4 Cam engine

John TArsicwitz · 09-26-2007, 07:36 AM

Has any one bothered to replicate the four cam engine? I saw an engine marketed by Emory which is essentially a 911 motor resized to 4 cylinders. it's close but not quite the same. Or found a way to put four cam heads on a 356/912 engine as well as that attractive fan housing???

BURN-BROS · 09-26-2007, 05:18 PM

A pic from their website.

Dean just fired off the first motor from the new castings this week. It will be heading up to the Emory's shop soon.

Rumor has it that someone is making a replica 4 cam fan assembly to fit on Dean's motors.

John TArsicwitz · 09-27-2007, 03:40 AM

If you look at the real thing it just does not have quite the look, but I must say engineering excellence none the less, I wonder if some enterprising company could make this happen.

id10t · 09-27-2007, 04:35 AM

I've seen scale replicas...

However, for the cost of 4 cam knowledge to build/rebuild, etc. I think the "best" option for more power in our 356s is either a type4 or the 911-4 engine the Emorys use/developed.

Geary · 09-27-2007, 06:26 AM

I took a peek inside a 4-cam just a couple days ago .... wow! Quite an engineering feat.

Other than bits and pieces that can no longer be obtained, I don't think anyone's going to fork out the capital to fully duplicate older technology. The guys who race them want original parts, and for everyone else, the 911-4 makes a lot of sense.

MarKoBrow · 09-27-2007, 12:36 PM

They ( meaning porsche) made several DOHC heads and cam towers for the 911 style motor it might be easier to think on the lines of the 911-4 with DOHCs .... Think 908 cut in half. I have to say if I was going for the best looking motor in my car I would spend whatever it took to get a 4 cam. I saw one at a company called Elevenparts in Switzerland and at the time 2005 it was 120,000US I wonder what something like that would cost now?

MarKoBrow · 09-27-2007, 12:39 PM

Hey Geary,

Where did you see one? I would love to get a coulpe pictures of the heads of one of those engines, just in case you might be in the area again...

Mark

Geary · 09-27-2007, 04:58 PM

I met with a fellow who services a gaggle of 4-cams. I'll be out that way again in a month or so ...

Geary · 09-27-2007, 05:06 PM

I forget to say .... in 1969, I was offered a 4-cam basket engine for $600. As I was a poor college student at the time, I passed on the offer ..

MarKoBrow · 09-30-2007, 11:31 AM

I saw this the other day online It appears like Subaru heads on Type 4, if they could just twin plug it and get rid of the large cam gears.......

MarKoBrow · 09-30-2007, 11:43 AM

It would helped if I posted the picture....Sorry

Geary · 10-01-2007, 06:48 AM

It may be a Type I bottom end, but I'm not positive. Far less cumbersome VW OHC set-ups utilize Japanese motorcycle heads (which happen to share the exact same stud pattern).

The dual plug idea is something I played around with about 20 years ago ..... Type I, Type IV, 912, etc. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=232010 It was a lot of fun.

Bob Denson (Kiwi) made an OHV 4-valve engine from scratch in about '84.... I wish I had a photo of a completed engine, but here's one partially assembled:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=299210

id10t · 10-01-2007, 07:12 AM

Geary - Ron LaDow (of 356talk, and precisionengineering) makes a twin plug conversion for a "normal" 356 engine...

Geary · 10-01-2007, 08:31 AM

Dual plug distributor ? ... or dual distributors ? It seems there would be a market for a rear casting that would adapt two distributors to the standard 356 or 912 ...

MarKoBrow · 10-01-2007, 09:04 AM

I have seen in the past people adapting the body of the 8 cylinder Mercedes distibutor to work in the VW engine and a custom rotor is made that would touch the adjacent poles. It is very simular to what Porsche did for early twin plug engines and what Jaguar did for it's late V12 engines

id10t · 10-01-2007, 11:16 AM

Two distributors. http://www.precisionmatters.biz is his website (I was incorrect in my earlier post)

Geary · 10-01-2007, 11:44 AM

Ah, yes .... I have seen the dual distributor drive adapters before. Dave Folts made a few of these in the early 90's.

For the single distributor type of dual ignition conversion, there's no need to fabricate a special dual plug cap .... Bosch already made a cap & rotor for small Nissan trucks. When Bosch began using Dupont Zytel, the rotor would survive high engine rpm. The early plastic rotor would fly apart at just under 6,000 (engine rpm).

BURN-BROS · 10-01-2007, 04:56 PM

I found some more photos of the 911 based motor

The 4 cam motors were a beautiful piece. It's a shame that companies in general do not spend the time for asthetics...

MarKoBrow · 10-11-2007, 06:19 PM

Hey does Dean have a website,?

BURN-BROS · 10-11-2007, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarKoBrow

Hey does Dean have a website,?

No Sir, but I see him once a week. If there is some info you are looking for I am sure I can get it for you. He is about to start building a 2.6 liter which I'll try to take some photos.