What happened? Did everyone quit converting engines due to the influx of cheap Chinese engines?

Anybody doing anything interesting?

My latest twin cylinder engine won't fit the cowling of my 29% Wild Hare Extra, so I guess my next conversion will be an Echo 65cc for it...

AV8TOR

Dying breed aviator?

I'm looking at a 30cc Stihl, for a mate of mine.

I've told him that it would be more useful as a paper-weight, but he really wants to use it. What can you do?

I think there is still conversion work being done....they got to on most of the China made engines to get them to run right. Its just like buying all the conversion parts at once...then go at it. There are at least 30 different China made engines to convert. You know...install good bearings and a good piston ring. Maybe even a better carb or ignition. Lots of conversion work to be had !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Capt,n

Hey Captin
That really brightened up my morning - Thanks

It is so very true though isn't it.

I make a few bits and pieces (prop hubs and ignition conversions to RCExcel mostly) for buddies who are doing conversions but they are usually the same old engines being converted (Zenoahs, Echo's, Ryobis and Poulans from their old garden equipment). Nothing new in any of those.

I need to get a bigger CamPac (anyone have any good lines on them?) for my 9Z so I can put my new 40 size stick with a Poulan 18cc on it, but there's been a whopping TWO flyable weekends since early February and I was already doing other stuff...

I've been busy with vehicle projects, I did a lift and complete drivetrain swap on my truck, then went wheeling and proceeded to roll it... so, quite the projects.

Ouch, that hurts.... Got a drivetrain swap coming up on my Blazer. Hope I don't have your bad luck!!

AV8TOR

I am converting several Echo, Poulan and Weedeater 2S engines, and I have three 4S Ryobi 26cc engines on the bench. Going to try gas/glow on some and ECDI on some and convert some glow engines to gas ignition. I think I need to buy a lathe to turn prop hubs.

Do you make or have a source for the cases for your two cylinder engines? I would like to make one for my Cub.

Thanks.

Sincerely, Richard

I recently built up a Zenoah G-62 from a crashed one.

The G62 engine has been around since the latter 80's so there are a lot of parts around.

Due to the long time exposure there are many variations of what is available for them and it opens up the possibilities of making one like you want it.

The end result for me was a G62 ,like new, pieced together with parts from several different G62's and the individual pieces and machine work were sourced from links and parts from RCU.

To me it was the same as converting an engine and every bit as exciting.

The various old Zenoah engines offer an ideal source for a good power plant for your plane.

Many times you have to be opportunistic with what you come across just as with conversion engines. With the Zenoah, you know that it was something good to begin with.

I consider the better actual conversion candidates to be the smaller big box store chainsaws in the 32cc to 50cc range with clamshell crankcase designs. They tend to have good power without changing the carb with a minimum of changes to the actual engine.

I have a BME 50 engine that started life as a Echo 520 chainsaw. The only modifications from the chain saw configuration are the prop drive hub/ignition sensor and the original chainsaw output shaft was cut off and muffler.

A lot of guys just don't have the money for toys at this time. We lost haft of our club this year do to people being out of work.
Ken

Maybe some of them could earn some extra money making adapter parts for the ones of us with time but no lathes or milling machines. I know there are the usual suspects out there, but I would welcome some more players in the field. In particular, I will need prop hub adapters.

Couldn't a basement operator advertise here in this forum without violating forum rules?

Thanks.

Sincerely, Richard

I may do up some converted engines for sale this summer. I have bunches of engines and will have a some spare time this summer. Might as well do some of these engines up as ready to fly and sell them. They'll be pretty cheap.

It is hard to make prop hubs for people on an individual basis. It takes a bit of time to make a nice one, and you couldn't charge near enough for one to really be worth it at all as a selling venture. Now if a guy had access to a CNC machine after work or something like that, it might be different!

Sorry, but I don't think you will find any twin crankcases. Those were sold by Keith at BME. It was a limited batch and they are all long ago gone. You might post a new thread labeled "BME twin crankcase needed" and see if someone that bought one would like to sell it. I believe there were 40 cases originally sold. I have three of them. Someone bought a batch of them as a possible commercial enterprise, but I don't believe the idea panned out for them. Sorry, but I can't remember who that was now...

AV8TOR

Box car,
I hate to say it...but your are right....I see we lost several club members also. The cost of gas...ect they cannot afford to drive the long distance some need to drive to get to the field. Some can hardly afford to drive to work. That "STINKS"...like something fishy. GRrrrrrrr.</p>

Perhaps there is so much good info in the archives here that no one needs much advice anymore.
"We have done so much with so little for so long that we can now do anything with nothing".

got married, had three kids, new business, and a lot less time...

on the brighter side i now have a bridgeport mill, a hardinge lathe, heat treat oven, surface grinder and tons of other neat things to make stuff with. should have a complete shop up and running in a month or two and then i'll see to that growing pile of engines. also quit the hectic business and went back to being a self employed slacker so more free time. the kids can now pretty much dress themselves and wipe their own butts so more free time there as well...

last serious RC related project was my new radio but at three years old it's already showing signs of being obsolete and i wanna do a new one...

ZAGNUT, good to see you back. Wow ...you only had 5 postings in 2010....none in 2009 and the last post before that, was in April 2008. Welcome back! Capt,n

Don't see why not, people have been getting away with that violation for years.You are not supposed to be selling in the forums but it goes on anyway.Either directly or shills/groupies.


I have access to just about anything I could want, after years of making stuff for my buddies I'm not doing it anymore.Not enough money in it for the hassle,not to mention all my flying time was spent making stuff so they could fly.
Its a good way to ruin the hobby for yourself.

But go ahead try it, wait till someone is one the phone sunday morning screaming a blue streak at your wife that her @##$$%^ husbands parts caused his plane to crash, or you spend $75 on one long distance phone call to hold some ones hand on how to install a part they insisted you make, they designed and won't pay for because it doesn't fit because they don't know the difference between .001" and .010"

+1 on that

I've finished/setup a few motors for people now and then, but it is pretty rare. But besides there being no money in it, I just don't have the time, plus there's the problems you guys mentioned.

I'm dialing in a new Homelite 30cc I just finished. Looks pretty good. As I mentioned, the next one will probably be the Echo 65cc for my new Extra. I've got so many projects going it's hard to keep up. I've got some Stihl four strokers I keep wanting to play with, but I need to finish my new dune buggy!! (And paint my Vette. Man I hate to paint cars....)

AV8TOR

Don't know for sure what STIHL you are talking about, the RYOBI version or what. There are several RYOBI's on E-Bay. I have a lot of info on the RYOBI's and some on STIHL Built weedwhips and chain saws. FLATHEAD

The ones I have are the Stihl "Four Mix" four strokes that don't have an oil sump. They get the oil mixed into the fuel like a two stroke.

I have several 65cc Stihl "Four mix" engines, and a couple of 32cc.

AV8TOR

Well I was in a small motor repair shop today..and I just asked the mechanic off hand of he ever gets any 2 cylinder chainsaws in...his answer was, hahahahhahahahahahahahhahahah

On another note...someone having and being able to run the computerized cnc machines make me look at my 20 weedie motors with visions of twins and radials, sigh

cold slap to the face and back to reality ! [:@]

Yeah, the only twin saw that I know about was the Echo 62cc twin. They are very rare and hard to find. I scored one finally. I have a BME crankcase for it. It will make a nice, compact 62cc twin using the internals of the saw engine and the crankcase from BME. I think it could be made into an 80cc engine if I could just scare up two sets of 40cc cylinders and pistons, but no luck on that score yet. Buying them from the parts suppliers is a joke.... WAY too expensive.

AV8TOR

I recall seeing a twin-cyl two-stroke, some 25 years ago.


Found it! ... Here. http://members.optusnet.com.au/~rare...ta500story.pdf


Only thing is that I had it in mind that the engine's capacity was about 60cc. Perhaps they made versions other than the one that I have shown here.

Well that was interesting. Never had heard of that one.

AV8TOR