V-8 and V-12 Engines in Miniature! How Cool is this?

For all you out there who like big, honkin V-8's and screamin' V-12 engines, check out these tiny versions that you could run on your workbench or kitchen table. These models were built by craftsmen the same way the big ones are made by machining billet stock and castings, but in miniature. These are not just models that look like engines, they are real, running engines. Some of these photos were taken from the Joe Martin Foundation Craftsmanship Museum web site at... www.CraftsmanshipMuseum.com <http://www.craftsmanshipmuseum.com/> , but many more images can be found elsewhere on the web, and engines like these can be seen in person at model engineering shows around the country. (Underlined words in the text are links to related sites.) Here are some really nice examples:
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The late Lee Root <http://www.craftsmanshipmuseum.com/Root.htm> built this scale Corvette engine. The major components were machined entirely from solid billet aluminum that has been bead blasted to look like castings, and it will turn 18,000 RPM! The coin you see in some of the photos for size reference is a US Quarter. The valve covers are just 4-1/2" long, and the miniature spark plugs are commercially available.



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This 1/3 scale billet machined, supercharged Chrysler 300 Hemi racing engine from the 1960s was built by James Weber. It has a 1.0" bore and .90" stroke displacing 5.65 cubic inches. The engine burns gasoline or methanol (methyl alcohol) on dual electronic spark ignition and incorporates a two-stage pressurized dry-sump lubrication system. You can see and hear video of it running atwww.weberprecision.com <http://www.weberprecision.com/> . It will turn around 12 grand and uses a couple of computer cooling fans on the radiator to keep things cool. Note the professional looking throttle and gauges on the stand.

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Heres a V-8 and a half scale Ferrari V-12 by Jeron Classic Motors. It has double overhead camshafts, burns methanol on glow ignition and is equipped with two oil pumps for dry sump lubrication. All six carburetors function and are linked together for smooth operation. The heads and block are about 7-1/4" long. Only a few of these were made before the company went out of business, so it's pretty rare. Like many of the engines you see here, it is on loan to the Craftsmanship Museum courtesy of Paul and Paula Knapp and theirMiniature Engineering Museum <http://www.engine-museum.com/> .



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Several V-8 engines by Ken Hurst are displayed at a model engineering shows like the recentWestern Engine Model Exhibition <http://www.wemeshow.com/> (WEME) in Vallejo, CA. How about that supercharger! Behind the first engine is his blue Challenger V-8.CLICK HERE <http://www.nvbackflow.com/engines/challenger.htm> to visit Ken's site where you can see and hear the Challenger run. Crank up the volume! The 103 cc engine sounds great running on a mixture of white gas and high octane racing fuel.

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Eugene Corl built this 1/3 scale Chevy V-8 using engine castings he produced himself. The engine is seen here at the Gas Engine Antique Reproduction Show <http://www.oregongears.org/> (GEARS) in Portland, OR.



Here's a link to more...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24796741@N05/sets/72157604247242338/show/with/2346008881/

 

Wow - these put my plastic see-through rotating model V8 to shame...
It took me forever to build that thing. As soon as I hooked power to it, it blew apart and I had to rebuild it again. Maybe it was a learning experience...

 

Here's another I bookmarked a few years ago...

http://www.enginehistory.org/merlin_xx.htm

Merlins absolutely dazzle me. (IMO..there is not much more glorious than the sound of one in a P-51 doing a close flyby...)

Ha ! Had one.... Like this...



You're right. I got it for X-mas as a kid. It took forever to get it working and it'd only work for a bit before requiring more work. I must've been particularly good that year because I got the chassis model later that year for my B-day....!

 

YEP! This is what I still have from when i was a kid.
The light bulbs int he spark plugs never worked and the first time I hooked power to it, the two cyl heads broke off, prompting me to rebuild it...
Fun, Fun. Not sure why i am keeping it...