AMC Eagle Den Forum

1979 - 1983 AMC Spirits and 1978 - 1983 AMC Concords => Spirit Archives => Topic started by: shanebo on June 24, 2011, 12:21:13 AM

Title: NASA and AMC's pet project.
Post by: shanebo on June 24, 2011, 12:21:13 AM
Anyone ever heard of a Sterling engine. I had heard the name but never had any idea of what i was. Its an old idea concieved in 1816 by Robert stirling to rival the steam engine. Its a kind of extenal combustion engine...wikipedia can explain it better than I can. Any way,  turns out NASA was doing some experimentation with this engine in the late 70's. In theory this engine can turn unheard of gas mileage numbers. Evidently NASA and AMC teamed up briefly and one of these experimental engines found its way under the hood of a 79' Spirit and later a D-150 Dodge. (http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc377/shanebo79/stirlingSpirit_resized1.jpg) (http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc377/shanebo79/StirlingModII_10001.jpg) (http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc377/shanebo79/StirlingD150_1000-150x1121.jpg)
Title: Re: NASA and AMC's pet project.
Post by: thereverendbill on June 24, 2011, 12:25:10 AM
awesome find, eggs to you ....... i wonder what tranny bolted up to it
Title: Re: NASA and AMC's pet project.
Post by: shanebo on June 24, 2011, 12:40:57 AM
Thanks Bill ;D Im really curious as to what kind of power it produced too. According to a Hemings blog the Dodge actually surfaced in a NASA cold storage area but no trace of the AMC has surfaced. heres the write ups http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2009/01/27/nasa-gets-spiritual-and-drops-stirling-engines-in-some-odd-vehicles/
http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/tag/vam-lerma/
Title: Re: NASA and AMC's pet project.
Post by: shanebo on June 24, 2011, 01:08:00 AM
Looking further into this subject...looks like the functional prototype was actually a VAM Lerma....the beloved concords Mexican counterpart....Im like obsessed with this thing!!
Title: Re: NASA and AMC's pet project.
Post by: philotomy on June 24, 2011, 10:17:34 AM
Interesting;looks like a turbo and a HUGE air cleaner,fitted onto a stock motor from what I can see.I'd like to hear one run,maybe this technology will be revisited soon
Title: Re: NASA and AMC's pet project.
Post by: Mavericke on June 24, 2011, 04:46:24 PM
Wow... that is beyond awesome. It defines the word. Wow.

A lot of prototypes got dismantled in those days. That spirit is probably scrap somewhere... that's too bad. Either that or it's in someone's private collection. Man o man... what I would do to have that Spirit. I'd probably kill for it, lol!
Title: Re: NASA and AMC's pet project.
Post by: shanebo on June 24, 2011, 10:03:37 PM
Id sell a kidney for it for sure...LOL
Title: Re: NASA and AMC's pet project.
Post by: 83Eagle! on June 24, 2011, 10:51:10 PM
That is awesome.  Great find.
Title: Re: NASA and AMC's pet project.
Post by: amc78concord on June 25, 2011, 02:13:16 AM
Interesting!

Just when you think you know it all about AMC, you learn something new... That is really neat
Title: Re: NASA and AMC's pet project.
Post by: 85AmCfreak on June 25, 2011, 06:45:19 AM
You deff got may attention LOL totally awesome find I have been researching this thing for half an hour.
Title: Re: NASA and AMC's pet project.
Post by: Whuntmore on June 25, 2011, 11:58:09 AM
I love when these tidbits come along...  thx for posting that.  Egg ya!
Title: Re: NASA and AMC's pet project.
Post by: rohnk on June 25, 2011, 09:33:26 PM
Just saw a show on TV the other day about engines and they talked about the Sterling engine. Apparently they were prone to vibrations.
Title: Re: NASA and AMC's pet project.
Post by: shanebo on June 25, 2011, 11:38:43 PM
If that Dodge is still around its possible the Spirit may be sitting in someones barn somewhere....It could happen.
Title: Re: NASA and AMC's pet project.
Post by: rollguy on June 26, 2011, 12:02:16 AM
Up to yesterday (after reading this thread), I had never heard of a Sterling engine.  Today at the Antique Steam and Gas Tractor Museum, I saw a Sterling (hot air) water pump display.  Is that a coincidence  or what?
Title: Re: NASA and AMC's pet project.
Post by: shanebo on June 26, 2011, 12:08:34 AM
Its evidently quite an old idea....Its amazing to me that NASA out of all things would have stuck money into a project like this.
Title: Re: NASA and AMC's pet project.
Post by: El Matador on June 28, 2011, 07:30:41 PM
That engine must have run pretty hot, judging by the extra ventilation in the front bumper.
Title: Re: NASA and AMC's pet project.
Post by: AMCKen on June 29, 2011, 12:46:29 AM
Article mentions 60kw engine - that's about 80hp.
Title: Re: NASA and AMC's pet project.
Post by: shanebo on June 29, 2011, 12:50:57 AM
As impressive as it looks 80hp wont be getting you anywhere fast! It would sure put a whole new twist on finding parts.
Title: Re: NASA and AMC's pet project.
Post by: AMCKen on July 04, 2011, 01:43:44 PM
Perhaps the torque was more useable. Article didn't mention an rpm figure. If it was 80hp @ 2000, that would convert to 210ftlbs at that rpm.
Title: Re: NASA and AMC's pet project.
Post by: thereverendbill on July 04, 2011, 03:56:55 PM
80hp is about the same as the GM iron duke.  Those engines will get you where ya wanna go, but they are pretty powerless off the line
Title: Re: NASA and AMC's pet project.
Post by: IowaEagle on July 04, 2011, 05:17:00 PM
First I heard of the AMC connection.  We need to know more.

So here is some info I found:  http://green.autoblog.com/2009/07/08/blast-from-the-past-nasas-stirling-powered-amc-spirit/

Over the last few months, Segway-inventor Dean Kamen has made headlines for installing a Stirling engine in an older EV from Th!nk to create an extended-range electric vehicle. Interestingly, this is not at all the first time a Stirling engine was used to power an automobile. Apparently, the U.S. Department of Energy tasked NASA with the job of fitting an American-made car with a Stirling engine way back in the 1970s when the first oil crisis had the country in its grasp.

After realizing it lacked a certain amount of expertise in refitting automobiles (as opposed to, say, space shuttles) with new engines, NASA reportedly contracted AM General to do the actual conversion work. The result of all this effort is the AMC Sprit you see above. In later years, NASA's Stirling projects also included an AMC Concord, a GM G-chassis cube van, a Dodge D-150 pickup truck and a 1985 Chevrolet Celebrity.

According to Hemmings, these vehicles were tested extensively for over 50,000 miles and were able to achieve average efficiency that ranged between 18 and 28.5 miles per gallon. Perhaps the idea of using a Stirling engine as a generator isn't so crazy after all?

The pictures at this site say they are NASA/AMC prototypes:  http://green.autoblog.com/photos/nasa-amc-stirling-prototypes/#2131970


A link to a Hemmings article:  http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2009/01/27/nasa-gets-spiritual-and-drops-stirling-engines-in-some-odd-vehicles/


The link to the 172 page NASA report:  http://mac6.ma.psu.edu/stirling/reports/19970012689_1997021349.pdf
Title: Re: NASA and AMC's pet project.
Post by: 83Eagle! on July 05, 2011, 01:01:57 AM
One of the people who responded to the Hemmings Article mentioned that a friend of his actually has the Spirit that NASA used.  Says it was sold at government auction minus the sterling engine.  Wonder how true that is.
Title: Re: NASA and AMC's pet project.
Post by: shanebo on July 13, 2011, 01:14:40 AM
Without the engine its just a nice spirit with some cool decals!! Not that I wouldnt take though!!...I wonder if they were ordered to destroy the engines after abandoning the project., like alot of prototype cars are.