Visited the Grove City plant a few times when I was co-op'ing for GE Transportation Systems in Erie. Was neat to watch 'em build the engines. Was even cooler at the Erie plant watching them put all the pieces together, then load testing the train on their "test bench" and then doing the real test on the rails.

~Rob

 

it would just be inconvenient and cost-ineffective as mentioned before...inline sixes in machinery and heavy duty trucks are easy to work on and the majority of the time a complete rebuild can be done without removing the engine...plus having an inline 8 at the same displacement would make all the components like pistons and rods smaller....like the size of a pea-stroke...do you really want that?

 

Ok I need one of the GE engines. dont need bed ****, rear engine rear drive! . Not sure I understand why the 6 and 12 cylinders and naturally balanced but if so then that does make sense. Kinda like the old Dodge slant 6's ran just about forever, and were a torque monster, not compared to our Cummins, though.

I found a book a while back that discussed engines dealing with harmonics, power strokes per revolution, and a lot of other interesting things. It went over inlines, 90^ 60^ and 45^, to name a few. Along with pros and cons on each style. I really wish I would have bought it that day.

 

[Thread hijack]

I went to work for what was then Cooper Bessemer in 1973 and spent 22 years in Mount Vernon, OH before transferring back to the Houston area. I've spent quite a bit of time in Grove City - I've even stayed at the old Penn Grove hotel (before it was converted to a retirement home) during the winter and alternated between freezing and sweltering all night.

Rusty

[/Thread hijack]

 

The reason they ran so long was due to the absolutely amazing structural rigidity of the block. It was designed as an all aluminum engine. Aluminum prices went up, or they couldn't get it to cast right, don't recall which. They went to cast iron, and never changed the casting. As a result, they had a block which was way past overkill compared to what was usually done. There are a "few" aluminum ones out there, if it's not cracked or otherwise destroyed, I hear they are worth some $$$$.

 

how much torque could we get fom an inline 12?

 

I always wanted to build a super modified pulling tractor with 4 Cummins engines, what a show that would put on
DM01

 

One big reason to go with a I-6 in a OTR truck, is weight. Lighter than a V-8. Weight savings is a big deal when hauling grain and livestock for sure. The more you can put on legally, the better.

Plus, more torque, easier/cheaper to maintain a I-6.

 

I believe that was in 63ish? There are still a couple aluminum blocks around, which leads me to think the the head didnt turn out quite well. Those /6's weigh about as much as a SB. Sorry, hijacked my own thread?

 

maybe an engine from each gen could be lined up inline like a 1st gen then 2nd gen then third gen for an inline 18.

 

I think a couple guys hit the nail on the head.... an inline 6 (or a V12) are inherently balanced. All you need to do is make yourself some bigger cylinders and block to make the engine bigger/more power.

Ford made a V12 for a couple of their concept cars back in the 90's (GT90, Indigo) that were so balanced you could run them on a table and they wouldn't vibrate.

 

A V12 diesel would be interesting.