This Camaro Enthusiast Built A Full Motion 3D Printed Model
This GM enthusiast 3D printed and then assembled a complete LS3 scale model that actually works. It has a complete rotating assembly with individual pistons. Even the valvetrain works as a normal full-sized LS3 would. With hundreds of hours dedicated to the 3D modeling, and hundreds of hours dedicated to the actual printing of all of the pieces (using nearly five pounds of 3D print filament), this scale engine might have as much engineering time invested as the full sized engine it is based on. From his description on his YouTube channel, builder Eric Harrell says “Everything was 3d printed except for the bearings and fasteners. Some parts were modeled from CAD files floating around the internet while others were modeled from pictures, repair manuals, and diagrams.”
With all of the individual parts mocked up and sitting out ready to go, Eric then created a video by assembling the engine piece by piece in a highly sped up depiction of the real events. Everything in this video is assembled in the approximate order that an LS3 would be, and everything looks like a smaller and lighter version of what you’d actually put in that engine. Overall, we’d say this is a highly detailed build, and Eric did a phenomenal job from start to finish. While the engine obviously doesn’t actually run, as combustion cycles would actually melt the cylinders, it seems like a cool project for an engineering enthusiast to pick up.
In the final portion of the video above, Eric takes the time to show viewers how each individual piece interacts with the rest of them. By bolting a small electric starter motor to the engine and spinning the flywheel, you can see each of the pieces moving on their own. Harrell takes the cylinder heads off to show the pistons moving up and down in their bores, as well as the pushrods activated by the spinning camshaft. With the valvecovers removed, you can see the valvetrain pumping away at the valves. From the bottom with the oil pan off, you can see the crankshaft rotating. It’s a really neat project and an even cooler video!
[Source: Eric Harrell on YouTube via Jalopnik]