Ceramc coating and thin film lubricant

[ncs]

Because racecar!

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I still haven't seen anything that's not marketing on coatings on normal cars, or air cooled engines.

I've got ceramic coated cast iron headers on my landcruiser. It's held up fine through some pretty bad abuse, but it also doesn't seen the number of heat cycles a daily driver would.

[freebeard]

This car doesn't have any sort of temperature gauge.

So it's the 1302 in your avatar pic?

These coatings fall under the heading of aerospace technology. Another example would be https://www.google.com/search?q=high+emissivity+coating. Raw aluminum emits heat better than the oxide coating that forms on it. So if you can prevent the oxides forming it improves the cooling. This would be applied to the outside of the heads and cylinders.

Further examples? Ceramic coatings on the inside of the exhaust system.

I have a stroker 1776 that been sitting on the bench for a while. I think it could be worth dis-assembled and reassembled before it's put into service. I'd like to try these coatings so I will be interested in your results.

What I have done is cryogenic tempering on the brake drums and rotors that are on the car.



This process improves the wear characteristics, but also improves machinability (less tool 'chatter') and could be applied to any moving part.

Edit: ncs -- That's an interesting process. Something offered by https://www.weddleindustries.com/services. They also have a REM Superfinishing process that improves metal-to-metal contact.

[Isaac Zackary]

Originally Posted by freebeard

So it's the 1302 in your avatar pic?

Yep! How'd you guess? I'm doing a 1600 rebuild. It'll also have higher compression (9.5:1), a slightly different cam profile from stock (more like the 1975-1979 fuel injected Beetle cam profile, but with the larger carbureted valves.) and a CB Magnaspark digital distributor. I just got the rotating assembly balanced. I'm trying to do my rods and pistons myself.

I didn't get the external coating for the heads. I have brand new OEM dual port heads from Mexico. The cost was prohibitive to get the thermal shedding coat. I did paint my cylinders, but they are cast iron. I also painted the magnesium crankcase. I don't think painting the heads would be a good idea, unless it were the special thermal shedding coat, like the one offered by Swain Tech. Do you have any other ideas of how to reduce the aluminum oxide layer?

As far as engine cooling, I did all the HVX mods and put grooves in the rods (you can see them in the pic if you look close) like was mandated by VW for Type 4 engines. In stead of an external oil cooler (as recommended in the HVX mods) I went with a Type 4 oil cooler in place of the stock oil cooler, with a modified doghouse cooling shroud.

[freebeard]

As far as engine cooling, I did all the HVX mods and put grooves in the rods ... like was mandated by VW for Type 4 engines. In stead of an external oil cooler ... I went with a Type 4 oil cooler in place of the stock oil cooler, with a modified doghouse cooling shroud.

I might know what HVX is but I'm not sure

The stroker 1776 has the Gene Berg dog-house mod and Type IV cooler, with an oil filter on the oil pump plate. So it has no external lines. I have thought about using the Type III cooling system (in some scenario with a flat-bed rat rod truck) for it's better heater, but then I'd lose all that tin.

I had the red coil Magnaspark in my weekly driver, but it's gone. I opened it up to see if it needed a cap and rotor and all the steel components were rusted (due to 'ozone' according to CB) and the blue pickup coil mounting tabs had broken off. So I got it rebuilt, which cost as much as the original install. Then it was flaky and the shop wanted to pull it and send it to CB Performance and let them figure it out. So now I'm back to an 009/Perlux Ignitor. A thousand dollar misadventure.

[Isaac Zackary]

The HVX (Hoover VW Experimental) mod is an oiling system modification. If you look at the original lifters you'll see that they have two oiling grooves, and that oil only gets into them and down the push rod when the lifter is pushed (otherwise the oil simply follows the other groove to the next lifter.) It also gets more oil to the right side lifters. Then in the rocker arm area the rocker arms and shafts are grooved in order to get more oil through them. Some of that oil then goes down the drilling in the tip of the rocker arms and feeds a swivel style valve adjuster, which according to Bob Hoover creates a spray bar effect. Then the extra heat added to the oil is removed by a larger oil cooler.

HVX Mods

Ah! I also have a 34 PICT-4 carburetor with a variable accelerator pump. The problem is that the thermovalve on the accelerator pump is not opening at the correct temperature. I got this particular carburetor just because it has that valve and it would be nice for getting better fuel mileage. But now I have to figure out where to either get another one or how to fix this one.

[freebeard]

Hoover, Bob, Sermons of. 'Nuf said.

I didn't know he had a blog.

My 1302 came with the 34 PICT-4 with a close-throttle damper on it; I'd never seen one before. But the shop wanted to replace it with a 32 PICT on a reducer. I had a 34 but couldn't find it at the time.

I drove for years (maybe 30?) on dual 40mm Webers with no chokes. Now I'm having to relearn the seasonal adjustment of the electric choke.

[Isaac Zackary]

Mine also has the damper. I think it's call a dashpot. I have another one that doesn't work that I want to take apart and install a momentary micro switch to connect to the digital distributor as a way to signal idle timing. Maybe also hooked up to a set of relays in order to shut off the fuel shut off solenoid when engine braking.

[ConnClark]

Sounds like you are rebuilding something that is old enough to dodge emissions testing. If not the thermal barrier coatings will up your NOx emissions.

[freebeard]

It seems you've always been right before, but do you have a citation or a theory of operation to account for that?

[ConnClark]

Originally Posted by freebeard

It seems you've always been right before, but do you have a citation or a theory of operation to account for that?

When combustion gasses get hotter or remain hotter for longer you generate more NOx. The big push for aluminum heads on cars wasn't driven by saving weight. It was driven by emissions requirements. Aluminum heads conduct more heat away from the combustion chamber because aluminum is a better heat conductor than cast iron.