Walter D

My Feedback: (16)

You guys are light years ahead than me on conversion engines, thus having more fun and for much longer than this pour soul. I need your help again, I came across these three engines, I don't know squat about how good they run, they were used professionally it seems as the units were very dirty and obviously used for a long time (they came from a repair shop).
The one on the left was on a weed eater, the one in the center was used in a chain saw and the one on the right hand side was used as a blower (I think I have the order OK).
The one on the left is a Snapper S31SST - Homelite Zip Starter Versa TLL 25 cc, the Blower was a Weed Eater brand, BlowerVac 960, no idea of its displacement or type of engine.
And I believe the one on the center was a Mc Culloch Mac 130 2 CID, is this around 32 cc?
Compression on these engines is not great, nothing compared to say a Zenoah or something like that, but then again I have some Quadras that feel soft, but run like real champs.
By the looks of it the one on the right will be very hard to use as there is no way to attach it to a mount, the other two can be mounted.
My question to you is do you feel these engines are worth converting or not, probably new rings would be mandatory, then adding mounts, maybe carburators, perhaps a muffler and prop adapters plus the material removal in order to lighten them up, I've no way of knowing if parts are available for them as they might be quite old.
Another question, which would be the top engines to be converted, I know the Ryobi 31 cc is great to work with, and I feel this displacement would probably be the smallest I would use as it doesn't make much sense considering the power to weight ratio, one would probably be better off with a strong glow engine, either a two or a four stroker.
Awaiting your great replies as always, thanks!

davewallace

My Feedback: (29)

Walter,
The engine on the left is a Homelite 25 or 30cc. The center is a Weedeater 18cc or so. The one on the right is a McCulloch 32cc saw engine. The best of the bunch is the Homelite. The Mac will work, but has a needle bearing crank and some are hard to start. The Weedeater in the middle is not much good, as it isn't heavy enough to hold a door open and is a little heavy for the power produced.

Dave

Walter D

My Feedback: (16)

Hey Dave, are you using the 3 pics on the bottom for reference or the ones where the 3 engines are together in the same shot? Thanks for your prompt reply, you've been doing this for a while, no?

davewallace

My Feedback: (29)

Walter,
Top row. The side piston port is the Homelite. The front piston port is the Mac. The bottom reed valve is the Weedeater used in XR-75 etc, about twenty years old. RC forty one years. Modeling fifty four years. Conversions seven years. I never tire of it, but my wife does.

Dave

KenLambert

My Feedback: (107)

on the bottom row of the pics indevidual throw the one on the right away .

davewallace

My Feedback: (29)

Ken,
I had one a many years ago and I threw it away. I thought that I could do something with it until, I tore it down and seen the what it was.


Dave

davewallace

My Feedback: (29)

Walter,
The Weedeater with the intake on the bottom has a use. Pull the crank and cut off the counter weight assembly. You can use the jurnal with the stud as a tool. It works great when triming flywheels and other rotating parts in a lathe or drill press. They will be perfectly centered.

Dave

carlosponti

My Feedback: (1)

isnt that her job. my wife grows tired of my dumpster diving for engine parts

Walter D

My Feedback: (16)

Thank you guys for the replies, as always great tips. Is one still able to find new rings for the Homelite 25 cc to give it a little more pep? How easy are these engines to hand start? or an electric hand starter will do the trick? Or perhaps I should forget about this engine (which needs a lot of metal cutting and finishing) and convert a 31 cc Ryobi instead, which having rear carb and exhaust makes it ideal for R/C use as everything stays inside the cowling (and with no metal clean up). Which other engine with larger displacement, like 45 cc or so do you recommend for conversion, where the necessary attachments are being offered in the market already for such purpose? I hear about the Poulan, is it one of the better ones, I'd like those that hand starts easy or a spring starter can be attached to the rear shaft. What say you?

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

Get the piston rings for engine from....

PISTON RINGS ONLY:
For discontinued piston rings, try contacting Frank Bowman. He manufactures repro and current piston rings for our modeling needs. He can make standard and Dykes type rings. If he doesn't have the ring you need in stock, you send the piston and cylinder and he will make it then. prices are around $9.50. His work is of the finest quality.

Frank can be reached at:
Frank Bowman
1211 N. Allen
Farmington, NM. 87401
505-327-0696 (6 pm to 9pm MST weekdays)
Email: [email protected]

captinjohn

WALT: If you got a Ryobi you can make a mount similar to this. Or just a plate on back with four standoffs. Use dowel or aluminum rod for standoffs. Easy! Capt,n

Walter D

My Feedback: (16)

Capt'n,
That Ryobi look so clean that one has to admire it, I wish they came in bigger displacement with the same inline design.
I see yours has electronic ignition, would like to expand on it?, what size prop are you using on it and what rpm are you getting? have you installed it on an airframe and flown it or are still admiring it on the ground? Any idea how heavy and what size airplane this engine would be able to handle comfortably?. It is kind of difficult to make up the type of mount you have on it, but as you say a flat plate mounted with metal tubing spacer should do the job on almost any installation. And yes, my weedeater is a Snapper with a Ryobi 31 cc, that runs very well, only gallon and a half fuel through it, I am ever so tempted to disect it!! (Isn't it a sick thought?)

w8ye (man, you have a hard name to remember!)

I will keep your email for future reference with the information on Mr. Bowman, thanks much! I was checking your photo gallery and noticed that you have a Homelite 30cc exactly like the one I featured above (the one on the left), only difference being that mine is a 25cc displacement, and you are using it on an Ugly Stick type airplane, what size airplane was this and how much did it weigh ?, were you satisfied with the engine performance on that size airframe?, can you expand on what changes you made to it, seems the muffler is different from the stock one, what about the carburator?, how were you able to fit a prop hub to that long shaft?
were you able to crank this engine by hand or did it need help from the Heavens! Do you believe the 25 cc power to weight ratio is worth the work to convert?

KenLambert

My Feedback: (107)

that ryobi ,stand and house looks identical to the ones flip flop has , have you been hanging out over at his house? LOL

Walter D

My Feedback: (16)

Very impressive shop Ken, I've already had your website on my Favorites, do you fabricate only mufflers or do you also make prop extensions, motor mounts, etc. ?

KenLambert

My Feedback: (107)

thanks I like my shop wished it would get bigger. I pretty much do it all , I am out of town at the time , down here in La but I go home and make a bunch of parts on ocasion and then come back , my wife took a contract here at a hospital for a couple months so have to run back and fourth making parts but it is for fun anyway.

flipflop

WARNING: FURTHER REPUBLICATION, REDISTRIBUTION, OR REPOSTING PICTURES OF FLIPFLOP MOTORS WITHOUT THE EXPRESSED WRITTEN CONSENT OF FLIPFLOP IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED AS THEY ARE PROTECTED BY A MULTITUDE OF NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COPYWRIGHT LAWS.

Hahahaha Guess he likes my motor.

The mount on the engine pictured is a B&B mount, it works but it's a pain in the neck to mount to the firewall and there isn't much room to make your throttle connections. There also isn't enough room for any of the larger aftermarket carbs that you might want to try. The latest version of my mount has enough room for just about everything short of a 650 Holley.