Video: Tiny 45cc V8 with electronic fuel injection runs like a charm

From the miniature miracle engine files: Here’s a handbuilt 45cc V8 (that’s 2.75 cubic inches, folks) using Megasquirt EFI—and it runs beautifully. Check this out. 

 

 

The builder of this tiny engine is known to the public only by his YouTube handle, Keith5700. He says he built the 45cc V8 in his home shed using “an old manual Bridgeport mill and a 95 year-old lathe.” As we can see, the four overhead cams are driven by a teensy toothed belt, while the internal features include a tungsten alloy flywheel, full pressure lubrication, and a drilled crankshaft.

One feature that caught MCG’s attention: The fuel injection is an adaptation of Megasquirt MS2. This popular open-source aftermarket EFI system has now been successfully used on everything from World War II tank engines to model airplane-sized V8s.

Another eye-grabber on this engine is the intake manifold, a miniature send-up of the TPI configuration used on Corvette small-block V8s. However, this intake setup processes only the air. Fuel is handled by a single-point electronic injector (built from Fiat Punto parts) hidden under the intake manifold. The thimble-size twin-blade throttle body incorporates a throttle position potentiometer.

We were especially impressed with how smooth and sharp the engine sounds, with a dead-even exhaust note and crisp throttle response. Watch and listen—it’s pretty sweet.