Suggestions for a foundry, one off casting.

[ti325v]

Hi All:
I have recently purchased a spare engine for our dive boat.
There are a bunch of threads about the build, the current engine, a commercial domestic industrial Yanmar from 1980, six cylinder turbo 5.2 liter 115 h.p. at 2300 r.p.m. ....
It is still serving us well, at 31,000 hours !

The spare is currently being torn down for a complete look see and general clean up.
It is in amazing condition, a set of rings and a hone and we will be good to go. I have another superstar engine for all $2200 with gearbox.

This one in far better shape then the last, but for one problem.

The mount for the oil filters and bypass valves is an iron casting. Behind the oil filters and incorporated into the filter mount is a the heat exchanger, (in perfect condition).

The problem is the casting...it is about 18" long, six inches high and 2 inches deep. It has lost a massive amount of its thickness, the cast iron has gone to graphite.There is a small hole in it as well.
Of course I would like to replace it, and I am awaiting word from Yanmar about the part. I am not hopeful.
I am looking for suggestions for a foundry that can make a duplicate of the casting.
It is not overly complex, and has just a bit of machine work...some threaded pipes, the gasket surfaces and the heat exchanger mounts.
See attached illustration from the shop manual.
Does anybody know of a foundry that can and will make a one off part for me at a reasonable cost ?
Currently enough remains of the part to use as a template for a pattern or even as a mold, as there is a lot of play in the bolt locations, ( Big flats where we can drill to make up for shrinkage.)
Worst case, I can pull the one off the existing engine and use it when we install the new engine so it is not that bad, but I would like to get the part made.
Any suggestions are most welcome.
Thanks very much !

[socaldmax]

How about having a machine shop machine one out of stainless steel? Nowadays with water jet and CNC machines, it's getting a lot cheaper, even for single pieces.

We had a NOS water pump for a very rare car, they corroded quickly due to dissimilar metals. We sent the original out to get copied in all stainless, I think about 25 of them, sold them for $3,000 ea and made a tidy profit. They sold faster than hotcakes because there weren't any more original ones left and an OEM one would have only lasted a short while, the SS ones would last forever. Something to think about.

[ti325v]

That is a great idea, what did the pumps cost to make ? Where they more complicated then my piece ?
Where did you do it ? Can you provide me contact info ?
I am located in Vietnam and such technology does not exist here.
I am happy to stick with iron as they have lasted for more then 30 years.
Thank you.

[socaldmax]

Originally Posted by ti325v

That is a great idea, what did the pumps cost to make ? Where they more complicated then my piece ?
Where did you do it ? Can you provide me contact info ?
I am located in Vietnam and such technology does not exist here.
I am happy to stick with iron as they have lasted for more then 30 years.
Thank you.

IIRC, the pumps cost a few hundred ea, like $250 or $300. My stepdad handled the foundry, I don't know who it was, unfortunately he's dead now.

I also know a guy named Omar who recently took a competitor's aluminum transaxle case and had it duplicated in China, but he had them strengthen it in key areas with about 8 lbs of extra aluminum, much improved over the original. He told me he found the foundry online, in China. He circled the areas he wanted thickened up, and they handled the modifications for him.

Again, sorry I don't have a contact for you, but he told me he just did a Google search and found them online. He was very happy with the results.

[bornyesterday]

I've no personal experience of metal spraying but I do know it's used to build up worn parts which are then machined. Don't know myself whether it's possible in cast iron - or for this application - but maybe it's worth asking someone who does?
"Worn" is different to "corroded" of course.

[Roy M]

We have a small foundry here in San Diego that does lots of one-off work, beautifully. I suspect you can find one locally. If not, send me a PM and I'll send the info off to you.

[nimblemotors]

It looks like it is a part that could be machined from a block of aluminum without costing a fortune, but at $2200 for the entire motor anything will cost 'too much' in my opinion.
Given its a spare, seems to me you have the time to just keep searching for a good replacement part.

[ti325v]

Hi Nimble:
The intention is to check this one over and install it in the boat as it is in much better condition,(Though the old one runs great, it is tired) and keep the old one on hand in case this one lets go. If funds allow, I will in the future rebuild the old one, parts availability being an issue.
These engines are PERFECT for my needs.
I have learned (Having made friends with the only mechanic on the island, that i can do a complete rebuild for less then $2,500 including all aftermarket parts..Yanmar no longer produces.
However with 2 of this part on hand, I can proceed as normal and wait for the right replacement.
Oh and to a previous poster, thanks for the metal spray suggestion, but a bit of quick research has led me to believe that it is not structural, I will check more, but still looking for leads on a foundry.
Also the mention of aluminum, I understand not a good idea when exposed to sea water, this is the housing for the raw water heat exchanger. Perhaps I am wrong ?

Thanks all more suggestions welcome !

[socaldmax]

I wasn't suggesting using aluminum, just mentioning what someone else did. If the costs were the same or close, I'd prefer stainless steel over cast iron.

[bornyesterday]

Google shows a number of results for "foundries in Vietnam." It'd be surprising if none of them were able to do the job and they seem to trade on being among the cheapest in the world for this work.

Assuming that the outside is OK but the inside is corroded away I think any foundry manager will understand exactly what's required the moment he sees your casting. He'll probably know a competent machine shop too.

BTW I'm fairly sure spraying is used to build up worn parts like crankshafts, still not saying it's best or cheapest though, just that it may be an option.

[ti325v]

Hello Yesterday:
I have lived in Vietnam on and off for most of the last 24 years.
I know what can be done here sensibly and what will be a mission of utter insanity.
I am willing to pay hundreds of dollars to save myself what I know will be a complete waste of time, with bad results.
Just because it says so on google simply does not make it so.

I do have a locally made, (in a persons living room) cylinder and head on my motorcycle...
They can do that, and if it breaks I do not care.
If this casting breaks I may be stranded at sea with 20 customers on my boat, possibly with a seized engine because they do not use gauges or idiot lights when all the oil has pumped out the crack... making excuses and losing a pile of money.
I bet 95% of the foundries you saw are out of business, changed address and phone numbers with no updates, simply a fools errand here.

While I appreciate your taking the time to answer, I am of course looking further into metal spraying, as mentioned, but also to be done in the USA.

Please.. What I am looking for is a reliable machinist to make the part, or a foundry to cast it.

To give you an example... I have THE BEST mechanic on the island, he is a friend...
When we were dissembling my engine. all the rockers, push rods, lifters got dropped into a rusty, sandy coffee can....unmarked never to see their original placement again...and that is with me working next to and telling him not to do it, scrambling around for six of said coffee cans.
When the engine was shipped over to the island, it was uncovered, water entered into it through the turbo, that is why I need rings and a hone job.

If you can manage to find a foundry in this country to do the work well, with good material, the way YOU want..you are a much better man then me and I speak Vietnamese.

I do have amazon.com..things are delivered to my friends house in the USA, and are brought over twice a year...simply because customs makes importing anything near impossible, often I have to fly to Saigon to get stuff and still they screw up the documents and I have to fly home only to come back again.
I am sorry to rant, but you have no idea what I have to deal with.
This job gets done outside of Vietnam.

[bornyesterday]

Very sorry to have wasted so much of your time.
I certainly don't have any idea of what you have to deal with, nor did I know any of the information that you've just posted.
My answer was based only on the information which you HAD posted.
Good luck.

[ti325v]

Originally Posted by bornyesterday

Very sorry to have wasted so much of your time.
I certainly don't have any idea of what you have to deal with, nor did I know any of the information that you've just posted.
My answer was based only on the information which you HAD posted.
Good luck.

Hello Yesterday:
Sorry if I went overboard, I know people here are well intentioned...
One of the reasons I keep coming back.
I am certain you are as well...I guess you took a bit of a hit as I just woke up, had not finished my coffee and was very hopeful there would be an answer to my question in the In Box.
BTW, I just got a quote from a CNC shop in the USA..$400 for the CAD rendering and $3000 ! for the casting !

[Zach]

Why not bronze? That is what a lot of the exhaust risers are on caterpillars ahead of the turbo.


Give these guys a call:

South Eastern Foundary Untitled They deal in bronze.

They are in Greensboro, North Carolina and cast most of the shaft struts and rudders that go onto boats built on the east coast.

Zach

[ti325v]

Hello Zach:
I will contact them today, thanks very much for the suggestion.
Others, please keep the suggestions coming.
Thanks