Great project with some amazing concepts and solutions. Glad to hear your in the news house and the shop can fit the Fountain.

Not a big time to first start. Water and oil plumbing is almost done, coolant expansion tank need few things and oil pump suction AN16 fittings have to order somewhere.




Water pump inlet pipe is not optimal because it can air lock itself, but there is no free space to make pipe go lower. I weld 1/8 NPT port to top of pipe so it can be aerated somehow.



Thermostat housings plumbing get pretty tight but all is done. There are full internal flow when thermostats are close so I hope engine doesn't have any internal hot spots.


2-1 coolant manifold make internal coolant flow back to pump without going through heat exchanger. When thermostats open this flow stop and fully open all coolant go through heat exchanger.



Carbon driveshaft tubes are laminated, I will get those next week from my friend and take more pics to here. Next thing is design tube ends and shafts to CV joints, shafts have to be very good material, something like böhler 720 or 300M. End pieces will be made from 6000 or 7000 series aluminium, best available glue need to find to glue carbon to aluminium, same way that drag race car carbon shafts are made.

Amazing engineering project!

Love your talent in attacking this project.

Carbon drive shaft tubes looks great and they weight only 3.5kg piece, 2.1m long, 110mm inner diameter, almost 4mm wall thickness. Tubes are so straight that they rotate easily on aluminium mold tube after curing so straightness is about 0.1mm/2100mm, its pretty damn good! In future we know how much power they can handle, but in theory 5000Nm torque is limit, if engine produce 3000hp at 2500rpm drive shafts see little over 2000Nm. Everything should be ok. Splitbox parts are ready too, stay tuned.

Wait a moment.

You are putting a Russian tank engine in a 47 ft Fountain, and you choose the drive shafts as the place to look for weight savings?

Markus, weight saving is good thing but its not primary reason. They should act like spring in driveline and maybe make splitbox and CV joints last longer. Other benefit is safety, if steel drive shaft broke, it will cut big hole to boat bottom and destruct everything. When carbon shaft broke it just explode to dust and soft "rope". And tank engine itself is lighter than two big block marine chevys

I thought the question from Markus was pretty good but your answer was even better!

This build is way beyond my comprehension but I can’t wait to see it hit the water. Following closely……

RR

I am shocked that behemoth is lighter than two big blocks!

764kg=1684lbs bare engine including exhaust manifolds but no other parts, I put it on scale myself. All aluminium engine. Hollow crankshaft and camshafts, I beam billet steel rods.

Not doubting you one word sir, it just appears to be a huge motor in comparison!

Love it.

Continue on.