Engine Girdle

[Lextreme II]

We got a prototype done in mild steel with laser cutting. It is a one piece design and can be made in stainless steel and water jet cut. I need to test fit it along with oil pick up pipe clearance.

This prototype was made for 2uzfe but we can add two more holes for 1 or 3uzfe engines.

 

[JustenGT8]

You need to radius all those corners Lex

 

[Lextreme II]

I need to test fit it first before any modification. Yes, radius all corners will help but I want to make sure I clear the crank.

 

[JustenGT8]

Check out Ed's crank scraper on V-eight.com, you can go quite a bit tighter yet

 

[Lextreme II]

We are also fitting this in our stroker kit too so we are just testing it. If more room left then we will mod it.

 

[Arnout]

 

[JustenGT8]

Now that alloy one is sweet...i assume you need longer studs for the main caps? Any idea how that effects torque settings?

 

[Arnout]

Now that alloy one is sweet...i assume you need longer studs for the main caps? Any idea how that effects torque settings?

Correct I use longer ARP studs. I'm surfacing the main caps 'flat' a little bit on the top so the girdle 'sits' on the caps. This applies a very small preload on the girdle to support the main caps in the middle. All together the girlde *might* be overkill on the aluminum UZ engines as they already have 4 bolt mains with 2 side bolts, but making the bottom end stronger doesn't hurt. Moreover the girdle I designed acts as an oil scraper as well. Main reason we made it, is we need a custom oil pan with special clearance and bolting something simple on this girdle is gonna be pretty easy, while making something on the stock oil pan flange dictates you use the size & pattern that is available.

 

[JustenGT8]

Care to make another ($ ??) as it would also make my drysump setup alot easier too....not to mention a girdle is a good idea for 800+hp engines

 

[Arnout]

Trade for a diff?

 

[mshawari1]

WoW... How much its cost!!

 

[Lextreme II]

Arnout,

Nice work Arnout. I revisited it and that is a nice piece of work. I am using stainless steel spacers along with longer studs.

 

[JustenGT8]

Trade for a diff?

LOL sure i got heaps of diffs...maybe not the one you want though

I actually have some 3.42:1 diff gears though if that interests you? I built another diff for track work only as a full spool with a 3.54:1 and was thinking of doing another for my tow car with the 3.42.

 

[Vander]

I am not familiar with engine girdles. What does it allow you to do? What are it's benefits?

 

[Arnout]

I am not familiar with engine girdles. What does it allow you to do? What are it's benefits?

A girdle supports the main bearing caps in a left-right way, making the whole construction stronger. Especially important to fight the 'swing' in the middle of the crank.
On a 6 bolt mains engine a girdle might be slightly overkill, but in my situation we also used it as a oil scraper and as a new basis for a custom oil pan, which is to be made for this car.

 

[Arnout]

Guys,
I get PM's from all around the globe for this engine girdle. Maybe lextreme can arrange a group buy? I'm not really going to fabricate one girdle this week to be shipped to hongkong and then one girdle next week to be shipped to new zealand or something. I can make five girdles and ship them to lextreme or five girdles to lextreme and five girdles to aussie or something. Then lextreme can pimp them out to the usa guys and someone in australia can do the distribution there. I'm not a parts trader anymore and normally also not really willing to sell 'exclusive' parts that I developped myself, but hey, we all have to help eachother a little, so let's get this rolling.

 

[crushu]

I would be willing to distribute them in Australia, as I am already an Ebay seller, I am experienced in packing and sending economically.

 

[Arnout]

Guys,
I got the pricing on the girdles from my machine shop. Waiting for Lextreme to allow posting pricing / groupbuy.

 

[scotturnot]

I like that Girdle, wheres the group buy?

 

[Chicken Wing]

veerrry nice!
will it fit the 3UZ?
Id like to think the blocks are the same, but im never sure.