In fairness, it's a pretty open-ended question / invitation to contribute. Putting the question of economics aside, what sort of input are you looking for? Do you intend to sand cast, pressure cast, die cast or forge? I'm afraid I didn't read your entire site so forgive me if I'm asking things you've already answered. Do you have a set completed as now? Have you done any flow modelling in CAD? Or run a 3D printed section on a flow-bench? What about re-designing the head so it can be built as machined sections (have only ever heard of that, never seen it done)?
The intention is to sand-cast from 3D-printed patterns. Except for the offset where pistons share the same crank pin, and except for slight differences at the extreme front and rear of each head, the sections containing the combustion chambers are pretty much identical on each head. Whilst done for convenience in CAD, building up the final heads as 12 separate identical units (albeit as mirror images left-to--right) could lend itself to building up as machined sections - although I hadn't considered this. It is certainly something I will investigate - thanks.
The design is still very much "virtual" at present and very fluid. Whilst the intention is to "flow-test" within CAD and bench-test one or more 3D-printed physical single cylinders, I am at a very early stage at present and am considering optimal layouts from a purely theoretical perspective - bearing in mind my intention to remain loosely true to Jaguar's original 1950/60s basic design. I'm not looking to reinvent wheels here or end up with anything anywhere near "state of the art".
May I ask a specific question?
Because I want the heads to be able to drop straight on to the existing SOHC V12 Jaguar block, I have to accommodate four rows of head studs on each head. I had been considering small cutouts around the periphery of each head simply so I can get a spanner to them. One suggestion I had was to move the exhaust header to as close to the combustion chamber as possible with an air gap where you might expect to find a water jacket - much as you would get in some bike engines. This would greatly reduce heat transfer to coolant as well as other associated benefits. I am considering going the whole hog and, instead of simply having small cutouts on the exhaust side, have some sort of indentation and placing the exhaust header as close to the valve as possible. It should be possible to design some sort of clamp/crushable ring for the exhaust header if I were to do so.
Do you think moving the exhaust tract away from the water jacket as far as possible will be of any real benefit?
