f16man

I did't read all the answers here , but all the performance engines will have extra large transfer ports up the side of the case some go out as far as the mount pad as on mac and cmb marine engines , rossi and picco are also pretty big, The reason is there is a larger fuel air mixture available at the port opening , these engines with a well tuned pipe have crazy power. kinda like a tunnel ram intake on a automotive hotrod v8.

1QwkSport2.5r

So here is my Picco. Yeah, I know it's nothing super special.. But it is the first non-RTR engine I've bought for an RC truck in 18 years... No notes in the paperwork as to production date like Novarossi does, but it wouldn't bother me to know a rough vintage. If I can find a way to make a bump box work with an LST truck, I'll track down the necessary parts to convert it from pullstart to bump start as I know this will free up some power. I'm considering before running it to have it modified for ridiculous power, but I haven't decided. I wouldn't have the money for that until late March.

Does this engine have the latest Picco carb (the "pro"?)? It has an 8mm insert. My Novarossi BX21 has the same size carb albeit without the ability to change venturis.

supertib

I read that wrong..I thought you bought a bumpstart engine LOL

1QwkSport2.5r

If the LST truck was bump box friendly, I'd have gotten the parts to convert my pullstart engine. It's all good for now. I'll probably make a custom bump box and just put a slightly larger diameter flywheel on the engine. This Picco has the carb a good bit higher than the SH engines, so a larger flywheel should fit easily. This was the last Picco .28 they had. They had a bunch of older Picco .21s, Force .21s, a few Collari .21, .27, and .30s, some Sirios, and a few other obscure ones I hadn't seen.

supertib

No need to do anything to the carb, but consider drilling the insert to 9mm.... Dynamite pipe is good so is OFNA...not the same as Novarossi, but still decent pipes......... magic on these engines is in the manifold...and sadly on the LST I Am not sure what to recommend...

1QwkSport2.5r

I'll either drill the insert or find a 9mm one. My hobby shop probably has one.

Ill measure the length of the stock LST header and go from there.

1QwkSport2.5r

The stock LST header is 110mm long approximately. Probably a little shorter if I measured through the center of the header from the outer edge of the flange to the outer edge of the other end. It's probably 30% longer than a standard buggy horseshoe shaped header.

1QwkSport2.5r

So I think I'm gonna take a chance and use the 41015 Short Conical manifold (listed as for 3.5cc on-road), and 50014/ EFRA 9886 on-road pipe.... But it doesn't appear that the pipe has the right fitting on it to match the header. Am I going in the wrong direction here? Also, the 50014 9886 is a lot cheaper than the regular off-road 9886 and about 20% cheaper than the on-road 9853. I got this info from Novarossi Direct. Any thoughts, Neal? Or would a Nova manifold and Dynamite or Ofna 086 be close enough to the Nova 9886? I mean, if there's only a mild difference, then I will save the money and get the Dynamite or Ofna units. I'm just a basher; no racing. Would the pipe choice be that much more different if I had the engine modified?

1QwkSport2.5r

What a pain in the butt. The Ofna 086 is hard to find, the Dynamite 086 only comes with a header that I don't need (and already have one of)...

supertib

Sometimes trial and error is the best way

1QwkSport2.5r

Any input on using a 50014 pipe and 41015 header? Can it be done? If it can, I'll just do that.

supertib

I wouldn't do that... you want a ring coupler on both manifold and pipe


For breakin I suggest a high idle for 10 minutes, head wrapped in foil , blow heat down the center as needed ..then after 10 minutes of idling get it on the ground and start driving it.... lean it out enough that it will stay running, then gently run the truck around for as many consecutive tanks as possible...progressively getting into it more and more.. using the tinfoil wrap to regulate heat.we want it slightly hot and plenty rich......at first be as gentle as possible but the longer you run it the harder and harder you push it....These Picco's have super hard pistons and a simple idle breakin just wont do the trick, they pretty much have to be run in by load, if not a breakin can take a couple of gallons.....

1QwkSport2.5r

I'm not one that believes a tight ABC or AAC engine should ever be idled for any length of time. The conrod bushings need rpm to seat properly which is probably the most important part of the break-in process. My process involves getting the engine fired up and running so it will warm up quickly and start running it. I don't beat the crap out of it right away by any means. In colder weather, I do wrap the head in an old sock usually, run it fairly rich but not sloppy rich and cold. As long as it's over 200F, its game on.

The attached photo comes from the break-in for Dub Jett aircraft engines, but the same info works for car engines. The only difference is car engines are not setup anywhere near as tight as Dub's engines. The idea overall is get it warmed up, keep it rich, and run it. I don't mention any of this to argue - just to add a little different perspective. If you have anything to add or counter, I welcome you to share.

I ordered a Dynamite 086 pipe to get started with, and as soon as I sell a few other engines, I'll order a header. Later this spring when I order the Nova 28-8, I'll track down a 9886 pipe for it and maybe compare the two pipes side by side and see how it works on the heavy LST2 trucks.

Nitrovein

Preheat the engine before you start it, they can be a little rough in the sleeve so scoring the piston can happen.
I clean up the ports before I start a break in to avoid the problem, but preheating is always a good idea anyhow on a new engine.

1QwkSport2.5r

If the ambient air temp is cool - below 60F, I do warm up the crankcase a bit before firing for the first time. Especially if the engine has a pullstart. The cheap plastic spool in the pullstart never lasts long when starting new engines. I will probably put a Losi spin starter on my Picco. Much quicker and easier to start new engines.

Nitrovein

Picco can have a little coarse plating in the port openings, I recommend you preheat to 85c(185F) before trying to start it.
I try to keep it between 85c-105c(185-220F) during break in, but that's just me.
A cleanup work is never a bad idea anyway, but we all do it differently.

1QwkSport2.5r

I had a look at the liner - it was smooth as a baby's butt with some nice cross hatching. Do they assemble these .28s with the rod and piston assembled together or is the rod installed onto the crankpin and piston installed after?

Nitrovein

The rod and piston is assembled first, then mounted on the crank.

It's not easy to feel or see if it's a little coarse in the sleeve. Put the piston in there and make sure it doesn't feel like it's catching any edges when you pull/push it up and down. If it feels good, run it, but I advice a good preheat anyway.

1QwkSport2.5r

I will preheat it either way, no worries there. The conrod wouldn't come off the crankpin. I put a zip tie behind it and put some pressure on it, but didn't want to force it. It was only coming about halfway off the crankpin.

Nitrovein

They are a tight fit when new, a zip tie will usually work or an allen wrench, but you need to pull the crank forward at the same time (crankpin at 12 o'clock).
It's easier to reassemble it, if you decide to take it apart.

1QwkSport2.5r

Yeah, I was doing that. It would have required a lot more force than I was comfortable with putting on it. I don't want to damage the lower rod bushing.

Nitrovein

I know the feeling! That's the way they come.

1QwkSport2.5r

I'll look at it again later. I dont think there should being problems with it as it is, but I will make sure. I haven't decided if I should send it off to get modified before I run it or not. I am more than capable of adding some blowdown timing to it which seems to be the common mod for these guys, but I'm not sure what else is usually done. Probably silicone the crank to smooth that flow path out some I suppose.

Nitrovein

According to the numbers I have I doubt it needs any more blowdown. Maybe stagger the transfers by increasing the boost port and adding a little of exhaust too, the crank can use attention too.
But I have never ran this engine and I'm not sure the numbers I got is accurate...

Nitrovein

If you are going to run a short manifold you might want to take a route with modifications that will work better with that.
41017 is long and conical, that might be the best of the worst... But I haven't ran anything like this, so take it for what it's worth.