My first gas conversion (Homelite 25cc) has been running a treat turning a 16x8 at 8000rpm. Engine has been rock stable until I inadvertantly mixed too much oil into the fuel. After some tuning I managed to get it running good on the ground and took it into the air. A deadstick about 7 minutes later lead to a hard landing due to the aircraft being such a rock. The hard landing broke the magneto bracket off (shock load, it didn't hit anything as the engine is mounted upright) so now I'm looking for options.

Option one is to go electronic ignition, however; this will cost more than the entire engine conversion (carb, muffler, mount etc) combined. The other downside is that I need weight on the nose and going electronic will only lighten things up.

Another option is to find some guru welder who can reattach the bracket and add some extra fillets etc for strength. Not sure if I can find someone who can do this. There are rumours of one being available but I'm not certain how reliable that sort of repair would be.

Option three is new engine, they were on sale recently and I may be able to get myself a 30cc. It's a good option but leaves me with an otherwise near new but useless engine (perhaps an electronic conversion later for a more suitable airframe).

The last option is out there. I have all the bits to convert a Ryobi 31cc but the problem is that the firewall is firmly secured to the fuse and designed for Homelite. There is a slim chance I can fabricate an adaptor second firewall. In essence, mount the Ryobi to the new firewall and bolt that firewall to the plane via the Homelite bolt spacing. This will require some carefull measurements as the bolt spacing is tight between both engines and I'd need to come up with a creative throttle arrangement. The upside is that I need more noseweight to improve C of G and mounting the Ryobi a bit further forward (via the second firewall) would achieve that.

Are there any other options available and how would you rate the options I'm already considering? Ryobi is cheapest, if it can be made to bolt up. New Homelite is easiest but costs. Electronic ignition, while an advantage is not going to help C of G.

Read the gas fuel w/glow plug thread down below. All you'll need is a glow plug adaptor and a glow plug?

you sould just get an old homie and use the case .

G'day Rav

Have a look on EBAY you can pick up second hand trimmers real cheap.

Adrian.

Do the 25cc and the 30cc Homie use the same case ?

The Homelite 25 & 30cc use the same crankcase, but if you have found a 30cc, go ahead and convert that. It weighs the same, and has a good bit more power than the 25cc.

AV8TOR

Or, do what I did. Take a plate of aluminium, drill bolt holes at each end and bolt the broken bracket back together. Sort of a fishplate idea. I dont have any pictures handy and this might not work for you depending on where the break is.