Titanium

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eml1618

Member
I think this forum best fits this question...anyone know where to get block or rod titanium?
 
you are talking about machining a piece of titainium, which is much tougher to cut, and manipulate than steel or aluminum. To do so will set you back thousands of dollars, if not Tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands to do. Then you need to have sleves pressed into a titainium block, which will be super hard to get the iron to be held in with the titainium, as iron wears and takes heat a lot better than ti can. Also you will have to do your own research on how bearings will work with ti, and all that other stuff, how an aluminum head will sit on ti, how ti warps. If you really want titainium on your car look into an exaust system. Otherwise aluminum is strong enough and light enough for the best of race applications.
 
Something you fail to mention too, is that Ti is a very aggressive metal. It wants to grab and chew at whatever it rubs against. If you're using Ti rods, you NEED bearings between the side of the big end and the crank. Ti pistons? Forget about it. Ti block? Not nessicary.

But I think he was asking about some stock Ti pieces. Do a search on Google.
 
Titanium is no good for engine stuff in general. First, the most common Titanium (TI6AL4V) wholesale is $130/lb for the stuff, unmachined. The machining process WILL cost thousands of dollars, assuming you can FIND someone who will work on it. Titanium is some 10 times stronger in a soft form than work hardened stainless steel. This means it requires diamond blades and other exotic machining processes. Next, it work hardens INCREDIBLY fast, and will become 100 times stronger than stainless steel when you start working on machining it.

If that still doesn't turn you away from titanium, then the this fact will: Above 500 degrees celsius (an engine gets hotter than this) titanium begins to absorb HYDROGEN from anything around it: metals, oil, gas, air. It does the same thing for oxygen and nitrogen and carbon above 700 degrees celsius. This will cause nearby metals to weaken ALOT and break.


Sure, titanium makes a good tennis racket, but anything at high temperatures and it doesn't work so well.
 
Guys, I'm talking about a 10 cm (cubed) chunk or 'block', I never said I was going to make engine components outta it. Also by rod I mean a 5cm diameter 'rod' of Ti...I am very familiar with the properties of Ti. And seriously I don't think anyone on this forum is that stupid to try and make a Ti engine block, damn.
 
Titanium Rods...

Most Racing Teams wont use em. In most applications for a Honda B-Series overhaul, the rods can take a beating on 300hp, just upgrade the rod bolts.

If you don't believe us, ask Oscar Jackson.
 
Metal Supermarkets has most anything you could want. They will do small orders also. Just call them if it is not on the site. On a sidenote, as everyone has said Ti is extremely hard to work on, but nearly impossible for a person to weld it in the garage(needs a 100% argon environment, and even with that it is very very hard to get a penetrating weld, most Ti welding processes involve multiple TIG passes). Anyways, good luck with your Ti experiment :D
 
Yea I know Ti is extremely hard to work with by my neighbor (who's company machines Ti) said he could make me a shift knob (similar to the burnt Spoon Ti knob) for minimal costs ;) . This is why I'm asking...Thanks man...
 
Originally posted by eml1618@Apr 4 2004, 03:44 PM
I know i can't wait...when/if it gets made i'll post the results.

Have him make me one with my initials! BKS Ill pay for shipping and the cost to make it.
 
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