About two weeks ago, a well known Zenith builder and flyer who has already logged 502 hours on his 2,700cc Corvair powered Zenith 601XL, came down to Florida, picked up all of his previously ordered 3.3 liter upgrade parts from SPA/Panther, and came over to my hangar to assemble and test run the engine. It took him about a day, as he had previously built his 2,700 that ran flawlessly.
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A fez and wrap-around shades are the hallmarks of the man I often introduce as “Kamal Mustafa, my attorney”.Although he has impeccable manners and a gregarious nature, he is truly a 300 pound bull in life’s china shop of timid people.
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The engine features all my gold system parts, along with a Weseman Billet long stroke 3.3 liter made in USA crank, cylinders pistons and rods. Kamal’s engine started at the tap of the key, and laid down a perfect 45 minute break in run. We tested it with both E/P-X and DFI ignitions. After cool down it was loaded in his car and driven home with haste. This engine will fly to Corvair College #39 in Barnwell SC next month.
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The engine is already mounted on his airframe and ready for its first flight with 25 more horsepower and 14 pounds less weight (the crank is lighter and he upgraded to a 2400-L Starter ) This is a very potent engine: When Dan and myself tested the 3.3 prototype on a professional dynamometer last year, it put down 99HP at 2,700 rpm, The identical full rated output of an O-200 Continental, but it did this as an intentional test running on 5 cylinders. Running on all cylinders, this engine comfortably exceeds 125hp, with no reduction in reliability.
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For more information, Call the SPA/Panther Corvair engine parts hotline at 904-626-7777.
