titanium block

[redhorseV6]

maybe this is the wrong place to ask this question, but has anyone ever heard of a solid titanium alloy engine block? it seems like it would handle heat much better than aluminum or iron and be much stronger. i guess for mass production it wouldn't be cost effective but it seems like for drag cars someone would think of using titanium. does anyone know if (and if so, why) this would not be feasible? thanks

[StangNut86]

if it does exist, it'll be hella expensive. you could build an awesome street motor with a stock block for less that what a titanium shortblock would cost. sorry, don't have specific numbers for you.

[xyfalconsrock]

I think they use aluminum blocks 4 those 3000Hp dragsters here in Aus, but americans always come up with somthing new.

[zx2srdotnet]

well for drag cars, how many blocks they go through i can see some of them at one point looking into it, but unless you planning on pushing over 2000hp on a daily driver i wouldnt really see any need fro it

[duplox]

Even in drag racing it wouldn't be cost effective. Especially in drag racing... when they break a motor, nothing is surviving, no matter what material it is. They usually run titanium or aluminum rods. If they break a wrist pin, they have a titanium rod with 5000+hp pushing it flyin at a cylinder wall at 5000+ feet per second.. nothing is surviving. The rod could be made out of balsa wood, at those speeds, its gonna do damage. They're better off using a solid aluminum block like one of these: http://www.cnblocks.com/detail.htm
for $6000-10,000 each instead of a titanium block, which would cost a shitload more just in materials, let alone all the bits you'd go through and time it'd take to machine a titanium block. I'm sure its been done, but it'd be suited much better for high horsepower endurance racing, like Indy. I think Indy is much cooler, the motors and cars are so high tech... the 80s were the best indy. Turbocharged 1.5L motors pushing 1500hp and spinning to 16,000rpm on some of the best handling cars in the world.. driving one of those cars must have been like taking a shot of adrenaline to the jugular. My goal in life is to build and race an indy car. If I die driving it, I'll die happy. I wouldn't even want to compete against anyone, I just want a nice windy empty track and a full tank of gas, just go nuts.
Sorry kinda went OT there...

[cheap5.0]

hey duplox, you ever read corky bells book, i can't remember the name but it is about turbos. He talks about the indy cars and makes comparisons with the drag cars hp numbers.

[duplox]

Many times, yes. Great book.. Its called Maximum Boost.

[crazy88]

now if money was no option, id make the entire engine out of cobalt carbide... if u dont know what that is, its a ceramic exceeded in hardness only by a diamond. seems like this reply is late tho lol

[StangNut86]

Originally Posted by crazy88

now if money was no option, id make the entire engine out of cobalt carbide... if u dont know what that is, its a ceramic exceeded in hardness only by a diamond. seems like this reply is late tho lol

resurrected a 5 month old thread... must've been pretty bored. expect this to be closed shortly

[GTStang]

Originally Posted by StangNut86

resurrected a 5 month old thread... must've been pretty bored. expect this to be closed shortly

You would be correct!!!!