Well,

First I'll answer the questions. Dan, as a matter of fact I was a machinist for a number of years before I moving into design engineering. However don't thing that you need to be a professional machinist to do this sort of work. There are good sourses for learning machining and equipment and tooling are now inexpensive enough to have without feeling guilty unless you can't stand Chinese products.

Dual, I have a ball builting and restoring engines. There is nothing like it when it first fires and runs. The first flight of a new model is exciting but in a different way. Engines are only assemlies of parts until they run.



Here are a few starting shots. In this series you see the case machining fixture being made. The cylindrical part is to allow chucking in the lathe to do the boring and threading work. In addition to thatcylinder there will be another bolte to the bottom to allow machining of the top features of the case. As I get into the case machining it will become obvious. The thread I will be cutting is a 32 pitch left hand thread. The construction of this engine is unusual because the crank amd main bearing thread into the front of the case rather than the crank being inserted fron the rear and a seperate cover being used to seal the case.

This engine will have a bore of .51" and a stroke of .5". Slightly over squared and a high performance engine for its era. It will have a rear rotary valve as well. Porting is what is called the original "Schnurle" like the Cox engines.

1st pic, fixture block laid out
2 & 3rd shots, fixture in machinging
4th shot, case setting in partially finished fixrture to check clearances.