My First Conversion!!
 

This is my very first attempt at a conversion! Its a homelite .30 that was used pretty hard. I ripped it all apart,cleaned up everything and put it back together. I put electronic ignition on it,custom made my very first own muffler. Had a buddy turn me a prop hub. Compression didnt blow my mind,and it still dont,but for an old engine and a test bed......it'll do.

Made a couple mistakes along the way. One is I put alot of grease inside the crankcase where the bearings are which ended up gunking up the whole inside which required ripping it all apart and clean it all out. I fully understood how to set the timing when mounting the EI magnet in the prop hub.....to bad I forgot to set the timing to 28 degress when I put the magnet in. I very quickly realized it was a 0 degress and had to get the magnet out before the epoxy dried and remake the hole. The old carb I think in junk. It wouldnt draw fuel for crap when trying to choke it and wouldnt run very well once in DID start. Took me forever to figure out which needle was the high and low. Mounting the EI sensor was not as easy as I'd thought either.

I replaced the old carb with a brand new one off my next engine to covert(a new troy built .31) and it was much better. The high and low needles are still VERY difficult to get tuned to work in unison together,but I got it running like a champ on the stand now. I'm got it swinging a 17x8 wood prop at 6150rpm. I only got 5280 out of it with the old carb,and 5800 with the new one,but once I adjusted the timing it went up to the 6150,plus starts much better. Its running good,but some would say it should be better,but for a well used engine without new rings or piston(rings alone would be $20 :( ........it good enough for the learning experience. Bigger carb might help too. I'm expecting alittle more out of this new engine I plan on doing here soon.

RE: My First Conversion!!
 

Oh yeah.....and dont ask what the spinner is doing on top of the prop!!! Its amazing what you'll do after flipping it 10,000 times without it fires and when your too lazy to cut up a new 2 blade spinner that fits the suggested prop,lol.


...but hey,it worked!

RE: My First Conversion!!
 

Nice job so far.Im going to remember how you did the mount and hub for the magnet.I like the way it looks.

RE: My First Conversion!!
 

I think for my next build though,I'm gonna lathe out a ring to go around the hub that will lock in place with a set screw or clamping system that will contain the magnet to make it easily adjustable. Your rather kinda limited on the timing adjustment when you permenently mount the magnet into the hub. And if your off by a couple degrees......you cant do much easily to fix it.

RE: My First Conversion!!
 

that's why the holes in the hall mount are slotted.

on these things you only have to replace the ring for a rebuild, the pistons are usually fine or at lest cleanable so they will work, and frank bowman rings are $9 I believe, better than stock

RE: My First Conversion!!
 

Aso if you take off those plastic "limiters" on your neddles you can definatly get more rpms.[>:]

RE: My First Conversion!!
 

what I did to use my electric starter was turn the rubber insert around and enlarged the hole in the middle to fit around the bolt head, works fine

RE: My First Conversion!!
 

Jester: I am looking for one propeller adapter, the one you put on your first engine conversion. Where did you get it? Thanks

RE: My First Conversion!!
 

I too llike the way you did the hub with a slant on it. Maybe a sleeve could br made to make it adjustable and still keep that slant and pickup idea. Nice work. Capt,n

RE: My First Conversion!!
 

Here is a prop hub I made for one of my brother's Echo engines. If/when I run electronic ignition, I always make a prop hub with an adjustable collar like this one. It makes it so easy to adjust the timing....

Sorry the pic is a little fuzzy. My camera isn't good at close ups..... or maybe it's me that's not so good at taking close ups!! ;)

AV8TOR

RE: My First Conversion!!
 

av8tor: This adapter looks like Stainless Steel...seems to heavy. Can you make one for me, but aluminum? Thanks

RE: My First Conversion!!
 

I had a buddy from our field make it for me who is also a gunsmith. I plan on buying a metal lathe and a milling machine for in my shop here in the next couple of weeks to start making my own and for others into this converting gig (I used to use a lathe quite a bit). I also plan on making "stand offs" and custom mufflers. I will be making an adjustable collar when I make my own. Permanently mounted the magnets isnt bad as long as you get the timing right which isnt hard.

If you cant get someone to get you one made,let me know and we'll see what we can do. If you'd be willing to wait a couple weeks,then it would really be no problem,because I plan on making them myself. Keep in mind,its hard to do without having your engines bottom end(block and crankshaft at least) to fit it properly. So you might be looking at some shipping and time costs too. It would probably cost you $20 + any shipping. But yeah,let me know how you make out trying to find someone to get you one made sooner if your in a hurry.

RE: My First Conversion!!
 

Hi,

It's not stainless steel, it's polished aluminum. Sorry, but I just don't have time to make things for other people at the moment. I had to "steal" the time to make this one for my brother!

AV8TOR