Copyright © 2005 by George Reid
All rights reserved. All text and photographs in this publica-
E NGINE MATH
W
hen you’re building an
engine, it’s nice to be armed
with the facts necessary to do
it successfully. Much of engine building
is about math — machining dimensions,
compression and rod ratios, bore sizes,
stroke, journal diameters, carburetors,
port sizes, dynamic balancing, and all
the rest of it. Without math, you cannot
successfully build an engine. What fol-
lows are quick facts that will help you in
your Ford engine building.
CUBIC-I NCH D ISPLACEMENT
Cubic-inch displacement is simply
the volume displaced by the cylinders of
your engine. So, if we calculate the vol-
ume of one cylinder, and multiply that
figure times the number of cylinders, we
have the engine’s displacement.
The formula for a cylinder’s volume is:
Pi x r2 x S = Volume of one cylinder.
Where Pi is a mathematical constant
equal to 3.14159, r is the radius of the
cylinder, and S is the stroke. If you think
back to your high school geometry, you
may remember that a circle’s radius is
half the diameter. In this case, the diam-
eter is equal to the bore (B), so 1/2B = r.
Plug that in, and our formula becomes:
136 How To Rebuild the Small-Block Ford
CHAPTER 8
Pi x (1/2B)2 x S =
Volume of One Cylinder
We can simplify this further by
plugging in the numerical value for Pi,
then doing some basic algebra that does-
n’t necessarily need to be covered here
— but trust us: the equation before is
equal to this equation:
B x B x S x 0.7854 =
Volume of One Cylinder
To determine the engine’s displace-
ment, factor in the number of cylinders (N):
B x B x S x 0.7854 x N =
Engine displacement.
So, let’s use this to figure out the
displacement of a Ford engine that has a
4-inch Bore and a 3-inch Stroke:
4.000” x 4.000” x 3.00” x 0.7854 x 8 =
301.59 ci
Ford rounded 301.59 up to 302 ci,
or 4.9L. (Note: One liter is equal to
about 61 cubic inches.)
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CALCULATING COMPRESSION
RATIO
An engine’s compression ratio is the
ratio between two volumes: The volume
of the cylinder and combustion chamber
when the piston is at BDC, and the vol-
ume of the combustion chamber when
the piston is at TDC. But there’s more to
consider than just cylinder volume and
head cc’s. To get the engine’s TRUE
compression ratio, you need to know
these volumes:
• Combustion Chamber Volume (C)
• Compressed Head Gasket Volume (G)
• Piston/Deck Height (D)
• Piston Dish Volume (P) or Dome
Volume (-P)
• Cylinder Volume (V)
When the piston is at BDC, the total
volume is all of these volumes added
together. When the piston is at TDC, the
total volume is all of these EXCEPT the
Cylinder Volume (V). So... true com-
pression ratio is this:
V+D+G+C+P
D+G+C+P
Engine Math
This diagram shows all the volumes you need to know to calculate an engine’s true compression ratio: Cylinder volume (V),
piston dome (-P) or dish volume (P), piston/deck height (D), compressed gasket volume (G), and the combustion
chamber volume (C). The compression ratio is the volume of the cylinder and combustion chamber (V + P + D + G +C) when
the piston is at bottom dead center, compared to the volume of the combustion chamber (P + D + G +C) when the piston is
at top dead center.
Combustion Chamber Volume Compressed Head (TDC) and measure the distance from
Combustion chamber volumes for Gasket Volume the top of the piston to the deck of the
stock heads and aftermarket heads are Compressed head gasket volume is block. This is normally somewhere
typically available from the manufac- simply the volume of the cylinder hole between .008 and .025 inch. If the block
turer. If you can’t find the info or if in the head gasket — think of it as a deck has been machined, say .010 inch,
you’ve modified the combustion cham- very shallow cylinder. So, its volume is then deck height will be smaller.
bers, you’ll have to measure the vol- computed the same way you compute Once again, this volume is a shallow
umes (using a plastic deck plate, cylinder volume: cylinder. Compute its volume by plug-
burettes, and a graduated cylinder) or ging the piston/deck height measurement
have your local machine shop do it for B x B x Gasket Thickness x 0.7854 = (D) into the cylinder volume formula:
you. Compressed Head Gasket Volume
B x B x D x 0.7854 = Piston/Deck
Converting cc’s to ci’s In this case, the gasket’s com- Height Volume
pressed thickness is .038 inches, so . . .
Combustion chamber volume, In our example, this measurement
dome volume, and dish volume are 4.000” x 4.000”x .038” x 0.7854 = was .015 inch, so we plug in that value
generally measured in cc’s, not cubic 0.4775232 ci to compute piston/deck height volume
inches. To convert cc’s to cubic inches, in cubic inches.
divide the measurement in cc’s by 16.4. Piston/Deck Height Volume
Piston/Deck height volume is the 4.000” x 4.000” x .015” x 0.7854 =
cc/16.4 = ci small volume at the top of the cylinder 0.188496 ci
that is not swept by the piston. Measure
piston/deck height with a dial indicator.
Bring the piston to top dead center
How To Rebuild the Small-Block Ford 137