044 head on a wbx.........

[MnMike]

I was talking to my machinist friend about the dillema faced when planning a 4" bore engine on the street. Scat split port heads will flow the #s for a big engine and have some fins, but are not available right now. AF heads have some fins, will flow, but the stud spacing is wrong would need to be moved and without a head to look at, this is a $1000 question .........he has a pair of 044 sitting around and know a good welder... So far he has cut them for the cylinders and took a ball end mill and cut a groove where the cylinder will seal. Next they are going to the welder, and we will start decking the case. The only problem is the fact they have a 42mm intake, the porting is guesstimated at around 180-200@25" comparing to a couple other heads I have had. I know the massive bore will help the #s but am worried this engine will have too little flow for the big ccs... any thoughts? I was planning a 86mm or 90mm stroke, but I already have an 82 mm crank and it looks like it would be a better choice considering the limitations of the 044 head. I ran a equation and it looks like 200cfm @25" 2659cc will achieve max flow at 6419rpm sounds like it will be easy on parts with a shift point like that...kinda like a tractor motor I don't want to remove a 2276 and go slower....any idea how much the bore increase affects the flow potential? It should be a good experiment anyways....

[pocketrocket]

MnMike, Trying to weld up & make a set of 044s go on a 4" bore case is not going to work. I looked into it years ago. A bug case or a h20 to air case with a 86mm or 82mm crank & 94 bore & your 044s would be a nice motor. Thanks Rocky

[MnMike]

Yeah, he's kinda crazy, lives an hour away I am going to see him tonight, I will post again later, mt guess is the studs will be way wrong, not even close to the stud boss..............

[MnMike]

Hey Rocky, he is going to give it a try on one head first. He bought them off a guy who dropped a valve seat and then had a local shop "fix" it, and it made it 5 miles before the fix broke. He got em for $100 so he took a ball end mill and carved out the seating surface on a cnc mill......he knows some welder who said it will work. We are thinking of building kind of a mule motor out of it just for testing, chevy journal crank and narrowed chevy rods with chev pistons. Just to see if the welds will last or blow out. I already have a 2276 that runs 13.044 in the 1/4, so a wbx that is in the neighborhood of 180 horse will be kind of redundant for me.

[MnMike]

I got a pic of my case with AA Automotive 101.6 cylinders- I bought em from Kona on the Samba.......

[pocketrocket]

By the time you bore the heads for the 4" cylinders you wont have anything for the cylinders to sit on. What about the big gap in the center of the head,let alone seating for the head studs, washers & nuts. But some times ones just got to see for them selves. Good Luck be sure to let us know how it works out. Thanks Rocky

[MnMike]

He already cut the heads, yp thay are gonna be MADE of weld-LOL If any heads were available that needed NO modification AND had some fins fo a little street use, I would just buy 'em. But the only heads that can run 4" and have an ok amount of fins, and can be had off the shelf right now are AF heads. But the stud holes would need to be moved. Scat split port heads would fit right on - but they are unavailable. I don't think autocraft heads have enogh finning, but if a 4" set comes up for sale cheap, who knows maybe I'll try em. If they can stay cool for ten minutes, I could make it to the cruises in St. Paul cool down, and find a sucker......So, this is where I am starting, and it might not work, but it is free to try when you know a machinist

[Max keltvik]

I realy want to se pix of the heads!

My oxy is wating for the 101.6 from Kona and my alu Pauter rods made for Chevy pistons is conected to my 90mm crank.

I'f you cane do that wiht the 044 I'l do the same wiht my S/F heads.

[MnMike]

That is what I am hoping for Max, I don't think an 044 will ever make the kind of flow that is needed for a very large flat four in the 2600cc+ range. But if this works, it would work with any head that is bored for 94s. And there is nothing better to experiment on than nearly free stuff, with free machining.....

[Steve Arndt]

Jim Lutz welded and machined a set of competition eliminator heads to fit the 4" wasser pattern. So it is possible. I don't think he ever built and engine w/ the heads though.

Steve

[pocketrocket]

With lots of welding you can do just about anything. Hope to see some of the heads everyone is working on. I have some pictures of the 044 heads I bored & welded on a few years back I will post. Good luck to all who are working so hard to make the 044 heads work on a boxer block. Rocky

[TorfinnS]

Why can I not use the original wbx heads, I shall use it in Autocross, in Norway.

[VW ADDICT]

I would like to meet that guy that does free machine work.J/K Any way the heads are under construction and look good so far. Any luck finding 4.000 copper head gaskets?

[MnMike]

I haven't looked yet, but I did do a little hand grinding on the case so the #3 cylinder seats on the case......the cooling tin is gonna be butchered.

[Piledriver]

Note that the turbo forum has a fellow with Autocraft 901s converted to water cooled... Deutz jugs, probably a wasser block.
http://shoptalkforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=82526

"Street" car. Yeah.