April 4, 2011

CYLINDER MACHINING IS COMPLETE!

In March, 2011, A major milestone was achieved: the machining operations on the cylinder-saddle was completed!

Below are some photos of the last operations on the big horizontal boring mill.  The next steps will include the final placement on the frame and installation of dozens of special taper bolts to hold the entire cylinder-saddle assembly in place.

Also worth of note is that the design of the spring rigging is now complete.  Purchasing of suspension parts and assembly is awaiting some additional funding.

Currently, 786 work is funded and the end is in sight!  We are seeking additional funds to complete the project.  Several grants have recently been received and others are being pursued.  If you can help, please make a donation or contact the ASTA office at
512-477-8468.

The final machining steps include drilling & taping all the cylinder & valve stud holes on the front side of the casting.  This is an overview of the cylinders on mill for this operation.
Hole lay out and drilling for front valve and cylinder head studs.
Cylinders on floor, all faces machined. Only step remaining is lubrication holes for cylinders. There is a small boss (flat spot) cast on the side of the cylinders for a lubrication hole into the cylinders.  The hole needs to pass through this boss and exit exactly at the top of the cylinder.  Unfortunately, this small boss was impossible to place accurately when the cylinders were originally cast, so it ended up too high.  To get the hole to accurately pass through the boss & exit at the top of the cylinder bore, it had to be drilled at an angle.
Ronnie Jones laying out cylinder set up per AutoCAD drawing to ensure cylinder lubrication hole is on desired location in bore.
Cylinders set up for drilling cylinder bore lubrication holes on location.
Center drilling for lubrication hole in cylinder bore.
One oil hole complete.
Cylinder casting rear view, with machining complete.
Cylinders with machining complete. Front view.