lesavntura

it may seem like a dumb question, but has anyone in the forum tried to fabricate their own engine parts in a CNC milling machine? like for example the cylinder heads, im asking this because im planning to do an engine rebuild in my VQ35DE and i have access to an industrial CNC milling machine in my university i just would only need to buy the material, but i would like to know if someone has done it succesfully already

dkmura

iTrader: (64)

Welcome, and dumb questions are what we handle daily around here. Having access to a CNC machine and material is only part of the equation for building parts. You'd need access to factory CAD specs and detailed production steps. Nobody here has the time or resources to reverse engineer anything as complex as a cylinder heads.

If you're planning to do a rebuild of your VQ35DE, parts are readily available and at a fraction of the cost of milling new ones. Maybe in 25 years that won't be true, but it sure is the case in 2017.

iideadeyeii

iTrader: (6)

Billet block...yes. Billet head...eh not so much

dkmura

iTrader: (64)

Yes, and even a billet block needs CAD/CAM data to manufacture. Only a specialty company willing to invest in research and tooling in multiple units could afford to offer such items. And even then, those blocks are pricey!

iideadeyeii

iTrader: (6)

Can't you just like stick a fresh stock block on the "table" and have it scanned? Honestly...I have no idea how it works

bealljk

iTrader: (13)

I fabricate a bunch of engine parts...did you see my oil filter bracket? or my battery basket? watch out for my sick cup holder coming up next!

All joking aside, member TotalD (sucker punch motor sports) has milled some pretty sweet stuff!

raygun

"Scanning" a non-convex shape with the sort of resolution needed to build a SolidWorks or other CNC-friendly model is non-trivial, and requires special (and expensive) equipment and expertise.

There's no way it would be cost-effective to produce your own block or heads for a one-off. When you're talking about tapered bores, tapping spots for all the sensors, etc... an LS swap would be cheaper and more reliable - as in, the engine will probably actually start.

Now, as an engineer, I encourage the OP to try is hand at making something simpler, like a 1 or 2-cylinder four-cycle carb'd engine. THAT is freaking complicated, but an order of magnitude simpler than what he's proposing.