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FJC,

A couple of years ago we exchanged messages about it. If I remember, you are not going for a replica, you are just trying to relive the concept.

A few pointers (You probably know them)

-Body was in plastic (yup, plastic, not fiberglass - 17kg!)
-Chassis was a modified formula super v, with pans & such.
-The twin motors were center mounted, with a 5-speed hewland gearbox
-The driver's head barely showed up above the dashboard level.
-The top of the cabin was in fact a giant air scoop

-Someone has re-done a modern replica in Brazil, but they took too many short cuts. It actually has a real VW chassis.

I have many articles about it, designs and such. My brother was a friend of Ricardo Divilla, the designer of teh Copersucar as well as many cars the Fittipaldi Brothers did.

I particluarly like the fitti-porsche.

I would be very interested in following the progress of your project.

This is a very neat concept to improve on that particular aftermarket shroud. I'm working on adding an unconventional dual carb setup to my rail and have run into a clearance issue with the DH shroud. It could be made to work a lot easier if I could use this style of shroud, rather than the standard DH shroud I have now. I'm trying to put a pair of 34PICT-3 carbs, paired up with short T3 dual carb intake manifolds, onto a T1 upright style engine. As it sits now, the carbs hit the ends of the DH shroud. If I want o make it work with these short intakes, I'll need to perform some sheet metal surgery to the DH shroud. A center mount shroud like you're working on would solve that problem completely. However, I wouldn't want to swap out the DH shroud unless I could get comparable cooling from the center mount shroud.

any feedback or should I say progress on this yet?

Progress Report

The high rev, dry-sump 1600 screamer with the centermount fan housing goes to the engine test stand this coming week.

It's been occupying an assembly stand over in a corner of the shop, but we need that assembly stand for one of the LeMons engines, and the 1600 centermount engine needs to be finished and started.

Our yearly racing schedule (3 Lemons and 2 or 3 HSR events) with our small team kept the fan housing project on the back burner, but we have the opportunity now to complete the engine and possibly run it at Road Atlanta in April.

I can get some photos of the 1600 once it's on the test stand.

FJC

So how did this work out? The timing and duration of the STF forum upgrade sort of made this thread into a cliff hanger.

Centermount Ducted-Fan Housing Progress



One of our first questions was answered when we bolted the housing insert into the aluminum housing, that of how should the accelerator cable be routed. Turns out that was no problem. The accel cable guide tube goes through the housing at the same place as the standard offset-fan housings. We were expecting trouble here and got none. Like many aftermarket fan housings, the hole for the guide tube must be drilled.



A word of warning. The common Kadron bell crank or SCAT center-pull linkages do not fit because the alt or generator is now directly above centerline of the engine case. You need either a much lower profile bellcrank or an overhead type Weber push-down system.

Something else important is how well the fan fits as it exits the fan housing, plus how well the fan housing seals to the case and cylinder.

2016 is the experimental engine's year. being slated as backup for Road Atlanta and to be tested at Daytona in HSR races.

Dry sump, 1.6 displacement, Engle 120 cam, 10:1 compression, 44 Weber's, HD aluminum pushrods, counterweighted 69mm crank balanced to within an inch of its life by HESCO of Birmingham.

Next, to get the AJ Simms heads on, bolt it to the engine stand, and crank it up.

FJC

I so need this!! I have a project that needs the alt centered (or else it would be jammed in the driver's back) Please let me know when this becomes available!
Jeff
P.S. Would you consider doing this for the T4 upright conversions?

Any possibility of dimensions?

Want to see if it will fit one of the T4 conversion centermount SACO shrouds...
The only thing making it "iffy" is the T4 setups are `glass and have rounded edges.

I'm working on a down the middle style centre mount for a type 4 at the moment , I've made a mould for the cylinder covers , waiting to get a PS serpentine pulley turned out to fit the fan hub before I can mount the alternator and start on the fan housing .
What sort of horsepower are you planning on with the 1600 FJ Camper ,A friend builds Formula Vee's here in Australia and gets some amazing power figures out of near standard 1600 TP's . they use a regulation cam , ratio rockers but that's about it . I sure he's getting high into the 70 RWHP range with a 34Pict and restrictor plate ,over 80 without the restrictor .

When I make the housing I'll mount a 2000watt Brushless motor(RC plane, another hobby) to spin the fan and use the wool strand method of working out airflow patterns and strength .

FJCamper wrote:Measurement from crank center to alternator center 19.5 inches (same as offset system)

Measurement from crank center to top of fan housing 17 inches

FJC

Are these numbers backwards? Wouldn't it be further to the top of the shroud to the crank center than from the alt center to the crank center?
Jeff

wreck wrote:...I've made a mould for the cylinder covers,...

Those are looking sharp so far! Does the DTM shroud kit not include those cylinder covers?

The "Raby" DTM is a one piece unit and by the time you add freight and currency change over, costs over $2000AUD here in Australia . If it was cheaper I'd just run one ,all the hard work already done .
I'll do a thread on the type4um when I have more to write about . I don't want to hijack Fj's thread .

Gentlemen,

Our centermount fan housing goes to war on 21-22 May, 2016. Vintage racing in our Ghia at Barber Motorsports Park just outside Birmingham AL.

FJC

If all goes as planned, are you going to start selling them?
Jeff

Hi Jeff,

Yes, we will sell them if the design proves reliable.

FJC