Latest aluminum block.

T

Tod

Well-known member
There may be no interest in this here but, just in case, here is a picture of the latest 5 main aluminum block casting with the sand off the outside only. The casting looked flawless from what I could see. I am making several of these and iron also for waiting customers. Also going to be pouring 4 more iron OHV heads and a few aluminum OHV heads. I think a half dozen 6:1 Winfield heads are in the schedule as well. And, another few Stock Top Crow Foot heads for testing.


Tod
 

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DBSHELTON said:
Very nice Tod! How long does it usually take to get one?
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I am totally at the mercy of all my suppliers who are extremely busy this year. I don't make any promises and I take no deposits due to the work load of all of us. My aluminum foundry poured this one on a day when their mold floor and line was completely full. My iron foundry is also busy and they do their best to accommodate me, but sometimes that means I have to lend a hand in mold assembly.



This particular block took around 3 months before they had time to pour it. There is no end in sight for my machining services and I also make foundry tooling and have several orders in house with quite a bit of work quoted. I expect things to slow down considerably next year (and the following few years), so maybe my parts will be easier to get.



Tod
 
Tod said:
I am totally at the mercy of all my suppliers who are extremely busy this year... I expect things to slow down considerably next year (and the following few years), so maybe my parts will be easier to get.

Tod
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Are you able to share your thoughts on why this year is unusual? (I mean, obviously it's unusual, but why for foundries?) Just curious.
 
alexiskai said:
Are you able to share your thoughts on why this year is unusual? (I mean, obviously it's unusual, but why for foundries?) Just curious.
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I'm not sure why my foundries and my cores shops are so busy. Maybe all foundries are not as busy. My one core shop has 2 shifts working 6 days a week. I actually get tooling to quote from other foundry tooling shops because they can't handle everything they get. It seems odd that with this Covid stuff that it is the case, but lead times from suppliers I use is longer than normal. And none of them are short staffed.



Tod
 
my two cents on why foundries are busy. I have had parts cast overseas for years because it was much less expensive than having them made here in the states. Once the new tariffs went into place at the end of last year the prices to have stuff cast overseas skyrocketed. I found for several pieces it was less expensive to retool the part here in the US than reorder from overseas. And I'm
just a small guy in a huge ocean casting 12-14 pcs, imagine what caterpillar, ford, GM, and other larger companies are experiencing the same things?
 
My thoughts on why foundries are busy and why I think they are:
One of our club members is a pattern maker and does some casting at home. Since China has gone rogue, many companies that used to have stuff done there are turning away from them. That means local businesses which have been gutted in recent decades because their customers went for the cheap option are now so depleted that they can't keep up. His company is flat out and would run 24/7 if they could get the skilled people.
My friend said that job advertisements for all sorts of foundry work have gone up 6 fold here since China stared their campaign of bullying and coercion. We have only been talking about foundries, all of the skills downstream of them are also in high demand but lacking. You guys are most likely not fully aware of how China has Australia in its sights right now. I think they are starting a campaign to become #1 in the world by picking off smaller countries first before they take on a USA left with no allies.
I know we are not supposed to get political but this relates directly to our hobby (which in the big picture is nothing). My advice to you guys is be aware of what is going on and be worried. An over assertive China spells trouble for all of us.
 
Not to be political, but isn't about all private business in China owned by Japan? If that is the case then things may not end up as dire as it would be otherwise. Just hoping that it is that way. If not, it seems to me Taiwan would be in the hands of the communists by now.
 
daveymc29 said:
Not to be political, but isn't about all private business in China owned by Japan? If that is the case then things may not end up as dire as it would be otherwise. Just hoping that it is that way. If not, it seems to me Taiwan would be in the hands of the communists by now.
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About the only thing keeping Taiwan out of CCP hands is the western alliance. China is trying to break it down so they can have their way without opposition. As for Japan owning Chinese business, I can't see that being so. What are the chances of any other western country owning anything of significance in China? Given the great dislike of Japan in China for the occupation just before and into WW2, I can't see China being happy with that.
 
Related free advertising for Tod, here's a pic of one of his Winfield crowfoot 7:1 heads. I've just finished doing the paint job selected by the voters in this poll. Still need to touch up around the spark plugs and detail the lettering, but I think it came out OK. This color is Dupli-Color Engine Enamel Universal Red.
 

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alexiskai, I like the look of Tod's Winfield crowfoot head. Nice job with the paint. Red looks right. Appears to be a quality cast and machined head. How does one order one?
 
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alexiskai said:
Still need to touch up around the spark plugs and detail the lettering, but I think it came out OK. This color is Dupli-Color Engine Enamel Universal Red.
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I also have one of Tod's "Winfield" heads. It will be a few months before I will be installing it on a new engine going into my coupe.


What are you going to do with the lettering? Maybe paint it BLACK?
 
Boston Bruce said:
What are you going to do with the lettering? Maybe paint it BLACK?
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I'm not sure. I've seen it done in what looks like gold, or a sort of dusky yellow. I have not seen good evidence regarding how the lettering came from the factory. In photos I've seen of surviving originals, it's either been repainted or the paint is in a condition where the original lettering is unclear. Possibly it wasn't detailed at all.
 
Inquiring minds want to know the Block status, has the eagle landed?

Not that the Winfield information isn't interesting.........

John
 
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