Original Posted By: "Patrick Panzera"
Subject: Pietenpol-List: Back at it.Yesterday I took a strip of wood five and one half foot long strip, 1/4'x1/2', and nails and used the strip for a french curve, along the points I'd already measured out for the wing rib. Like modeling!! Pine board instead of homosote, nails instead of pins, spruce instead of balsa! If my spruce "french curve" did not hit ALL the points spot-on, I didn't worry: the original curve followed the way a strip of wood could be bent, so I figgered the wood knew more about it than my measured points. Cut out the full size paper rib, and spray-painted around it on the board. Two sessions and I've nearly got the rib jig. Much more relaxing than wrenching on the engines. (Hammer and billet on kerosene-soaked pistons!)________________________________________________________________________________
Pietenpol-List: Back at it.
RE: Pietenpol-List: Engine question
Original Posted By: "Barry Davis"
> There are so many nice little inline water-cooled fours available out of> cars these days, but as Tim mentioned... you'd be blazing new trails every> time you adapt a new one. And most (all?) would require a redrive to put> the power in the right RPM range for our props and speeds.On paper a Corvair needs a redrive to extract its full potential, but thebeauty of it is that when you elect to leave some HP on the table and accepta lower output by going direct drive and limiting the revs accordingly, youadd simplicity and longevity. I'm sure there are any number of lightweight import (water-cooled, DOHC, 16Vetc.) four bangers that make 125-145+ ponies at 6K RPM, that probably couldmake 85HP+ @ 3250 RPM direct drive and power a Piet nicely.BUT!!! as mentioned, the builder would be a pioneer.Pat________________________________________________________________________________
> There are so many nice little inline water-cooled fours available out of> cars these days, but as Tim mentioned... you'd be blazing new trails every> time you adapt a new one. And most (all?) would require a redrive to put> the power in the right RPM range for our props and speeds.On paper a Corvair needs a redrive to extract its full potential, but thebeauty of it is that when you elect to leave some HP on the table and accepta lower output by going direct drive and limiting the revs accordingly, youadd simplicity and longevity. I'm sure there are any number of lightweight import (water-cooled, DOHC, 16Vetc.) four bangers that make 125-145+ ponies at 6K RPM, that probably couldmake 85HP+ @ 3250 RPM direct drive and power a Piet nicely.BUT!!! as mentioned, the builder would be a pioneer.Pat________________________________________________________________________________