On Sun, 21 Jun 2015 21:09:37 -0400, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:

"Ed Huntress" wrote in message
.. .
For the gearheads:

If you think that engines are getting too complicated, you'll want
to
take a look at Volvo's T6 engine. It has both a mechanical
supercharger and a turbocharger.

This has been in the press for around a year, but the engine is
available in two cars, is in production, and is getting some
reviews.
Apparently it's very nice to drive. I wonder how nice it is to
repair...

The Eaton supercharger is there for low-end boost, to make the
2-liter
4-cyl. feel like a V8, with no turbo lag. At around 3500 rpm, a
clutch
disingages the supercharger and the turbo, which is now fully
spooled
up, takes over. It produces 302 hp and 295 ft.-lb of torque.

It's impressive engineering but I think they just tipped over the
edge. With direct injection, variable cam timing, and two types of
superchargers, it has to make mechanics gulp. I hope they've given
as
much thought to maintenance and repair.

--
Ed Huntress

This afternoon I was listening to the crew of a machine of similar
complexity, the B-29 bomber "Fifi". They had removed the turbos and
replaced the direct mechanical injection with carbs to cut down the
enormous maintenance, since they don't need the original high
performance.

So they turned her into a cranky old bitch in the morning, did they?
It probably cut out 75% of the maintenance, though, so I'll bet it was
a mixed blessing.

I remember the difference between my old 302 Ford engines. The '68
Ranch Wagon had a 2bbl carb and the F-150 had an EFI system. The
performance difference was astounding. The EFI added what felt like
100hp and gave it instant performance from startup to shutdown.

That little carb was a darling compared to Holleys and Rottenchesters,
but it still wanted some time in the morning to warm up. I certainly
don't miss carbureted engine tune-ups, lemme tell ya. Especially
interim and post-SMOG engines from CA. I built a special bending tool
for choke pulloff rods to be able to adjust them better for cold
performance.


http://www.aviation-history.com/engines/r3350.htm

That engine sounds like a flaming bitch in any config.
"Altogether, the R-3350 went through tens of thousands of design
changes during its early development."

--
Find out what people will submit to, and you have found out the
exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed on them.
--Frederick Douglass