The "Official " Can-Am engine thread.

[smallblockhero]

a lot of interest and banter has been around regarding the can-am engines and primarily the blocks. i figured a more dedicated thread may be useful to expand the knowledge and engine building of these techniques.

i run the UOP Shadow Racing facebook fan page and currently developing a team blog site. I have talked to Doug Meyers the engine builder for shadow and he has shared intimateknowledge of the subject with me publicly. id like to share what he has spoken about and post up some of his own pics he took himself back in the day as well as his words regarding the subject.


Doug Meyers quote
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> You must remember that it is not just the iron plated pistons that made the Reynolds 390 block possible. It's a system wherein the very high silicon content in the block is exposed as the running surface in the bore by using a special acid etching compound when honing the bore. You have to to prep the block with this specific honing process. You could get the pistons plated but then you'd have to find all the right stuff to hone the block.
The plating on the pistons, as shown in John's graphic, is very specific. It is the iron (dissimilar from the aluminum) that keeps the piston from galling on the block. Moly or some other low-friction coating is not the same.
Nikasil is not the same either. Nikasil (nickle-silicon)is a very hard plating process performed on an aluminum block and works with standard aluminum pistons. The Japanese, especially Honda brought that to a fine art and used it extensively. In the Early 90's Kawasaki developed what they called &quot;Electrofusion&quot; bores which were aluminum bores plated with chrome and nickle with an &quot;exploding wire&quot; process.
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<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Here's a picture (taken in late 1972 probably) for Y'all. This is a development engine (495 inch Reynolds, 1200 hp) for the 1973 Shadow Turbo car on the dyno. Keep in mind this was all mechanical, no electronics, modified Hilborn injsction, Bendix aircraft air metering units, Switzer pneumatic wastegates. What a nightmare to work on. I'll bet I changed 50 head gaskets on this beast </div></div>