Builders,
Tim Hanson, wrote these comprehensive lists of things to bring to make progress on your engine at a college. They are worth studying, because Tim has been to several colleges, he was meticulously prepared, and as a result of this he learned a lot and has a great running engine.
.
Not every engine builder needs every Item on Tim’s lists, but they are an excellent packing guide, particularly for the first time College student. Tim’s lists also bring up another point; He posted them on our private discussion groups: “Zen-vair” and “Piet-vair” Discussion Groups, your resource. As a rule, we do not make public the content generated by the builders on our sites, but I make this exception with Tim’s blessing to illustrate that our groups have much more valuable posts than groups where the ‘information’ comes from people named “flyboy26@dbag.com”.
.
-ww.
.
.
Above, Tim and Grace in our hangar, the night Tim’s engine ran. Grace worked many years to become an aviator herself, and she has a special understanding for any individual who sets themselves to the task, keeps their standards high, and refuses to quit. To read Tim’s very motivational story, read this link, including the comments section: 100 HP Corvair, Tim Hansen , Persistence Pays . To understand how respected Tim is in the Corvair movement, recognize that he is the recipient in this story: A very generous gift….601XL-B.
.
—————————————————————–
.
Tim’s Lists:
“Packing depends on what your mission for this college will be. Are you coming only to observe and learn (your goal should be to do these at every college you attend), or are you bringing a core to disassemble? Do already have your core apart and want to get part way or ALL the way through the reassembly stage? If you are coming to observe and learn, a notebook, measuring tape, camera, and open mind are the tools I would bring.
.
If you have a core to disassemble, do you have the Disassembly dvd from William yet? I found it valuable and treated it like a modern day sports brodcast (lots of instant replay and post game analysis.) I compiled a list of tools and materials from reading the conversion manual and watching the various dvds. I may have missed something, but below is a good list to get you started. You may not need or use it all, but everything on it is useful or at least good to know.
Flycorvair Conversion Manual and DVDs
Combination Wrenches (3/4, 7/8, 1/2, 7/16, 5/8, 11/16)
Sockets (1/2, 7/16, 5/8, 9/16, 11/16)
3/8 Drive Ratchet
Deep set 13/16 socket
6 Point 9/16 socket
12 Point 7/16 socket (high quality, 1/4in drive)
Vise grips
Hammer
PB Blaster/Kroil/Liquidwrench
Wire brush
Wood Wedge
Mallet
Plastic dead blow mallet
Wood block
A 5/16 bolt (D.R.T.)
Small 1/4in heavy duty fine tooth rachet or a breaker bar
Screwdrivers (flat & phillips)
Small hammer
Simple Green
Purple Power
Containers for parts (plastic totes work well)
Oil cleanup supplies/absorber
Nitrile gloves
Rags (white cotton t-shirts type, not ones that leave felt or bits)
Carb Cleaner
A surface to set engine on (2x4s, plywood, cardboard)
Method/tools to lift engine (at least to drain oil)
Masking tape
zip lock bags
Water
Patience
.
Keep in mind, if there is something you don’t have or forgot, there is usually someone who does and will loan it to you at a College, and there is an engine hoist available. There is also generally a cleaning/wash tank available, but this is supposed to only be used for final cleaning, not the initial degrease or crud removal. For that, I used a spare tote with water, simple green, and later mineral spirits. Others have advised taking the case to a transmission shop and having them clean it with chemicals (make sure they use ones that are safe for aluminum) and I can recommend this as well.
.
As for assembly, I find the following The Directions a good starting point:
Okay, so you have a closed case with Weseman 5th bearing, and are planning to get through the long block stage of assembly, you can leave off the cleaning items, vise grips, and the wood wedge for sure. There may be other things in addition to that which could be left off the list, but pretty much everything else would still be handy for assembly. If you don’t have something in particular, usually someone else will.
I made a list of materials and tools for assembly needed for Assembly & Running at a College. I tried to include caveats and exceptions where appropriate, and I’m sure that it can be done without one or more items on the list, it is only meant to be a guide to make for an easy and smooth build experience.
.
Materials & Tools Required/Useful for Assembly & Running Your Corvair at Corvair College
All items on Disassembly List
High Quality Torque Wrench, calibrated (get a good one or use William’s)
Ultra Grey RTV (the real permatex stuff)
Loctite 620 ( get the real thing from McMaster-carr)
White Lithium Grease
Assembly Stand (case, nose, etc.)& C-clamps
STP & oil mixture, i.e. “assembly mixture”
Loctite 515 or Anerobic Sealer (used w/5th bearing housing or in 3000cc size in place of base gaskets, rtv also used in 3000cc application, see instructions for details)
Cam lube
Shell Rotella T 15w40 (4 or 5qts for running)
K&N 1008 oil filter (a FRAM PH6607 oil filter could be used for BREAK IN ONLY, but not for flight, see manual)
AC R44F Spark Plugs, 6
Champion 2612 graphite anti-seize (accept no substitutes!, usually someone has this)
ZDDP (used with oil for running)
Detailed Parts Inventory (Make sure you have EVERYTHING needed for the stage you’re working on, down to every nut & bolt. Missing something vital 800 miles from home is a downer.)
All parts Cleaned, Prepped, Inspected, and if applicable, Painted.
Piston Ring Pliers (may not need these if you’ve done it before, but they are cheap, and someone will have some)
Piston Ring Compressor (you will need this, again often several floating around, also not expensive)
Cylinder Hold-down tubes (used to immobilize cylinders during assembly, lengths are 4 5/8in and 3 3/4in, 6 of each, pvc works well, see manual)
ARP ” Ultra torque” lube (for their bolts, could also use moly lube, see their directions)
Silver Antisieze (Not for spark plugs)
Permatex Aviation Form-a-Gasket #2 (brown gooey sealer, used on case bolt heads and case bolt nuts (not threads)on final assembly of case; also oil gallery drain plugs, see manual)
Scotchbrite pad (polish beginning part of lifter bores, not further in, see WW for demo)
5th Bearing Install Tool Kit (rent from Weseman’s, or wait your turn for maybe one floating around at a college)
GM Green Book
FlyCorvair Conversion Manual & Assembly DVDs (read it, watch them)
5th Bearing Manual (read it in advance)
Also Highly Recommended-> Read the following articles on FlyCorvair.net: “Closing a case at a College Part #1,#2,#3”, “Running an Engine at a College, required items #1,#2″, Balancer Installation”, “All about Dipsticks, Part#2206”.
Obviously, you will want to make your own list of “hey this was handy” items, but the above was useful for me. If you do it at home, there are more things that you would need, especially to run your engine, namely a TIMING LIGHT, and several other items. Also, a reminder to NOT transport an assembled case with it RESTING ON the CAM GEAR, turn it upside down instead.
Hope this was helpful to someone, but do your own homework, and HAVE FUN.
-Tim.
.
Muchas Gracias, Tim and William, Grace, et al.
In case anyone uses this list in the future, and doesn’t see the updates, please note the most recent recommendation for plugs is “Denso W20FP-U’s or better yet Denso IWF20’s.” see Critical Understanding #12, as well as more recent reminders of this change. Always check the most recent sources (and double check with WW) for parts applicability in your particular project.