cutting an engine block

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Lets just say i might have a chev engine block that i want to cut in half and try to make a V4 out of, how would i go about cutting it staight through the middle?cheers Charger.
Reply:big bandsaw is about all I can think of.  Why would you wanna do something like that?DewayneDixieland WeldingMM350PLincoln 100Some torchesOther misc. tools
Reply:well i have a few chev blocks sitting here and i was just thinking about making a v4, i will eventually try to an alloy v4 into a open wheeler for hill climbs, and i want to experiment with some old chevs.cheers Charger
Reply:??  if you cut it in half won't you have probs with the oil passages ? if i remember  right years ago when i raced, they ran a mini-sprint. they ran chevy v-8s  and i think they just wired them to use only 4 cylinders you might want to check on that. think it would be easyer than cutting in two
Reply:You should be able to fit it under a 14" band saw.   I would think you would want to make your cut to a rough dimension and then mill the cut face smooth to the final block length.     Are you thinking of making an end plate to cap the water jacket?There are no small projects
Reply:I saw 2.5 litre hydroplanes , in the past running V-4  chevys (cut in half from  V-8's) . looked a little weird . I also saw inline chevy fours , one bank cut off a V-8 . And no, i am NOT talking about a "chevy two "  4cyl. They (v4)did have a plate brazed on to cap the water . Never asked how they did it[SIZE="5"Yardbird"
Reply:And old man who taught me to weld said that when he started racing they used to cut V8's in half I thought he was crazy but after working with him for years I don't doubt him much any more,well except for the forgetfulness now and again.
Reply:Yes oil passages will be an issue, aswell as water jackets. There have been afew people here in aus that have done with some serious modifications. Charger
Reply:I have seen Chevy V8's cut into a V4 on a show a few years back. I want to say they were using them for sprint cars down south. It was interesting to watch.Drivesector
Reply:I know it has been done more then once.  One guy had a cut V4 at a garage I was at once.  I have know idea how to do it, but make sure you know where your coolant and oil passages are.  Good luck!  Keep us posted how you make out.www.overtimeequipment.com
Reply:No, I don't have any important info on doing this, but a couple of stories about what has been done in a similar way in the past. Old model "T's" were modified to run on two or three cylinders, with the "extra" cylinder(s) used to pump water with the aid of check valves. I have never seen this done, but have heard much about it. Air cooled VW motors were modified to run on two cylinders and the other two used as an air compressor. Years ago a kit was sold for this purpose. A friend had one converted with a kit, it made enough air for air arcing.Just my  opinion, not from a book, just from the road.Howes Welding Inc.www.howesweldinginc.com
Reply:Cutting an engine in half is an interesting concept. My son's neighbor is building a home-built aircraft. He's done some beautiful sheetmetal work and welding. The engine, which I've seen, is a twin-cylinder Volkswagen engine with a 54" wooden propeller.He took a VW four-cylinder block and bandsawed the crankcase in half. I understand that the crankcase is magnesium alloy. He had to do some welding on the front of the cases to get them buttoned back up and I didn't get to see what all he had done but the resultant engine is very compact. He estimates that he will have about 35-40 hp with the engine as modified. It has higher compression and a different cam, etc. The airplane will weight about 700 pounds and has a 22 foot wingspan, just big enough for one small person. The main concern, I would think, would be how to cut the crankshaft in half, and how to reconnect to the cutoff portion once you make your cut. That sounds like a daunting project.Cutting a Chevy V-8 in half seems like quite a project. I might be more fun to hot-rod a V-6 with aftermarket parts that are readily available.Last edited by gnm109; 08-21-2006 at 11:36 AM.