Dan Vincent

Here are the Gilbert .11 "Thunderhead" engines. These were similar to the Fox .09, built by Dynamic Models (Johnson) and sold under the AC Gilbert name.

The standard version lacked the starter and exhaust silencers of the "Deluxe" version. The silencers also fit the Fox and Hustler .10 engines.

Glo heads interchange with Fox .09, Fox and Hustler .10 and Cox .15. Combustion chambers vary in the different glo heads.

Minor differences can be found such as pressed-in or built-up needle valve spray bars.

MikeSell

My Feedback: (2)

I have several of these. The first I got new when I was in sixth grade about 1964. I have added a homemade carb to one and it works quite nicely. I installed a .15 size perry carb on anothe and I can't keep it running. The rest have been left alone to run as intended. The one with the hommade carb turned a 7x3 Gilbert prop at 12,800 when last flown. Easily out turning a magnum .10 with the same prop.

johnvb-RCU

My Feedback: (1)

These have been coming up on E**y quite regularly, for quite cheap money too. I bought an .11 and a .07. Both very easy to start and run very well for 40 yr old engines.

Are the .07 glowheads interchangeable with any others?

Dan Vincent

John,

Don't know 'bout the Gilbert-7. I would try a Fox .07 glo-head, maybe it will work like the Fox .09 & .10 heads do on the Gilbert 11.

I've heard the .11 is a pretty strong runner. They were very cheap at one time.

BobHH

My Feedback: (18)

Strangly I have the Gilbert .07 and .11 NIB "New IN the Bag" I pick up with some other engines I bought recently. All seems to be original in a clear plastic bag with paper label stapled on top Really did not know what they were worth or how they would run. I may just take them out and give them a try!!

Bob Harris
Early RC Models
www.earlyrcmodels.com

combatpigg

My Feedback: (3)

My .11 turns an APC 7-3 @ 13000 rpm on 15% fuel. I am using a FOX .15 spraybar/needle that has been lathed down to allow good airflow. This engine runs just well enough to justify its' existence. I have converted the head to standard short glow plugs. I have wondered what kind of toy this thing was bolted to back in the day, it reminds me of an over grown TESTORS 049.

johnvb-RCU

My Feedback: (1)

13,000rpm is good revs for an iron and steel sideport engine! I've only run mine on 8" props. Don' know what revs but it was more like 9k from memory. I might have to switch to 7".

mclintock

My Feedback: (3)

virginiahobbysport.com lists the .11 on their engines page, new in bag for about 26 dollars..
Lotsa engines there. gotta love the dual exaust.

dennis

My Feedback: (90)

Dan, I think that I posted this before but years ago Polks was clearing these out [07&11] at $5.00 apiece in bag with tank,prop, and extra glow plug. I bought about 5 of each. I believe that Tower Hobbies has a stock of plugs for the motor as they were clearing them out for about $20 a motor a few years ago.
It's a revelation that Johnson was making these as I had always been told that these were made by K&B under contract. Johnson I believe by 64 was not really doing that well in the motor field, remember the 09 Bulldog came at the end of the Johnson line and to this day I still can't fathom why he ever made it.
Metallurgy wasn't the best on them and some were a little better then others. I never tried other plugs for the 07 because even if the fox 07 head fit it is a hard head to come by easily.
These were made for the Gilbert line of planes(2) and i presume that they wanted a little more displacement because of the side port design which is a little less efficient then shaft induction and also to handle their planes which were heavy.

Dan Vincent

Dennis,

That was around the time when Dynamic became interested in slot car goodies.

If K&B had made them they would have been a lot prettier and I doubt if they would be associated with an old sideport design. However, K&B did make engines for other companies.

In the early '50's there was a fire in the Spitfire factory so Mel Anderson had K&B make a run of Spitzy .045's. John simplified the backplate and added some length to the tank. John was surprised when Mel showed him a casting sprue for the Spitzy cases. Each tank had a different number. One might be a 3, another a 6, 7 or 9. Mel was trying to confuse other engine manufacturers, making them think he had already made 8 or 9 production runs. I used to see guys trying to collect all the different production runs of the Spitzy when they all could have been made on any given day.

Veco .19 and .61 engines were eventually sold a K&B's.

One K&B engine I really liked was the '72 Series .15 Schneurle. It was aimed at the RC Quarter Midget class that was getting very popular then. When I was talking to a friend in the K&B Service Department I told him I had just purchased one. He asked me if I had run it yet and I said no. He explained that the early run had soft piston/liner combos and they had made a harder setup. He said to send him the engine and he would update it to the latest state of tune. A part of the upgrade included a solid crankpin while the early run had a hollow pin.

The upgraded K&B .15S had fantastic torque for a .15. When K&B stopped making them I asked John if he was going to make another model. He said he was making another super-hot .15 for another company. It never dawned on me what it was when the Cox Conquest .15 showed up some time later. Later on the Cox Conquest .15 was sold under the K&B/Cox .15 name.

MikeSell

My Feedback: (2)

The planes these came in were quite heavy and included steel dural type gear with the solid wheels riveted on. The Gilbert props do not let an engine rev well. When testing props on a Norvel .074 a friend got about 12,000 out of the Gilbert but 14,000 from a Cox 7x3.5 gray. That said the Gilbert out turned the Norvel .074 on the same prop and the .074 usually out turns most current .10s with a 7x3. This particular Gilbert was "cleaned up" a little.

Dan Vincent

Being a sideport design, these Gilbert engines are easily converted to ignition by guys who can machine.

I think I have a picture of one someplace.

BobHH

My Feedback: (18)

Dan, just got back from a trip to Suffolk, Va. on business. I ran across a little hobby shop with about 3 each of these Gilberts .011 and .07 still in the bags! I think he was asking about $20.00 each. Let me know if anyone is interested I can give you his number.

Bob Harris
Early RC Models
www.earlyrcmodels.com

Jim Thomerson

I had a couple of different heads, not sure if they were Fox or Gilbert or what. They would screw into Cox 15's but would have been way low on compression. Gene Hempel machined them for me so that they look about like Cox heads on the inside when in place, but I have not tried them.

Sounds like the Gilbert engines were better than you would think.

Jim

BobHH

My Feedback: (18)

Here are a few pictures of what the guy in Va. has. Any history on these?

Bob Harris
Early RC Models
www.earlyrcmodels.com

MikeSell

My Feedback: (2)

I bought some that looked like that from Tower Hobbies when they had a clearance sale. It was on one of those which I installed a homemade carb.

AWC

Glad to have found you all takling about Gilbert engines.
My dad sent me some from the UK to use in vintage models for FF. They are all used, and I am having trouble with them.
I can get them to start on 15% Nite fuel better than 25% Nite. My problem is they run backwards more often than forwards.
Can anyone offer suggestions please to resolve this.
Also, I would be interested in contacts for finding a couple of new Gilbert 7 and 11's and parts (glow heads). I would be doing mail order from BC Canada.
Thanks.

burtcs

All: I've got three 011's. The Gilberts aren't bad engines they just won't tear your face off either. As noted they are as apt to start up backward (like Cox Reed Valves and Holland Hornets), they have neutral timing. I got them with the idea of flying NFFS freeflight with them. I've gotten 16k out of two of them with 40% nitro. The third runs but the needle valve won't close down enough for it to lean out. Lay in a stock of glow heads. The glow heads a very cold like current Norvell heads.

For people who don't get it or who hate sure starts you'll hate these things - The rear intake really gets in the way. I've never played with the 074's nor have I ever flown any of my 011's. For my purposes there are other engines that do better.

If you want to flant it, mount the exhaust stacks on it and put it on your Shark Face. Good luck ...

Regards - Steve B.

ptulmer

My Feedback: (5)

Considering this thread is two years old, that's kind of an overstatement.

An electric starter will solve this.


Steve, I sent you a PM.

gcb

I have one .11 from a yard sale and some .07's from the Polk's sale (years ago) mentioned above. They were from a close-out sale when AC Gilbert went out of business.

The .11 is missing the thrust washer, prop washer, and prop nut. I used ones from a Fox.15 steel fin to run the Gilbert .11, then put those parts back on the Fox.

The .07's came as a bag of parts, one of which the crankshaft had not been final ground so it is still in parts. Two (the ones with starters) were apparently pulled out of planes since there was still hunks of plastic and screws on the mounting lugs. All except the one with the unfinished crankshaft ran.

One of the planes that the .07 was in was a pusher configuration on a model ultralight. My two with starters came with nylon pusher props on them.

Note that the .07's have one threaded hole in the mounting lugs rather than the customary two unthreaded holes.

George

AWC

Thanks for the tip. Is 15% fuel ok too?
I would like to get a couple more of these if I can find a consistent way of staring them like using a starter.
Cheers.

gcb

The trick to starting any reed or sideport engine is to get the correct prime. What is happening is that the prime is firing before the piston gets to the top.

One aid is to use a large prop (within reason) to supply some flywheel action.

Prime the engine and flip a few times, then connect the booster and flip to start.

Use a smaller prime.

If these do not help, flip it in the wrong direction. With all other things the same, it should kick it in the correct direction.

You may find that this problem lessens or disappears as the engine is broken-in.

Good luck with it.

George

AWC

Thanks for your help George.
I will try as you suggest. I have used a larger prop, but that did not seem to help. I will try a smaller prime. I was out today and could not get the 7 to fire at all.
We did fly a 1938 Powerhouse with a Gilbert 11. But it needs some trim adjustments.
Anthony.

rainedave

My Feedback: (1)

My dad loves all thing A.C. Gilbert. So, he just bought this Thunderhead .11 which appears to never have been run.

Here's a picture of it with some pages from Gilbert calatogs from the early '60s.

Clean

[link=http://www.virginiahobbysport.com/engines_and_engine_accessories.htm]Gilbert Engines at Virginia Hobbysport[/link] can be had for 26 bucks evidently.

Give em a call.