http://www.deltahawkengines.com/

So, speaking of pipe dreaming, in the past months I've been looking at small diesel engines with a lotus 7 replica in mind. Yes I realize that that is a match made in hell, but unconventional combinations are fun, and you have to admit it would be extremely interesting. Is it as practical as a 2.0 ford or some sort of revvy bike motor? Hell no, but this is a very light diesel engine with plenty of power and an unconventional layout. A VW engine is much more realistically obtainable but this thing is really sweet and fun to think about, which is all I will be doing since it is a 60k package. OK.

Designed for certified aircraft use, but industrial version will be cheaper and a little heavier
V4, 200 HP @ 2700rpm
2-stroke piston-port (valveless) design with turbo and supercharger
runs on jet fuel, diesel, biodiesel
327 lbs

There is talk of a 100 HP model weighing 150 lbs (V-twin I assume), and also a v-8 model making 400+HP.

Hope the pics work.

9/17/2011 8:52:26 PM

any chance of passing emissions?

9/17/2011 9:11:21 PM

i think this is cool.

also love lotus 7s.

do it.

9/17/2011 9:21:18 PM

^^ who cares?

I know of a guy in Wilmington who builds Sevens. He'll even build you one with heat and AC if you want.

9/17/2011 9:57:56 PM

Well unless you get it inspected at shady tree mechanic's then I think it has to pass whatever standards the donor car does, but I don't know if it has to have the donor car's engine. Someone more knowledgeable in the process may have some insight.

9/17/2011 10:07:27 PM

oh yeah, definitely a pipe dream

9/17/2011 11:38:29 PM

so is it supercharged and then just turbo normalized or supercharged and turbocharged.

9/18/2011 9:45:46 AM

Quote :

"Well unless you get it inspected at shady tree mechanic's then I think it has to pass whatever standards the donor car does, but I don't know if it has to have the donor car's engine. Someone more knowledgeable in the process may have some insight."

Something like you're talking about would be titled as a custom built or replica vehicle. You'd have to get it inspected when you apply for the title. I believe you would have either safety inspection only or no inspection. They're not going to do emissions inspections on a custom vehicle.

9/18/2011 12:40:13 PM

^ ah, well thats cool then. It would be ridiculous to hold you to the current emissions standards.

^^

Quote :

"Q: Does the supercharger have a clutch? A: There is no clutch. The supercharger is for start and low power air; the turbo for high power. Unloading of the supercharger is automatic when the turbocharger output exceeds a pre-designed value. The supercharger is then along for the ride. A bypass is also provided in the event of a supercharger drive failure. Q: Please describe the engine start and air supply process. A: The engine is both supercharged and turbocharged. A battery-powered starter with flywheel provides the initial compression stroke. (The engine is very quick-starting. Even when cool it turns only a few rotations before firing.) The belt-driven supercharger (a positive displacement pump) provides the starting air compression, delivering air on the first rotation of the engine. Once the engine has achieved sufficient rpm, the turbocharger comes online. The supercharger also provides "rescue power" in the event of a turbocharger failure (supplying approximately 50% power)."

9/18/2011 2:09:53 PM

is the fuel injection all mechanical? I could see this working /ok/ if it was all mechanical. That's still more complicated of an engine than I'd care for in a "fun" car.

9/19/2011 9:45:14 AM

I dont see the point in the super/turbo combo if your not going to put it in an airplane.

9/19/2011 10:35:47 AM

supercharger makes the engine act bigger which helps spool the turbo....
on a low displacement diesel it may need the help.

9/19/2011 10:44:48 AM

Quote :

"I dont see the point in the super/turbo combo if your not going to put it in an airplane."

2-stroke diesels require some sort of forced air scavenging. They can't run without it.

9/19/2011 10:51:53 AM

Quote :

"I dont see the point in the super/turbo combo if your not going to put it in an airplane. "

ahem

http://www.hellionpowersystems.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=140

9/19/2011 11:11:36 AM

^ yeah... i don't like that though...

it would make more power if all the boost came from the turbos...

Turbos make nice power where superchargers hurt the engine more

9/19/2011 12:14:22 PM

peak power != usable power

9/19/2011 1:20:42 PM

The injection is all mechanical. It has 4 individual pumps for redundancy/reliability. The engine actually needs nothing electric to run. There are sensors you can put in it for monitoring but that's it. They mention there may be a common rail option in the future but the whole point of the engine is that its very simple. No valve train, no mixture adjustment, no ignition system, etc. Not complicated at all.

By the way its a 3.3 liter, 4" bore and stroke. Since peak HP is at very low RPM I think it would be best tweaked a bit, I gather this is done by advancing the injection timing to move the torque pile up in the RPMs.

9/19/2011 2:28:23 PM

^^ with a 5.4 liter... turbos sized for 1000+ hp still spool between 3&4k rpm and the redline can be raised when you don't have to worry about throwing a blower belt making the car infinitely more usable... and less stressful on the engine.

9/19/2011 2:42:10 PM

Quote :

"it would make more power if all the boost came from the turbos... Turbos make nice power where superchargers hurt the engine more"

Unless you have a huge compressed air tank, you HAVE to have a supercharger to even start a 2-stroke diesel. And if your drive ratio is set up properly, there's only a small mechanical load from the blower when the turbo is spooled up, as it does all the supercharging under operating conditions.

The point is...like I said before, ALL 2-stroke diesels rely on external/other means to scavenge exhaust gases out of the cylinder, and have to have a means of pumping air into the cylinder to do so because there is no exhaust stroke of the reciprocating assembly. I suppose you could technically scavenge one like you would a 2-stroke gasoline engine, using the crankcase as a scavenge pump, but I've never seen this done.

9/19/2011 3:38:57 PM

yeah, there's really no reason for an argument 'against' the blower on a 2-stroke diesel.

9/19/2011 3:45:41 PM

I think he's talking about that bad-ass mustang setup

9/19/2011 4:20:21 PM

lol... I WAS TALKING ABOUT THE MUSTANG

I KNOW 2-stroke diesels need a blower.

9/19/2011 4:54:00 PM

that;s what I get for going off topic, my b guise.

9/20/2011 8:33:43 AM

another question would the airplane eingine be good in an automotive application

9/21/2011 3:11:42 PM

The main problem i'm seeing (other than the COST) is the relatively low rpm range. 388ft/lb at 2700 rpm is a load of torque to deal with for sure. I suppose it will be possible to totally wreak havoc on it and advance the timing but that's getting a bit ridiculous if any sort of budget is being considered.

The more practical option is the VW 1.9 TDI, which can be reasonably tuned to 170HP, and actually appears to weigh a little less too. Of course there are parts for it, and people that know what to do to it, and a whole lot of precedent, but you know, whats all that, I mean sheesh... The DeltaHawk is much prettier, and a more compact package. And baller as fuck.

9/21/2011 3:40:05 PM

Quote :

"388ft/lb at 2700 rpm is a load of torque to deal with for sure"

and the problem is?

9/21/2011 3:53:08 PM