DMD Australia - Austin Healey 3000 Aluminium Engine Block
The two halves of the mould, the blue blocks are filters in the ingate section where the metal will be poured into the mould. These filters help ensure that only clean metal enters the completed mould during casting.
The core provides the water jacket space around the cylinders. The core has been painted (darker colour) to seal in the gas generated within the core during the casting process. The gas escapes through the pink core prints (locators) and out of the mould through the vents that can be seen at the left and right ends of the mould. Aluminium reinforcing rods can also be seen in the core between the cylinders. These rods strengthen the core and fuse into the casing during pouring.
The water jacket and cylinder cores are shown installed in the mould. The ‘D’ shape ends on the cylinder cores are the locators where these cores lock into the crankcase cores. The small dark coloured core in the side of the centre crankcase core provides the oil gallery for the oil feed from the camshaft to the crankshaft.
The mould completed with all cores glued into position and ready for casting. The metal is poured into the mould through the smaller front centre hole and fills the mould from the bottom back up to the top through the risers, which are the 8 larger holes. As the casting cools the molten metal in the risers is drawn back down into the casting.
The first Aluminium Block casting.This casting was rough machined and sectioned as a means of determining that the pattern equipment was correct and that the casting had a correct wall thickness.
The block has been designed to produce a 3 litre and a 3.8 litre Engine. The 3.8 incorporates offest conrods to match the bore spacing.
The block was cast face down, the slightly raised area senn on the bottom face are the remains of the casting risers. While the original Works Alloy Block was ribbed internally like the standard block, the DMD Block is beefed up and cast smooth.
