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 A sinter-forged alloy connecting rod being formed. |
Series Zero Prototype Engine
In the first stage of the Duratec V6’s development, Ford Powertrain engineers established the basic architecture and character of the engine, including the vee angle, bore spacing, head configuration, and the extensive use of extremely light but strong aluminum-alloy and forged components. The resulting prototype engine (Ford engineers call it a "Series Zero" engine) was a compact 60-degree V6 with four valves per cylinder, chain-driven double overhead cams, aluminum-alloy block and heads, sinter-forged connecting rods, and a forged steel crankshaft. In short, all the ingredients of a classic sports sedan powerplant.
Cosworth Casting Technology
In the early 1990s, Cosworth, the British company so integral to Ford Formula One, Indy car, Touring Car, and WRC rally efforts, developed a pressurized casting process for Ford alloy-block racing engines. This process creates such dense and solid components that engineers can design parts that are slimmer and therefore lighter without sacrificing strength or durability. After proving its merits in Ford racing engines, this pressurized casting technology was applied in mass production to the Duratec V6.
To endow the engine’s bottom end with greater rigidity and strength, a bedplate with four-bolt nodular iron main bearing caps is used. The bearing inserts are made of aluminum alloy.
 To create the SVT Contour crankshaft, a steel billet is heated to 1,260 degrees Celsius. It is then forged under 6,000 metric tons of pressure in a series of dies and trimming stations. Seen here is the crankshaft at the "twisting" station, where the counterweights are twisted into position while the steel is red-hot and thus highly malleable. |
Forged Steel Crankshaft
The Duratec features a forged steel crankshaft. After the crankshaft is forged, machined, and balanced, its bearing journals are induction hardened, a process that super-hardens the steel to a depth of 1.5-2.0mm. As proven in the Duratec and other Ford engines that employ induction-hardening technology, wear in the journals of these engines after years of use can be virtually imperceptible.
Two counterweights are placed opposite every throw of the crankshaft, contributing to the engine’s exceptionally smooth revving characteristics from idle to redline. To enable this engine to gather revs especially quickly, the SVT Contour employs a nodular iron flywheel that is lightened by 2.0 lbs. compared to that of the Contour SE.
 SVT Contour employs specially designed aluminum-alloy pistons, which deliver a compression ratio of 10:1. The piston pins are fully floating, reducing friction. |
Forged Rods, Aluminum-Alloy Pistons
The connecting rods are sinter-forged alloy components. They are made from powdered metal that is compacted into the rough shape of a connecting rod and then "hot-struck" at 1,024 degrees Celsius in a 600-ton press. After forging, the rod big ends are mechanically fracture-split to create the bearing caps. Due to the irregular, interlocking surfaces along the fracture line, a Duratec bearing cap and rod can be reassembled only one way, ensuring an exact fit and making the entire bearing cap assembly especially strong.
The SVT Contour V6’s specially designed aluminum-alloy pistons deliver a compression ratio of 10.0:1. The piston pins are fully floating, reducing friction. Like the main bearing inserts, the rod bearing inserts are aluminum alloy.
 SVT Contour features specially designed intake and exhaust cams. The cam lobes are made with a high chromium content to virtually eliminate wear under normal-use conditions. |
Twin-Cam Head Design
The SVT Duratec heads follow design principles favored by many thoroughbred V6s. One silent chain per cylinder bank rises from the front of the crankshaft and wraps over the intake and exhaust camshafts. Both cam chains have hydraulic tensioners to minimize slack and lash.
The SVT Duratec features specially designed intake and exhaust camshafts. These hollow camshafts run in line-bored journals in the aluminum head casting and are secured from above with aluminum caps. The cam lobes—made with a high chromium content to virtually eliminate wear under normal-use conditions—act upon roller-finger followers, with hydraulic valve-lash adjustment, a feature which reduces the amount of maintenance the valvetrain requires. The roller-finger followers press on the valve tips. Ovate-wire valve springs control valve movement.
 The SVT Contour heads' secondary intake ports are polished by extrude honing. This process creates a highly polished and thus smooth surface, which allows air to flow more efficiently and quickly on its way to the combustion chamber. |
Extrude Honing
The upper intake manifold (plenum and intake runners) as well as the cylinder head’s secondary intake ports have been enhanced through application of an aerospace technology that first gained favor in the automotive world among high-performance tuners: extrude honing. A putty-like material that contains a fine grit is squeezed through a port or runner that will channel air. The grit polishes the surface to a high degree, allowing air to move more quickly and efficiently.
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