Typically, engine block casting involves casting a cylindrical block of light alloy metal with cast-in-place cylinder bore liners. This type of casting also has a water jacket core assembly or other cores. The present invention relates to the complete cylinder block mold package that is cast in aluminum alloy. It also relates to the method of casting engine block with tandem cylinders.

The casting apparatus comprises an upper mold supported on a stationary platen and a lower mold supported on a movable platen. An opening/closing cylinder opens/closes the slide molds, which are supported on the upper mold. The slide molds are divided in the circumferential direction and support the core holding portion. In this assembly, a cylinder liner is mounted on a mandrel, which is fitted on a positioning pin. The mandrel is fitted on a stop ring, which engages a ring groove in the positioning pin. The stop ring retains expansion force to regulate the axial movement of the positioning pin.

The casting apparatus further comprises four columnar members, which are suspended from the upper mold in correspondence with cylindrical portions of the sand core. The four columnar members are then moved downward together with the cylinder liners. This assembly is known in the art. However, the present invention also improves the casting function. It is also advantageous because the sand core is not damaged by the coil spring. The sand core is not damaged by vibrations and is not contaminated by loose sand. The loose sand can become trapped in small spaces and contaminate the casting.