Category: Engine

This is part three in the ‘new sources’ series.

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Builders:

The second decision to be made when building an engine is which displacement to use. The Corvairs Pistons, Rods and Cylinders are covered in Group 1300 and Group 1400 in the conversion manual. Here are the ‘Common’ displacement choices for builders: 2,700 cc’s,  2,850 cc’s and 3,000 cc’s.

( Additionally there are two other displacements on the availability horizon, 2,775 cc’s and 3,300 cc’s. )

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The conversion manual covers the choices in great detail, and we have links below the pictures to specific stories for builders who would like to read more in detail. To stay focused here, I want to concentrate on where a builder goes to get the parts for each of the Groups involved.

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2,700 cc: Traditionally, these parts are ordered from Clarks Corvairs in MA. ( http://www.corvair.com/user-cgi/main ) . Clarks offers two brands of forged pistons, and all the specific part numbers are contained in the conversion manual. We have always guided builders directly to readily available source rather than trying to ‘middle man’ these parts.

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2,850 cc: We have been selling these kits for a number of years, and they are flying on a large number of aircraft . In the last 24 months, we have had trouble getting the proprietary new cylinder that these kits are based on. This has caused delays in deliveries. We can still get them in a trickle, but in the long run I am working to replace this option with the 2,775 cc kit, which is based on the original 1965-69 GM cylinder. The 2,850 kit pricing is on our page : http://www.flycorvair.com/products.html

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3,000 cc: The person who originated this displacement and kit is Dan Weseman. Not only did he place the original piston order with R&D costs, it was his particular experience base and flight testing that refined the design and set the displacement. Although I have sold 3,000 cc kits, and I have used the same machine shops here in Florida for the work, I am now steering builders buying a 3,000 cc kit to get it directly from Dan Weseman at his site: https://flywithspa.com/corvair/ .  He has invested to buy a great number of piston sets, several hundred cylinders, and he is the source for new billet connecting rods. He also has on the shelf, exchange cases pre-machined to the 3,000 cc cylinder size. The pay off is that any builder can now just buy the parts right off the shelf.  I will still be building complete production 3,000 cc engines, but when I need the parts to assemble one I will just get the from Dan, just like builders .

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As a courtesy while he was focused on developing the Panther aircraft, Dan Weseman allowed Mark at Falcon and Roy’s Garage to order the piston sets off his original design card. In order to insure interchangeable parts, Dan, Mark and Roy agreed to a set of dimensions for the machine work on the cylinders, but each of them had cylinders made at a different location. Although it would have made more sense for Mark and Roy to try to get caught up on their backorders on heads and 5th bearings respectively, they didn’t choose that path. In the end, they, as one person shops were spread too thin to do any of the jobs well, and they don’t have the resources to stockpile parts and kits on the shelf. Thus, any builder who wants to build his own 3,000 cc engine without long delays should just get all the Group 1300 and Group 1400 parts from Dan Weseman.

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Above, Dan Weseman and I at the test run of his 3,000 cc Panther engine. No person flies a Corvair harder than Dan. His engine has performed flawlessly through a full 18 months of aerobatics. To Learn more about 3,000 cc engines read these links: Why Not the Panther engine? and The Panther’s engine, worlds strongest Corvair flight engine.

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Above, a 2,850 in my front yard. I built this particular engine around a Weseman billet crank, thus,the only used parts in this engine are the case halves, the head castings, the oil case casting, the distributor body and some misc. hardware. The rest, including the cylinders, pistons rods, crank, and all conversion parts are brand new. Read more here: New 2850cc / 110hp Corvair in photos. to read a bout the first 2,850cc engine, now with hundreds of flight hours, read this: Woody’s 2,850cc Corvair/601XL hits 400 hours.

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 Above, Dan and Rachel stand on either side of their 3.3 engine at Oshkosh.  Read the story at this link: SPA / Weseman 3.3 Liter Corvair now running

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Above, our 601XL pictured at Brodhead WI in 2004. The first 200 flight hours on the plane were done with a 2,775 cc Corvair that we specifically built to test the displacement.  The combination offers a slight power increase over a 2700 cc engine, but is specifically aimed at using standard automotive gasoline. We are bringing this combination back to an off the shelf kit in 2015.

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-ww.

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This is part four in the ‘new sources’ series.

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Builders:

In part three of the new sources series, I want to draw attention back to a trio of stories that focused on the parts required to get through the first milestone in engine building, a “Closed Case”.  Getting to this point is a natural goal of attending a single College and working at a relaxed pace. Having a closed case done already when you show up at a College is an easy path to having a running engine at that college. While plenty of builders have done the whole thing in one College from bare case to running engine, the two step processes is much more common.

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Remember that half of all engines are finished at builders workshops, not at Colleges. Many builders opt to gather the parts for a Closed case, attend a College, get through that work, and still have time to closely study other engines being finished through the test run. Armed with their closed case, these observations and learning, they head home to finish their motor. There are many paths to success, you need only choose one that suits you.

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Above, Rear quarter view of “Closed Case” that has just had the pistons, rods and cylinders (groups 1300 and 1400) added. It is a 3,000 cc engine with a GM 8409 crank prepped by the Weseman’s with one of their Gen II  5th bearings. Visible in the photo is our #2000-HV rear oil cases.

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Below are links to the three parts of the “Closed Case” story. I highly suggest that anyone heading to a college review these in detail:

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Closing a case at a College, Part #1

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Closing a case at a College, Part #2

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Closing a case at a College, Part #3

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-ww.

This is part two in the ‘new sources’ series.

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Builders.

The most basic decision on building a Corvair Engine is which 5th bearing to use. While people still do build 4 bearing engines, and it is possible to later upgrade these with Weseman Gen I retro-fit 5th bearings, my conversion manual outlines the logic of why it is preferable to start the build with a 5th bearing, and why in the big scheme of things why builders on a budget should elect to delay things like radios or elaborate paint jobs instead of putting off a 5th bearing.

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5th bearings have been around Corvairs for more than 10 years. Between 1960 and 2005 virtually no Corvair used a 5th bearing, but with the increasing output and wider range of applications we used the Corvair for, it because understood that they are a very good idea on modern engine builds. Because the Weseman Gen I bearing is retrofit-able and very affordable, almost half the fleet flying before 2005 has be retrofitted with them, and with the addition of Gen II bearings for new engine builds, Weseman 5th bearings have come to completely dominate the fleet of flying Corvair powered planes. The Weseman’s have produced hundreds of them, they work, they are affordable, they are field installable by the builder in a few hours, They are built of the highest quality CNC equipment and they are well supported. For these reasons, they outnumber any other design by more than 10 to 1.

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In our Conversion manual, We discuss three different bearing designs. They are Group 3000 Weseman Bearings, Group 3100 Roy’s garage Bearings, and Group 3200, my 5th bearing design. This article series is on making good source choices for progress. I will cut to the chase here and say it plain: If you are serious about building and flying, Choose a Weseman Group 3000 bearing (either a Gen I or II) for your project, period.

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Above, Close up showing Weseman Gen II billet 5th bearing. Early models had heat treated cast housings, but for many years, both Gen I and Gen II Weseman bearings have Billet aluminum housings made on CNC machines by a major aerospace manufacturer. These housings have bearing inserts from an American V-8 that are easily and inexpensively replaceable, without having to split the case. The housing is indexed to the case, and can be removed and replaced, and it goes right back into index. I have installed dozens of these on Corvair flight engines. They are readily available, in stock, on the shelf items available, along with matching cranks from the Weseman’s:

https://flywithspa.com/corvair/

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Consider this: I have my own bearing design,  Group 3200;  It has been proven for almost ten years, it has flown hundreds of hours, I have one on my own plane. I could promote them and sell them for a profit, but I don’t. My motivation isn’t to just sell things and make money, it is to recommend the best parts and sources for builders, and this is more important that egotistically promoting something because I thought of it and made it, when there is something that when considered objectively, better serves builders. This is why all the production engines I build have Weseman bearings on them, and why strongly recommend them to every builder.

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The bearing from Roy’s garage is Group 3100 in the manual.  It is a good design, and no one has done more than I have in the past to promote Roy’s work as an option. The limitation of the design is that each case and crank must be shipped to Roy, where the bottom end has to be hand machined by Roy. This is a labor intensive process, and if he was doing nothing else, he would be pressed to make 20 assemblies per year. In the past I have had Roy as a guest at many Colleges and for several years in my booth at Oshkosh. For a long time he has had a back order list well over a year. Instead of ‘sticking to the knitting’ and addressing this, he has spent hundred of hours on “R&D” goose chases. At the start of 2015, I quietly told him I was no longer comfortable promoting his work or having him come to colleges, as it didn’t seem he was serious about getting caught up. His response has been to spend his time developing a ‘secret’ modification to allegedly make 20% more power, telling builders that our CNC parts don’t fit Corvairs, and trying to promote the idea that he alone, a guy without a pilot’s nor A&P licenses, who has never owned any plane, somehow knows better than anyone else how to build and operate these engines. I have been working in experimental aviation for more than 25 years, and let me offer the observation that many people who started with a good basic product, but came to see themselves as more brilliant than everyone around them, didn’t last much longer.

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Many builders understand that it will take several years, on average to build their plane. That is fine, but builders need to choose their sources carefully. and not start off by sending their case away for a year or two when a better option exists, when they can make immediate progress. A builder, signed up for a college, can simply call the Weseman’s and buy a bearing right off the shelf, we can bolt it together at the college, and with little effort head home with a closed case. That is getting a year head start on the process. It also costs less money. For anyone who might claim that my endorsement of the Weseman bearing is related to money, guess again. When I put one on an engine, I pay full price for it, and because I live in the same state, I pay tax on it. My promotion of it is simply because it is the best option for any builder who wants to make progress.

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-ww.

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This is part one in the ‘new sources’ series.

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Builders,

One of the most common question builders ask is for a clarification of where to get each of the Groups outlined in the Conversion manual. ( Brand New 250 page 2014 Manual- Done ) The Chapters in the manual are organized in “Groups.”

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Each group is a logically collected set of parts that can be discussed as a single chapter. The groups are also organized so that a builder can order everything in a group from a single supplier, greatly simplifying collecting all the parts for a build.

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Above, Front quarter view of a modern 2,850 cc Corvair. This engine was built and run at our shop about a month ago. The new sources reflected in this series allow builders a much easier path to building their own engine, they are the exact ones I used to build the above engine.

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Groups 1000 through 3300, are the parts needed to get an engine running. (read more:   Running an Engine at a College, required items. #1  and Running an Engine at a College, required items. #2 ). Groups 3400 through 4600 are associated with airframe installation. For this discussion I would like to stay focused on where the parts come from for each group in getting your engine running.

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While the conversion manual discusses in detail possible sourcing options, I am going to focus here on what 90-95% of builders are choosing today, the people making progress and getting engines going. Although plenty of engines have gone from greasy core to running engine in 30 days, the norm for many builders is to integrate their engine build with their airframe build, and work on both at the same time. Most of these builders spread the engine over 6 to 9 months, often attending two colleges. To get to the finish line, two things have to happen: You have to start, and you have to work with people who are serious about supporting your learning and progress.

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Keeping the above paragraph in mind, we will see that some of the sources from years past are no longer my primary choice, we have better ones today. Some of the old sources are upset about this,  but my allegiance is to builders, not ‘friends’ who were once an option for builders. In the 26 years I have been doing this, sources have changed over time, but my allegiance to builders has never wavered.

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We will Cover this group by group over this weekend. Get your manuals and check lists out, particularly if you are heading to a College. Using the best, most reliable sources is the path of progress at Colleges and on your project.

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-ww.

Builders:

Dan and Rachel Weseman, SPA/Panther people, are now testing their latest development in flying Corvairs, a 3.3 liter engine featuring one of their USA made billet crankshafts, with the stroke increased by .312″. This in combination with the same bore as a 3,000 cc Corvair yields 3.3 liters, or 200 cubic inches.

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They test ran the engine a week before Oshkosh, and brought it to display in their booth. It brought a great deal of interest. If you would like to learn more, follow this link, it includes a video Rachel made of the engine on it’s first run:

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https://flywithspa.com/the-stroker-engine-is-here-see-video/

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 Above, Dan and Rachel stand on either side of their 3.3 engine at Oshkosh. It was mounted on the front of Paul Salter’s Panther, which is 90% complete.  SPA/Panther reached a milestone this week, as the first customer built Panther, built by Bob Woolley, went for a perfect test flight.

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-ww.

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Builders,

Below is a look at a 2,850cc engine I built and test ran the first week of June. It is now in the hands of the owner, bolted on his Bearhawk LSA project.

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The engine was built around one of our 2,850 piston and cylinder kit. It features a Weseman billet Crank and rods, and a Gen II 5th bearing. It ran like a banshee. It was on the test stand for about 2 hours of break in runs.

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Every year I build a number of example engines like this, to demonstrate how “state of the art” Corvairs can be custom configured to a particular builders project and needs. The great majority of Corvair flight engines have always been, and will always be, made by the hands of the builders themselves, with our manuals, training and parts, building their own example of a proven engine, like the one above.

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These builders are not motivated by the money savings available, their primary motivation is the be in command of their own project, to learn, understand and know every part of their aircraft. The desire to be the master of your creation, rather than just it’s owner, is at the very core of homebuilding…..

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Many people know this, but the settle for far less, and for a variety of excuses they cede control and understanding of their power plant to a commercial provider, who essentially puts the “no user serviceable parts inside” sticker on their product, demoting the potential of the builder from “master motor head” to ‘consumer’. 95% of the people who put an engine on the front of their homebuilt this year will settle for that. Many people find comfort in doing what the masses do, they need to know that the ‘trend’ is. For the small minority who don’t concern themselves with the ‘choices’ of others, Only interested in what will advance their own mastery and control, we have the Corvair.

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If that sounds like you, welcome, we have your seat at the table ready, and you will join the company of the small group of builders who have chosen to discover how much they can learn and get out of homebuilding, not how little.

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Top view showing 2400-L starter arrangement.

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Back view, showing standard intake manifold, HV-2000 oil case, and E/P/X distributor.

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Front quarter view: The only used parts in this engine are the case halves, the head castings, the oil case casting, the distributor body and some misc. hardware. The rest, including the cylinders, pistons rods, crank, and all conversion parts are brand new.

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Rear quarter view: This engine has both electronic and points ignition.

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Front quarter view: The oil line feeds the 5th bearing directly.

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Side View: Corvair is only 16″ tall, the carb adds to this depth slightly, but this is not a ‘blunt’ motor.

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Close up showing Weseman Gen II billet 5th bearing.

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Rear view of 2400- L starter. It does not need a tail bracket. It is more powerful than standard starter while drawing less amps. It is 3 pounds lighter.

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Standard Gold oil Filter Housing. Large blue plug is for test run. In service, this is the oil temp location. Accommodate either electric or mechanical instruments.

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Opposite view of Gold Oil Filter Housing. Port on top is location of oil pressure sender on aircraft.

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Starter in place: The small gold bracket behind ring gear is the inboard section of the front alternator bracket.

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Rear quarter view.

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Engine running on the test stand in our front yard.

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Builders:

Here are the next 3 Groups in a “Completely Closed Case.”

2000 Rear oil Case Group

2100 Harmonic Balancer Group

2400 Starter Group

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Above, Rear quarter view of an engine. It is a 3,000 cc engine with a GM 8409 crank prepped by the Weseman’s with one of their Gen.II  5th bearings. Visible in the photo is our #2000-HV rear oil cases. The cylinders and pistons are from our 3,000 cc Kit. They are the next step after getting through a “Completely Closed Case.” Before closing any case, it is a good idea to read: All about Dipsticks, Part #2206 .

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2000 Rear oil Case Group

This group covers everything in the rear oil case. Although a handful of people rework their own rear case, the majority of builders opt to purchase an #2000-HV rebuilt unit from us. It covers every part in the group. Having one constitutes “checking off” all the individual numbers in the 2000 Group. You can see a report on how this part is made here:  High Volume Oil Pump .

Rear oil case group (2000)

2001- Rear oil case casting

2002- Rear oil seal

2003- 5/16 hold down hardware

2004- 3/8 hold down hardware

2005- Case to block gasket

2006– Oil pump assembly

2007- Oil pump gaskets

2008- Oil pressure regulator piston

2009- Oil pressure regulator spring

2010- Oil pressure regulator plug

2011- Plug washer

2012- Adjustable pressure regulator, (was 2010-A)

We are working on having a CNC version of #2012. To this point, all the ones we have used were hand made by me on the shop lathe, and each of them took about 90 minutes to make, and had about $20 of individual parts. This is OK for prototyping and testing, but not affordable for production to builders. The part is a 1 minute retrofit on any engine, including a fully assembled one. As soon as we have these done, we will let everyone interested know. You can read the story about them here: Adjustable Oil Pressure Regulator, #2010A .

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2100 Harmonic Balancer Group

This group is covered in detail in the new manual. The two elements of the group are below, and you will need both of them to completely close the case. If you don’t have them, they can be added later, but it is a nice part of the compete case assembly to look at it and see it from the safety shaft nut to the bolt holding the balancer and know that everything in between is fully done and ready to go flying.

2101- Harmonic balancer

2102- Balancer bolt and washer

To learn more about the details of installing a balancer, please read this full story before getting to the college:   Balancer Installation.

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2400 Starter Group

The reason why the starter group is an element of closing a case is because a builder must have a #2408- Ring gear to bolt the prop hub on the engine for good. While this part can be ordered individually, most builders opt to pick up the while group on one shot.  We have this full group as complete kit, with the ultra light weight #2401-L Starter, covered under the single part #2400 -L. Ordering this group covers every part in the 2400 Group, and again allows the builder to “check off ” all the individual numbers in the group.  The story covering this can be rear here:  2400-L Starter

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2401- Starter.

2402- Starter mounting brackets

2403- Tail bracket.

2404- Fine gear.

2406- Top cover gasket.

2406- Top cover gasket.

2407- 5/16″-18 Top cover hardware.

2408- Ring gear.

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On to part #4……….