is to put some of the rocks in a pasta strainer and wash them out in your bath tub. Then place the clean gravel in a clean 5-gallon bucket for transport to the aquarium. After adding the gravel you can place your plants and decorations.

STEP 7: Add water to the aquarium.
To avoid messing up your gravel and plants, you can place a plate or saucer in the middle of your aquarium and direct the water flow onto the plate. Use room temperature water when filling. To remove the chlorine, use something like Tetra AquaSafe for Aquariums. Don't completely fill up the aquarium until you are sure of the layout of your decorations. Otherwise, when you place your arm in to move stuff around water is going to spill over. Doh!

STEP 8: Set up equipment.
Install your heater but don't plug it in until the thermostat in the heater has adjusted to the water temperature. This usually takes about 15 minutes or so. Hook up your filter and any other equipment you have, then top off the aquarium water in your freshwater aquarium setup to just under the hood lip. Place your hood and tank light on the aquarium and then check your power cords to be sure that they are free of water. I would also recommend using a drip loop on all of the power cords to be extra cautious. For more information on safety, read this great article on aquarium electrical safety. Plug all of the equipment into a power strip and then "turn on" the aquarium.

STEP 9. Wait, wait, wait and then wait some more.
I know, you want to add some fish. But, in order to do this right you must wait until your aquarium has cycled before adding any fish. There are ways of speeding up this process. Check out the nitrogen cycle page to learn more about starting the nitrogen cycle and how to speed it up. If you must use fish to cycle, try to get a hardier species like the zebra danio or cherry crab. You may notice your fish tank cycle kicking in gear if you start to get some white cloudy aquarium after a few days.

STEP 10. Add tropical fish.
Only add one or two fish at a time. Adding a couple fish at a time gives your filtration system the time needed to take on the increased biological load that the new fish introduce. When you bring the fish home let the bag float in the tank for about 15 minutes so that the fish can become acclimated to the temperature and pH of the aquarium water. After 5 minutes of floating the bag you should add some of the aquarium water to the bag so that the fish can become acclimated to the pH level in the aquarium. This will help reduce the amount of stress imposed on the fish. Stressed fish often leads to dead or diseased fish! Don't feed your fish on the first day. They probably wouldn't eat any food on the first day anyway. Let them get acquainted with their new home.

If you're interested in some good and hardy first fish, please read the Good First Tropical Fish article.

STEP 11. Get ready for regular maintenance.
Be prepared to spend some time once every week or two to clean your tank. Performing regular water changes will reduce the nitrate levels and keep your tropical fish happy and healthy.

As you can see, the steps for how to set up a fish tank are not that complex and hopefully you now have your aquarium setup and running! Have fun, take care of and enjoy your fish!

Fiberglass for bignners.

2012-04-25T01:03:00.001+04:00

Fibreglassing for noobs.

When could you use fiberglass?

Custom Sub boxes
Custom door pods and speaker pods
Custom dashboard and gauge pods
Custom body kits
Body kit repair

Advantages

Fibreglass allows greater flexibility and design
Fibreglass allows better use of tight and unusually shaped areas
Fibreglass is lighter
Fibreglass is relatively cheap
Fibreglass is very strong

Disadvantages

It can be daunting for a first timer

Dont be Afraid.

Fibreglass can be a bit daunting for a beginner, but its very easy to get the hang of. The more you practice the more you will improve. Most of what I have learnt is through experience. Dont aim too high for your first go and try and make a full custom boot. I recommend starting with a tyre well sub box. The design is simple, theres no tricky angles, and it doesn’t matter if your fibreglass is messy because no one will see it.

Do be Afraid

Ok, not trying to scare people off but there is a serious side to fibreglassing. The materials are flammable and I don’t even want to think about how painful it would be if you got the stuff in your eyes. So always wear protection. Use googles, not safety glasses. Ones that actually seal around your face and a mask.

Purchasing Fibreglass

The main ingredients are fibreglass matting, resin and catalyst. These can be purchased in kits from most hardware stores however its is very expensive. It is much cheaper to purchase your materials from a fibreglass supplier. Most will sell directly to the public and everyone I have ever dealt with are always friendly and helpful to beginners.
The largest kit that Bunnings sell is 1sq metre. To build an average box for 2 12” subs you are going to use 3sq metres. Ands thats with a flat wooden top. If you want a full fibreglass boot install its going to get very expensive. Chop strand matt usually sells for under $10 per sq metre. If you tell the supplier how much matting you want they will tell you how much resin and catalyst you will need.

What you need

From the fibreglass supplier:

Matting

This is available in various types and thicknesses. I use chop strand rather than that woven stuff because its easier to work with. I normally work with 450gm. Its thick enough to provide enough strength after just a couple of layers but not too thick to prevent you from working it into corners. If you need to do some more delicate work with thinner matting you can actually separate the layers (450gm is usually made up of 2 layers).

Resin

I use a polyester resin. This is the good for stereo work as it bonds well to other layers of fibreglass. It usually comes in 1kg, 4kg and 10kg. 4kg should be enough for a tyre well box. 1kg if you are just doing some speaker pods and then the big 10kg tin if you are going all out with a full boot install.

Catalyst

Ask the supplier which one to use with the type of resin you are purchasing. They will also sell you the correct amount depending on how much resin you have purchased.

Measuring Equipment

You have to be very accurate when you mix the catalyst. There is a variety of devices available to accurately measure out the catalyst such as syringes, test tubes, and eye dropper looking things (cant remember the actual name). I find it very unlikely that you will ever be mixing up enough resin to need anymore than 10ml of catalyst in one go. In fact you will probably never use more than about 5ml. So keep that in mind when choosing the correct size.

Acetone

You will learn to love this stuff. No matter how hard you try you will get resin everywhere! Acetone gets it off. Dont be stingy get yourself a 4L tin, you will use it.

Gloves

I doubt resin does your skin any good and its a bitch to clean, so buy yourself a box of latex gloves.

Mixing Sticks

You can improvise if you want, or you can purchase a box of hundreds of those massive paddle pop sticks that the doctors use for only a few dollars.

Roller

An optional item. Used for getting air bubbles out. Important if strength is crucial but with a sub box a few air bubbles here and there wont make a noticeable difference.

Other Stuff to get

Containers

You will need suitable containers to mix up the resin. I have found that margarine/yogurt containers are a good size to work with. Broader is better than tall. The resin will go off quicker in a taller container and give you less time to work with it. The best thing is these containers are free. Most of them can also be reused.

Plastic Drop Sheets

I use them for two reasons. 1 to protect your car from drips because you will drip resin everywhere and 2 for stopping the glass from sticking to whatever it is you are making. More on that later. You can purchase massive drop sheets from bunnings (2.5m x 2.5m) for the measly sum of $1.50. Bargain!

Paint Brushes

Used to apply the resin. They don’t need to be expensive, infact the cheaper the better. The pros clean their brushes each time in acetone, however I have found that its easier and cheaper to get really cheap brushes (under $1.00 each) and just thro them away each time.

Miscellaneous Items

What you can build with fibreglass is only limited by your imagination, ingenuity and creativity. It doesn’t really matter what you use to make the shapes, even if it has no strength in it. It only has to be strong enough to hold the glass until it dries and then the fibreglass will give your product the strength. This is a list of some of the materials and equipment I use:

MDF
Cardboard
Paper
Masking Tape
Lycra
Wire mesh

Pens
Pencils
Ruler
Square
Scissors
Stanley Knife
Spirit Level
Jigsaw
Airsaw
Staple Gun
Nail Gun

Preparing your work space

Where possible work in an open ventilated area as the resin does give off strong fumes.
Work in a well lit area otherwise you will miss areas.
Work on a level area, you don’t want all the resin to pool in one corner.

Get everything set up and ready to go before you start mixing resin. Once that resin is mixed you wont have time for anything else other than applying it. Use your drop sheets to cover areas that you aren’t working on. I always cover the route that I need to take with the resin from where im mixing it to where im going to work with it. For example if im working in the boot of a car and I have to carry the resin over the back of the car I will drape a drop sheet over it in case of drips and spills.

Start by cutting or tearing up the matting. If you want a nice neat edge then cut the matting. However if you want to over lap the matting (this is what you will do most of the time) then tear it. I usually tear up the matting and stack it in piles of different sizes (2 or 3 different sizes will be sufficient).

When starting out it is difficult to determine how much matting you will need for each layer. I suggest tearing it up and laying out in or on your project to gauge how much you will need. Always prepare more matting than you think you will need. If you run out of matting after you have started applying resin, don’t even bother trying to cut more up as the resin will set before you can cut anymore. Its easier to have left over torn up matting that you didn’t use as it can simply be stored and used again next time.

Mixing the Resin

Time for eye protection!

Using a ruler and permanent marker I mark a line on the inside of the container im using to the level that I want to fill it to. Its quite easy, if you are using a 500ml container and you want 250ml then just mark it half way. Poor your resin in and replace the lid.

I use a ratio of 1-2% catalyst. 2% will go off very quickly. For beginners, start with 1% until you get the hang of it and can work a little faster. Add the catalyst and mix it thoroughly. You will see it change from blue to a blue/green in under 30 seconds. Start applying. Dab the resin don’t brush it. You want the fibres to soak it up. Brushing will move the fibres and weaken the fibreglass. Apply layers as evenly as possibly and try not to get too many air bubbles.

Hopefully you will apply all of the resin before it sets. However if it starts to set in the container don’t stress just make up another batch. Either make a smaller batch or use less catalyst. With a bit of trial and error you will work out how much resin you can apply in each batch. I suggest starting with 200-300ml and working up from there.

Reusing containers. Dont reuse a container straight away. Any left over resin from the previous batch will mess up your ratios with the new batch. Wait until it’s completely dry and then pull out the hard clump of resin. You should be left with an almost clean container.

Depending on the thickness of your matting, 2-3 layers should be sufficient for a sub box. It shouldn’t have any flex in it if you press hard onto it.

Cleaning Up

Put all your waste into a plastic bag before putting it in the bin otherwise it will glue itself into the bin. Clean your hands arms elbows and everything else you dipped in the resin with acetone. Sweep up all the loose fibreglass. You don’t want it getting through your house and upholstery.

Tips

Fibre glassing upside down is very difficult. In fact anything close to 90 degrees is difficult. Depending on the shapes you are making you may need to apply layers in different sections. Wait for one layer to dry then rotate your product and do another later.

2012-04-25T00:03:00.000+04:00

Hey guys!

This blog is for everybody to discuss their hobbies. Everyone is welcome here.

we can discuss cars,bikes,cooking,stitching,nutrition,bodybuilding,fiberglass,boats and anything you can imagine of as a hobby......