Automotive Intake Manifold Lid

Discussion in 'Lost foam casting' started by Al2O3, Jun 24, 2018.

  1. Robert

    Robert Silver

    Nice chips. Garden hose is T-0.6 temper ;)
    R
     
  2. Al2O3

    Al2O3 Administrator Staff Member Banner Member

    I can have a hard time throwing things away. Over time, all the provisional and temporary tooling and equipment can accumulate. My shop had become cluttered mess so I needed to clean up and consolidate. I have a number of variations of parts similar in size to this intake lid. It’s ~24”x12”x2” and 8lbs without gate and sprue. I built this wooden flask to accommodate the first castings in the earlier part of this thread. It’s been sitting in my shop for a year now and takes up a lot of space……..it’s gotta go.

    43 B.JPG

    My new(er) lost foam rig…..

    http://forums.thehomefoundry.org/index.php?threads/my-new-lost-foam-casting-rig.516/

    ……. can physically accommodate these parts but not in the orientation and gating arrangement I originally selected.

    I decided to reconfigure the gating so the parts could be produced in my lost foam rig instead of the temporary wooden flask. I think I should be able to get a better result with a more thoroughly and densely packed mold. The wooden flask was ok, but not very rigid and with the big flat sides, would bloat a bit with 300lb+ of sand….and then add sprue pressure on a part with large surface area, and that’s a lot more stress on the flask. The barrel on the other hand, having great hoop strength, is a very rigid flask.

    I have several fully detailed patterns ready to cast but given the invested time, I made a quicky sample part without any detailing to test the new gate and sprue. With the previous fixtures filling the part, minimizing knit lines, ease of de-gating, ease of pouring, and ability to use offset pouring basin and/or contact pouring ladle were all considerations.

    http://forums.thehomefoundry.org/index.php?threads/reuasbale-offset-pouring-basin.688/

    http://forums.thehomefoundry.org/index.php?threads/contact-pouring-ladle.719/

    Here’s what I came up with:

    44.JPG 45.JPG 46.JPG

    The split dual gate has contact area the length of the part and at ½”thick, is thicker than the most massive section. The sprue is rectangular (for no particular reason other than the mate up with my larger pouring basin. It will create a similar amount of metal as in the previous gating system but should deliver hot metal to the entire part and minimize the distance the molten metal must travel to fill the part. Ideally, I’d prefer to flow continuously from one end to the other, but that is a lot of travel length (about 26”) for a thin walled part with lots of surface area.

    Parts like this were among the motivation for building my dip coating rig. This was an ideal part for the trial run of my the dip coating rig.

    http://forums.thehomefoundry.org/index.php?threads/lost-foam-dip-coating-rig-–-the-big-dipper.776/

    For drying, I usually hang parts by wire from a drywall screw inserted in the sprue, or perhaps mount them on a spike through the sprue. For larger parts this isn’t practical because they are awkward to handle and can gain a lot of weight when coating, which can strip the screw from the foam sprue with handling. That didn't happen but it was a lot of weight for a drywall screw in foam. I was also surprised by how buoyant the pattern was....it took a fair amount of force to immerse it.

    47 Dipped.JPG 48 On legs.JPG 49 On Legs.JPG

    We’ll see how it goes.

    Best,
    Kelly
     
    dtsh, Tobho Mott and _Jason like this.
  3. Al2O3

    Al2O3 Administrator Staff Member Banner Member

    Got at it early today and poured the trial part in my lost foam rig. Here it is packed and ready to pour.

    50.JPG

    Here’s a video of the pour. Lot’s of flame and smoke. I need to use a fan next time because I couldn't see what the heck I was doing and lost site of the pouring well a couple times. I also had just barely enough metal and nearly poured short. I thought it was probably a fail.



    Here’s the casting. It wasn’t a fail but I had partial mold collapse around one of the gates because I didn't keep the sprue full. Amazing it still filled….the lost foam experience.

    51.JPG 52.JPG 53.JPG 54.JPG 55.JPG

    Here’s a video examination of the casting



    I degated it to get a better look at things

    56.JPG 57.JPG

    There are some areas on the part that had a lot of tiny air bubbles in the slurry. This was my first run of the dip coating rig. I think I’ll spritz the next pattern with soapy (Dawn) water prior to dipping. I had probably entrained some air in the dip slurry when I mixed it with the mixing paddle. Maybe I’ll add some Dawn to the slurry.

    58.JPG

    I decided I had way too much gate area. It was probably three times the cross sectional area of the sprue so on the next pattern I cut it back to the same area as the sprue.

    59.JPG 60.JPG 61.JPG 62.JPG

    With the reduction in the gate and sprue, I would expect less fireworks on the next pour. In any case, it looks like the lost foam rig will do the job and I can get rid of the big wooden flask. I’ll probably get around to pouring the next part next weekend.

    Best,
    Kelly
     
    joe yard likes this.
  4. Nice! Nothing wrong with feeding with a gate. With lost foam a guy with balls can pour short and pass muster. I guess we've all done it by mistake.
     
  5. garyhlucas

    garyhlucas Silver

    Kelly,
    You have really done a great job on this, I am really impressed. You mentioned CNC in thread and man it really is time for you to take the plunge! I think you have a couple of mis-conceptions about using CNC. From the parts I see you doing I think you would at first do exactly what you are already doing, except no patterns need to be made, or you can CNC the pattern as well. This manifold you would make the same way with the same pieces. Maybe when you have the skills to that in a 3D modeling program say Fusion 360 which has CAM built in, then you might just machine the whole thing from a single block. However it is likely the method you are using now would still be faster with CNC.

    So you should think of the CNC as simply replacing the pin router. Instead of a room full of patterns you have a hard drive full of programs. You mentioned G-Code. Really you need only a tiny bit of G-code knowledge because the big change in CNC was not the availability of CNC controls. It was the availability of CAM programs that write the code! Take a look at CamBAM a program that costs $149 and you get 40 sessions before you actually need to buy it! Very easy to use, and you can draw right in CamBam. It also imports DXF, and STL files. For lots of parts I just draw them in CamBam. When they get complex I model parts in SolidWorks and then save as STL or DXF to bring them in. I worked as a CNC programmer writing G-Code, and every now and then I will tweak something but 99% I just let CamBam do it.

    Another big thing is cutting wood and especially foam does not require a really robust machine. Also your part sizes are relatively small so a 24" x 48" x 4" router would likely do it for you. For instance this one would likely do everything you need:a

    https://newyork.craigslist.org/jsy/tld/d/lebanon-2-4-benchtop-cnc-router/6916278431.html

    Doesn't look to bad for the money. At least it is isn't made in China!

    I am in the process of building a metal cutting 24" x 48" CNC router for the high school FIRST robots team. The only reason for building it is we need some special things. We don't have shop space only classrooms. So it has to fit through a 35" opening doorway. They make lots of chips so it needs a full enclosure, we need extensive sound proofing and to be able to run coolant so it needs a collection tray too. It has to be on wheels and have lots of safety features for student use, like door switches, low speed motion override, E-stops etc. It needs good lighting built in. It needs a onboard vacuum cleaner and chip separator and an air compressor and coolant pump. Setup needs to be nothing more than plugging it in the wall and going because we can't leave it setup, it has to get put away every night. My design allows for passing a full sheet of plywood through the side with the doors having a brush edge to keep chips inside.

    A friend has donated a pile of aluminum extrusion for the frame. I got the control panel and a perfectly size coolant pan at the junkyard, as well as soundproofing materials. I already have 3 stepper motors and a lot of very expensive shielded cabling for the connections. I am considering using a Centroid Acorn controller rather than Mach 3 because it looks like it might be easier for the students to hook up.

    And oh yeah, I am casting the Router mount, the Y axis Carriage and the Z axis slide!
     
  6. Al2O3

    Al2O3 Administrator Staff Member Banner Member

    No misconceptions Gary, just no time at the moment. Frankly, I should be devoting my time to my business instead of my hobbies but it's therapy for me. It (CNC Router) will happen in time.....along with 3D printer. It will need to substantially increase my capabilities and simple 2D or 2 1/2 D machining aint gonna cut it......it will need to be 3D step over of complex and blended surfaces. But the invested time to become a proficient modeler and set myself up isn't in the cards for a while yet.....I work too many hours in the day job.....it's the life of a small businessman.....but that wont be the case forever and in the mean time, I'll still manage to churn out some castings and the pattern is only part of that equation.

    Best,
    Kelly
     
    Peedee likes this.
  7. garyhlucas

    garyhlucas Silver

    Kelly,
    Is casting just a hobby and you have another business? I did not realize that.
     
  8. Al2O3

    Al2O3 Administrator Staff Member Banner Member

    Casting? For sure just hobby......just me fartin around in my home shop and driveway. The day job gets 10-12 hrs/day from me.

    Best,
    Kelly
     
  9. garyhlucas

    garyhlucas Silver

    Got it. My sailboat and my machining hobbies are being pushed aside by casting! I am 66 and still work full time and hope to for at least a few more years.
     
  10. Rocketman

    Rocketman Silver Banner Member

    This is an impressive bit of casting. I am eager to try some lost foam now after seeing all these beautiful parts being created with this method.

    My first "real" casting ever was a lost foam piece and I have not really re-visited it since
     
  11. Al2O3

    Al2O3 Administrator Staff Member Banner Member

    With the trial run in the vertical flask orientation successfully completed, the weekend yielded time to cast a fully detailed pattern.

    I used the arms on the dip coating rig to orient it to drip for a while.

    63.JPG

    Before dipping I had installed some drywall screws in the sprue and bobs to serve as drying stands.

    64.JPG

    I videoed the pour. It was essentially a carbon copy of the previous pour, about 25 seconds in duration, lots of flame and smoke, so I haven’t included it. I’m going to have to experiment with thinning the slurry a bit or perhaps adding some vacuum to the flask. It coats great but thicker and seemingly less permeable and I think that may be contributing to the amount of flame and smoke in the pouring well.

    Even so, it doesn’t seem to affect the part quality. I’m pleased with it and like with every pour, have made some refinements, and learned a couple things. The pouring cup metal looks a mess because I dump it while molten immediately after the pour so I can reuse the pouring basin. It’s otherwise a fully formed flaw free part. Here’s how it came out of the flask.

    65.JPG 66.JPG

    I didn’t mention it on the sample part but I didn’t have any mold destabilization (leakers) in the carburetor bores or ribbed areas on the bottom side and the same held true on this part so the vibration and packing in my lost foam rig seem to have made a difference compared to the wooden flask.

    69.JPG

    Besides the previously mentioned gating mods, I mixed some soapy (Dawn dishwashing soap) water in a spray bottle and sprayed the foam pattern with it. It seemed to wet the pattern well. I blew it off with some compressed air and then dipped it. Examining the cast part, this seemed to work very well, as there were no air bubbles anywhere the on the casting where the soapy water was applied. There were a few tiny BBs inside the carburetor bores which were the only place the soapy water wasn’t fully applied, which seems to confirm it served its purpose as a surfactant. So spritzing foam patterns with soapy water will become standard practice before dipping from here on.

    Here it is cleaned up with media blast and a light machine cut on the flat surfaces.

    68.JPG 70.JPG

    …..by Jove, I just may have it.

    71.JPG 72.JPG

    Best,
    Kelly
     
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  12. Al2O3

    Al2O3 Administrator Staff Member Banner Member

    Thanks Rocketman.......nothing like the smell of burnin' Polystyrene in the morning!

    Best,
    Kelly
     
    Tobho Mott likes this.
  13. PatJ

    PatJ Silver

    Nice looking parts !
    .
     
  14. Al2O3

    Al2O3 Administrator Staff Member Banner Member

    With wet rainy weather all weekend, it seemed like a good time to complete the machining on one of the manifold lids.

    75 Mill.JPG

    That basically amounted to boring the carb bores, some light surface cuts, drilling and tapping a bunch of mounting holes.

    76 Machined Lid.JPG

    Screwed in some mounting studs to see how the carbs mate up.

    77 Studs.JPG
    78 Carbs.JPG

    May as well see how the air filters look.

    http://forums.thehomefoundry.org/index.php?threads/automotive-oval-air-filter.894/

    79 Filter Base.JPG 80 Filter Lids.JPG

    ….and with the intake manifold base.

    81 With Intake Base.JPG

    http://forums.thehomefoundry.org/index.php?threads/automotive-water-neck.90/

    ….and cant forget the Water Neck and Thermostat Housing……..it’s starting to come together.

    82 Add Water Neck.JPG

    I need to make a fuel log and linkage.....it's pretty tight quarters between the carbs. Might still be another casting in this project. I’ll keep plugging away at it.

    Best,
    Kelly
     
  15. ESC

    ESC Silver Banner Member

    That's awesome Kelly. You have made an amazing amount of progress with this technique.
     
  16. Al2O3

    Al2O3 Administrator Staff Member Banner Member

    Thanks ESC, I'm sort of a one-trick-pony but if you're only going to have one, it's a useful one for the parts I make. I'll expand my casting horizons some day but between welding and general fab, machining, machine design, motorsport, and the day job, my cup runneth over.

    Best,
    Kelly
     
  17. Al2O3

    Al2O3 Administrator Staff Member Banner Member

    Wrapped up the fuel manifold and linkage

    83 Fuel Log and Linkage.JPG

    …..So with that done, I thought I’d test fit everything. Mounted the fuel manifold, linkage, and made some braided stainless fuel lines.

    84 Log and Link Mounted.JPG 85 Add Fuel Lines.JPG

    Here’s the system.

    86 Systems.JPG

    Seven different castings, nine total castings with the second filter assembly, not including the lower intake manifold (I didn’t make that one). That’s it for this episode of castings gone wild. I still have a lot of little details to attend to but it’s coming along.

    Best,
    Kelly
     
  18. rocco

    rocco Silver

    Absolutely fabulous work, the factory couldn't have done better! Maybe I missed it in an earlier post but where did the lower half of the manifold come from?
     
  19. Al2O3

    Al2O3 Administrator Staff Member Banner Member

    Thanks rocco. The lower intake is a modified version of this intake that was sold in the Ford performance parts program in the early 1970s. They were a plenum intake for use with one of the inline carbs. They were developed for TransAm racing but never homologated to the satisfaction of the race sanctioning bodies so were never allowed to race in competition. There were only a few hundred of them made.

    DSC01307.JPG
    DSC01311.JPG

    When I got it, it had already been modified to fit a pair of carbs with the adapters as shown below.

    IMG_4635.JPG

    It was in a friend's collection and I traded for it.....and then started this project.

    Best,
    Kelly
     
  20. rocco

    rocco Silver

    So if I'm seeing that correctly, the right carb feeds the left bank and visa versa resulting in fairly long equal length runners.
     

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