I didn't see that as a problem. Getting involved in talking about engines is what this thread is all about. Your inputs have been very informative so keep 'em coming!

Harvey

NV Engines is selling off old stock and assembling from new parts. That said, they are doing some things on their own-the new .40 gasoline glow motor isn't identical to the old .40 glow motor so they have acquired some talent recently. The old company had it's employees scatter to the wind when they folded so the new owners are having to rebuild.

Andrew,

My Norvel's cylinder is black and has holes to access the base screws. The carb is also held in place with a screw. According to the sticky at the beginning of this forum, I have a late model Big Mig .061. Is this one of the "good" Norvels?

Harvey

I've flipped through the Norvel sticky but it's a long one so I might have missed this...

What are your opinions on a glow plug for a .61 Big Mig? Should I use an adapter and a #8 OS or Fox glow plug, or stick with the original Norvel plug?

Harvey

Use the Norvel, Merlin or even Cox TD plug. Any conversion to a regular plug will be a loss in performance on a smaller motor. The only exception would be a Turbo or Nelson style plug conversion.

Generally, your original NORVEL plug will give better performance than an adapter using a standard glow plug. However, if you wish to use an adapter, most folks here have seen a performance increase with the Galbreath head/NELSON plug combination. The Galbreath head was developed by Doug Galbreath, a competitive 1/2A freeflight flyer, for use on COX motors. However, the thread pattern is the same for the NORVEL. NELSON plugs were developed by Henry Nelson for use in pylon racing. The pylon racers run their engines at their very limit and the NELSON plugs were built tough enough to withstand all out engine runs during the races, consequently, they are very long lived when used in 1/2A sized engines.

Plugs and heads are available from Kitting It Together . Larry Driskill runs Kitting It Together, is a very competitive 1/2A C/L combat flyer and designer and is a super guy to deal with. If you decide to use the NELSON plugs, use the HD and not the hot plug. These plugs differ from a standard plug since they seat on a taper at the bottom of the plug rather than the usual copper compression washer, giving the combustion chamber a smoother shape.

Norvels are undercompressed with the stock plugs, so dropping compression by installing an RC Short conversion head is less than ideal.

This is why the nelson heads are an improvement-they actually raise compression to where it needs to be. I really wish someone would come up with a turbo conversion that has a properly designed combustion chamber with proper squish area. Nelsons aren't the answer because the plug diameter alone dictates the design of the chamber as it's so large. Reworking Norvel heads is actually a viable solution if you have the lathe to do it.

Per your recommendation, I just tried to place an order for a Galbreath Head and a couple of HD plugs but had problems with the checkout page. When I hit "Contact Us", I received a message saying that page had been removed. He's not a "super guy to deal with" if you can't get through to him.

I guess I won't be ordering from Kitting It Together!

Harvey

I just went to the site and went through the ordering process up to payment with PayPal. His contact page also came up. You might give it one more shot.

Nope, still doesn't come up. Tried it from both of my e-mail accounts.

I've had the same problem trying to order straight from his web site..it just wont allow me past a certain point. Now that my computer has gone through a slight upgrade I might try ordering again. Too many other people order from his web site AOK, so I've always figured the trouble was at my end.

If I had his phone number, I could take it from there,

Harvey

If you are going to talk to him, maybe ask him (or Doug Galbreath) to make them for a Turbo plug. It is a bit smaller for the little motors and there are more heat ranges and manufacturers to choose from.

Here is the Doug Galbreath site --- the originator of the Galbreath head/NELSON plug combo.

http://www.the-printer.net/DookCat.html#head

Andrew,

I e-mailed Doug Galbreath about getting a head for my Norvel .and he needs to know if the .049 and "Big Mig" .061 use the same head. He has them for the .049 but doesn't know if it'll work on the Big Mig .061.

Do you know?

Harvey

Also,

Where can I get parts for my Norvel? I need a Throttle Lever (p/n 100202) because the previous owner drilled out the actuator hole in the one that I have. This is probably a sixty five cent part that will likely cost me $15.95 for shipping and handling! :(

Harvey

The head will fit both the .049 and the .061. You might want to get an extra set of head gaskets (shims) since they are prone to getting bent or crimped with use. Parts are available thru NVEngines.com, however, I didn't see a throttle lever offered separately.

andrew

Thanks!

Harvey

Harvey,

The same plug/head is used on the Norvel .049/.061, AP Wasp .061, and Cox .049's.

Another point: We can tell you how well (or not) our engines run but what you actually need to do is try YOUR engines on a bench run (for better control) and see what you have. You may have excellent examples of one kind or another that will tell you what to use.

I would suggest you start with a proper break-in per manufacturers instructions and go from there. Both ABC, ABN, and Revlite (aluminum oxide) do not need heat cycles, just running. It may take as much as an hour for them to reach peak but just a few runnings will make them ready for the air as well as a little better handling. Use recommended prop sizes. The Norvel and AP Wasp engines like to rev. Not sure about the TT .07 but I THINK it peaks a bit slower.

Good luck with them. BTW, all my NORVEL engines have been good runners, both ABC and Revlite.

George

An hour????

Shoot, one of my .074's has 4 hard hours on it-some of which were pretty lean runs-and it's still so tight that if I crushed up BBQ charcoal and dumped it down the venturi while it runs it would poop out diamonds. I don't dare flip it by hand when it's cold and primed, takes two men and a boy to get it unstuck. That said, an engine that makes great power but runs ok and takes it's sweet time breaking in is a good thing AFAIK. Piston fits on all non-ring engines is either coming or going-I'm just waiting for mine to 'wake up' like people here say they do and give me the extra 1,000-1500rpm I am missing out on. 16,500 on an APC 6.3-4 is the best it will do. Same for the one on my Herr P-51. Great performance, just not what they give at their best.

They are either going to start giving up the goods or I'ma fab up one of them tuned pipes like Andy did...

How about the others?

George

Of the 9 or so (Lost count) NV .074s I've got, One is a low time diesel conversion done by Gkamysz that I haven't run since, one is on a JMG Penetrator, one is in a Herr P51 I am currently flying also, and the rest are all new with no time on them. I want to do a multi engine with them but not knowing how they break in or if some are better than others is making me hold off on that project. 1500rpm would cause trim problems on a twin...

I may also make an inline twin with two cylinder/piston sets...I'd like to do an alternate firing twin and the large fin diameter on the cylinders makes for more room to make the disc valve for both crank case halves. Someday...

Sounds like some projects worth watching for!

Harvey

That's not too bad, mine gives me a little above 17000rpm but not much more on the APC 6.3x4 prop and 10% nitro (and 20% all castor). You might not have an optimum compression setting, or the throttle barrel might be off center a little at full throttle (see picture below). These rotate on a thread and can be changed by half a turn or more to line up correctly at full throttle. The throttle stop (excenter screw) can also hinder at full throttle, so just get rid of than one...

I have also made an integrated spring starter for my engine (see picture below), works great!

I believe the 'new' Norvels are mostly being made from old stock parts while the company gets set back up again. They do have some machining capability from the sounds of it but things like batch anodizing the cylinders will require a facility set up for it. They may have that capability now though, the new gasoline powered .40 glow motor they have looks to have a different jug than the AX-40 did so who knows?

I'd buy a new NV engine with confidence if you ask me.