Hello. I got okayed by bpt323 to run a little interest gauging for a small batch product I'm working on.
Mazda has made a two-piece journal brace for the FE DOHC engine. They aren't very common and somewhat difficult to come by (there's a single-piece sheet made brace too, and that's even more rare). I was interested in having one in full length, and accommodating the 94mm stroke for the DOHC stroker, so I started engineering a brace on my own. There has been cautious interest, and so here's the deal.
Click for a larger image. All dimensions are for cost estimation only.
The brace is intended to add toughness and stability by binding the journal caps together, sharing the load to neighbour bolts and preventing the caps from vibrating. It should make the engine more durable and quieter. It's not certain how great a difference it makes to a stock or close to stock engine, but you aim high on the engine build, you might want to give it a thought.
Unfortunately it's not a simple bolt-on piece. Because I had to accommodate the 94mm stroke, fitting it to the sump is tricky. Aluminium sumps will need to have the oil fins trimmed down somewhat, and the steel sump must be cut and welded for extra space. Fortunately the windage tray won't interfere. Old bolts inevitably need to be replaced, I must consult ARP about this. I think they have suitable bolts/studs. Also if the engine is a Kia FE, the sump will need even more modifications as Kia has taller caps, and probably the oil pickup needs to be altered too. The replacement studs for Mazda engine won't work either.
The brace will be made of ductile (nodular) cast iron. It's the same material the crank is made of, so it's very tough material, and the bonus to cast iron vs. milled aluminium alloy (which was considered) is better vibration dampening properties and neutral expansion rate vs. block and crank. The part will weigh about 2kg/4.5lb, so it's not terribly heavy if not featherweight either.
I'm still inquiring machine shops for offers, so I can't tell the exact price yet. The unit price/cost should be between 100-150 USD; the minimum set I'm going to have to do is five pieces. Shipping costs for the item on Economy is roughly 40USD to Europe, North America and Russia, and 50USD elsewhere.
Mazda has made a two-piece journal brace for the FE DOHC engine. They aren't very common and somewhat difficult to come by (there's a single-piece sheet made brace too, and that's even more rare). I was interested in having one in full length, and accommodating the 94mm stroke for the DOHC stroker, so I started engineering a brace on my own. There has been cautious interest, and so here's the deal.
Click for a larger image. All dimensions are for cost estimation only.
The brace is intended to add toughness and stability by binding the journal caps together, sharing the load to neighbour bolts and preventing the caps from vibrating. It should make the engine more durable and quieter. It's not certain how great a difference it makes to a stock or close to stock engine, but you aim high on the engine build, you might want to give it a thought.
Unfortunately it's not a simple bolt-on piece. Because I had to accommodate the 94mm stroke, fitting it to the sump is tricky. Aluminium sumps will need to have the oil fins trimmed down somewhat, and the steel sump must be cut and welded for extra space. Fortunately the windage tray won't interfere. Old bolts inevitably need to be replaced, I must consult ARP about this. I think they have suitable bolts/studs. Also if the engine is a Kia FE, the sump will need even more modifications as Kia has taller caps, and probably the oil pickup needs to be altered too. The replacement studs for Mazda engine won't work either.
The brace will be made of ductile (nodular) cast iron. It's the same material the crank is made of, so it's very tough material, and the bonus to cast iron vs. milled aluminium alloy (which was considered) is better vibration dampening properties and neutral expansion rate vs. block and crank. The part will weigh about 2kg/4.5lb, so it's not terribly heavy if not featherweight either.
I'm still inquiring machine shops for offers, so I can't tell the exact price yet. The unit price/cost should be between 100-150 USD; the minimum set I'm going to have to do is five pieces. Shipping costs for the item on Economy is roughly 40USD to Europe, North America and Russia, and 50USD elsewhere.
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