Anyone Else Think It Wont Happen?

[harlan stephens]

http://www.popularmechanics.com/_mo...-speed/how-the-chevy-vega-almost-destroyed-gm

Was indeed unlined motor at one point anyway.

 

[CheeseheadEarl]

Funny how my post was added to this one.
My poll I had set up gone.
The name of my post changed.

Mods..

Really? Pretty sad.

I don't really agree with this site's style of merging similar threads together into a few huge threads, makes finding something back later a pain in my book.

That said, it's their site, and I thank them for providing it and trying to keep it tidy.

Harlan, on your point of the average mom and pop machine shop not being able to reline the cylinders, I think you're probably right. I also think some of the larger companies will waste no time investing in the equipment needed and offering reman blocks.

I'm not all-in like most on here are, but I do have a lot of faith from what I've seen in the last 6 months here.

 

[outsydthebox]

Hmm.
I'd like to point out, any rebuilt engine can be sleeved, any of them. What we have now days is a lack of Mom and Pop machine shops, unfortunately.
Even thirty years ago there was a never ending issue with the piston rings wearing out cylinder walls. The Vegas aluminum block had steel sleeves, as well as iron piston rings! The iron rings wore into the sleeves despite the oiling nature of the counterbalance shafts on the crank supplying ample oil to the lower cylinders. (For those who rebuilt them, remember the lip at the top of the cylinder we had to cut away before deciding to overbore or not?)
At first stainless steel was thought to be the answer, as it disapated heat a lot better than iron. It was thought the lower heat at the contact points would prolong the engine life. Still, it was a fifty thousand mile motor, give or take. The stainless steel ate at the walls faster than ever, but the break in time for the motor was almost zero.
Two things happened pretty much at the same time, total seal rings and Molly infusion rings. Total seal rings overlapped on the piston, instead of having an open place where the rings didn't quite meet. (I doubt I'm the only one who used several hours file fitting the rings to each piston hole, to get the maximum seal, while allowing for heat expansion.)
The coated aluminum walls first tried, what, twenty years ago, was victim to the rings not being up to the task. Either to soft, causing short engine life, or to hard, grinding away the coating.
Now they have such advances as Plasma Molly Rings. Hard enough to last, soft enough not to file away the cylinder coating. They disapate heat well, not to mention the oiling qualities are super good!
So, as I've stated before, I have nor real concerns for the flame pray, wet or dry, cylinder walls. Even with the long stroke, high compression, high torque (for it's size) motor.
However, I also would love to hear the engine is actually running at this point. Maybe with a variety of specs to see which one best meets the needs of Elio, and of course US!!
GO ELIO!!

Great Post! Very thoughtful & thought provoking! It helps me to realize that a lot of engineering and testing is VITAL for this engine. Probably MONTHS of run time with several engines, each set up with different ring designs/ materials, different piston/ skirt coatings, different head gasket materials, etc., etc., etc. Then tear-down, measurements for wear, microscopic examination for stress fractures, etc., etc. Then an "upgraded" engine will be assembled, and start the process again. It is going to take some time.

Because EM cares enough to design this engine with a timing chain (higher cost) instead of a belt (for long term durability), I am confident that they will not "rush" a sub-standard engine to production. If sleeves are needed, (IMHO) they will do it!

 

[JEBar]

I don't really agree with this site's style of merging similar threads together into a few huge threads, makes finding something back later a pain in my book.

That said, it's their site, and I thank them for providing it and trying to keep it tidy.

agree on both points

Jim

 

[Rickb]

I agree with everything Elio Motors is doing as well as the Elio Owner's Sites management style............almost everything. I feel it's a member site and no need to micro-criticize everyday decisions made by the moderators to keep it informative, organized, and friendly.

I also agree with everthing Z.

 

[EZ]

CorbinMotors

Father/Son Mike and Tom Corbin

Multi-MILLIONAIRES from Corbin Custom Motorcycle Seats

MIKE (DAD) had the EXACT same vision of Paul Elio (EXACT just 15 years earlier)

 

[harlan stephens]

Keeping the site tidy?

Yet aliens. ...and coffee topics are good.

Uhhhh ya right....
Got ya.
Truley childish to change the name of my post. Remove my poll....
Just becuse you do not agree with the topic...

Comical at this point.
Tidy????? To funny.

 

[JNR]

Keeping the site tidy?

Yet aliens. ...and coffee topics are good.

Uhhhh ya right....
Got ya.
Truley childish to change the name of my post. Remove my poll....
Just becuse you do not agree with the topic...

Comical at this point.
Tidy????? To funny.

IMHO, I have been active here for some time (it's all relative) and there is an enormous amount of duplicate and almost duplicate threads. I'm glad when the moderators merge this stuff. I would be happier if people used the search function before starting duplicate threads and repeating the same thoughts over and over with slightly different wording so the moderators wouldn't need to get involved.

Yes, there a lot of inane threads... but there is an off topic section for those.

 

[Johnapool]

I agree that the current road tour with the Elio team is an attempt to market the product, even the idea of such a vehicle. I gotta say, though, that I think 35,000 reservations is a pretty healthy number, considering that most of us, I would presume, have never even seen the P-4.
"I am a silversmith, and I would like to send all of you pictures (drawings, actually) of some jewelry I plan to start manufacturing next year. You could go ahead and send money to get first dibs when the pieces start flying out of the shop. Now, I'm not sure just when that will be, but, when I receive your $100, I will send you a nice thank you letter and a polishing cloth."
Would you do that?? Probably not, but 35,000 of us have sent Elio Motors money. That speaks worlds of the appeal of the Elio, both in concept and appearance. How many reservations do you think there would be if 100 shiny Elios were cruising around the good ol' USA, being forced to stop and tell folks what it is everywhere they go?
I have already volunteered to be a driving one-man sales force for Elio Motors, but they haven't answered, as of yet...

 

[Dustoff]

Anyone Else Think It Wont Happen?

no