Miniature Monday

V-8 Engines in Miniature! For all you out there who Love V-8 engines. There is no replacement for displacement, but 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. Here are some really nice examples:  Lee Root built this ¼ scale Corvette engine The major components were machined entirely from solid billet aluminum that has been bead blasted to look like castings. Several V-8 engines by Ken Hurst are displayed at a model engineering shows like the Recent Western Engine Model Exhibition (WEME) in Vallejo , CA . How about that Supercharger! Behind the first engine is his blue Challenger V-8. The 103 cc engine Sounds great running on a mixture of white gas and high octane racing fuel. 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 (GEARS) In Portland, Oregon.  Jim Moyer built this 1/6 scale version of a 1964 365 HP Chevrolet Corvette 327. The world's smallest known running Chevrolet V-8. The heads and block are machined from billet aluminum. Jim even made stamping dies to make the oil pan, rockers and front cover. The valve covers are investment cast. The finished 1/6 scale 5-bearing crankshaft fits in Jim's hand. It utilizes real Babbitt bearings. Here you can see the cylinder heads of the Moyer 327 plus the stamped oil pan and front cover. Some things have to be modified to make a small engine run. Electricity and fuel molecules don't scale, so some parts have to be slightly heavier or larger than exact scale would dictate. Getting a small engine to run requires skill and careful work; getting one to run well is an art. Getting a small engine to run requires skill and careful work; getting one to run well is an art.