brickwoodward

Jesse and all, I want to thank everyone and all the suggestions. Y’all are a great bunch!
valve adjustment is done and on the way there I found the exhaust rocker arm off of the pushrod tip. Problem solved. Good compression. I’m going to run it tomorrow and let it warm up for awhile.
thanks to everyone again! Bill

1200SportsterRider

I would suggest running at 6,000 or so rpm to bring the entire engine up to operating temperature, that will finish dissolving the deposits that caused the problem. i now use the .4mm OS feeler gauge.

1200SportsterRider

When talking tp Lonnie yesterday I realized that I don't have a biplane, I am going to fix that with this Spad from OSMW and power it with my extra Saito FA 40-a.



FA 40-a on the left wearing a Turbo Header.

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

Is that the Ken Willard Sunday Fighter rework? I have been staring at the German version. I built the original Spad back in 1975.

Glowgeek

Nice looking bipe, Dave. There's a serious building frenzy going on in your neck of the woods.

1200SportsterRider

Yes there is, and I'm lovin it. The Spad calls for a 25 to a 30, I'm sure with extra wing it can handle the 40.

FIO, you would be talking bout this one, it's very similar and also looks great.

Jesse Open

Good deal, thanks for the update. Don't feel bad, seems to happen often.

Sounds like nothing at all was badly stuck anyhow. Just another dis-located pushrod.

Hyjinx

Sounds like the show season is on. Attended our local high dollar show (off) at Grand Ledge. Any thing you can name and then some. Five B-25s up in formation, Jets, WW1 and, dogfights with the bad guys 2 Korea to civilian to experimental. By the dozen. Only four radials, two Moki 250s and 2 Saito R-3s. The latter bit the dust hard and knocked two rocker covers off clean, as well as toothpicking the Corsair it was tugging around.
Saito question of the day. Anybody here actually set the valve timing on a R-3 format Saito? Not just conjectured but actually done the deed. Might be doing bearings on my 450 soon. Getting a bit clackety last flight. Lots o happy hours logged.

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

I think a FA-40 would be great on it!

Jesse Open

My first Saito, an open rocker 30 with many gallons thru it . Gave it to a fellow RCU member a few years ago. Note it is also the very first Saito where I relocated the vent to the cam cover. Quite a while before Saito started to do it on their production engines. Also removed quite a bit of extra metal from the rocker arms.

As I recall, it weighed in around 310 grams vs about 260 or 280 for the newer version and made a lot less power. Not really 2-1/2 times the weight but still a bit. It sure was a sweet runner though.

A fine entry level engine for it's day and compared to OS and Enya , the price was pure bargain basement,

1200SportsterRider

I already like the Diacov 1000 covering. I covered the servo mounting plates for the Minuette, it was so easy. I decided on 250 degrees-f for applying and 275 for sealing and shrinking. It works like a champ.

Glowgeek

Nice Dave. Is that covering opaque enough to hide black laser cut burns?

Also, were you able to locate a 34mm Saito 150 piston?

the Wasp

My Feedback: (1)

WHATS GOING ON HERE? LOL.
well guys. you know how it can be an odd thing when somethings just fall together oddly simple.
so you know my lathe is fixed and back working again. well to test my lathe I started by cutting slots and V-grooves in a wood dowel. well I cut 5 grooves with my cut-off blade. the blade is .100" thick and each groove was spaced .100" apart and .100" deep. but when I looked at the cuts I see the cuts at the end were deeper. "what's going on here LOL". the second I said that I knew the problem and I laughed. I did not set the Compound Slide 90 degrees to the cross slide. LOL.
OK so I said "how can I easily get it closer to 90 degrees quickly". so I loosen the bolts, grabbed my protractor, set it to 90 degrees. take the stem of the protractor and put it's edge 90 degrees against the side of the cross slide, and put the top edge of the square part of the protractor against the compound. I just thought I would try and get the compound to 90 degrees as close I could. tighten the bolts. grabbed my Peacock. yes yes I have a Peacock. it's small so I keep it in a little yellow box. it indicates to .0005. I grabbed it's mounting hardware and setup the Peacock. set the feeler to the side of the compound with pressure on it (of course). set the dial to zero. I check the full travel of the compound. my God my God how can it be? it was 90 degrees straight by .0007 for the full feed length. I could not believe it, something easy happened! so I pushed on the side of the compound to check the Gibs in the compound and the Peacock jumped .003", I tightened #3 screw for the Gib a tiny bit and set the dial to zero again. pushed on the side of the compound again and the indicator didn't move, pushed had, it didn't move. pushed harder, it didn't move. OK. I loosen the bolts a bit. I tapped the side of the compound and tested the full feed length of the compound again, and it was at .0005 straight. wow.
sO, I figured I didn't want to mess more with my good luck. and I figured wouldn't need to cut anything straighter than .0005" with-in 1.750" by using just compound, so I left it at that and tightened the bolts more and checked the full length of the feed again and I am happy happy happy. I will check it all again after I make those hose barbs for that guy.

shoo, I think that story is long enough LOL
Jim

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

Well Jim you know the old saying?

If at first you don't succeeded you're about average!

Jesse Open

Sure is nice having the lathe back on line, eh Jim?

Better to light a candle than curse the darkness

Hyjinx

So am I to assume no one's ever tore down an r3 and put it back together and hit the timing the first time successfully? lol

1200SportsterRider

The picture answers one question and I don't have a 34 mm piston, only two 32 mm for 120's. I wish did.

Since the picture it has been stripped, sanded and ready to recover. That stuff will never come off by itself, it sticks hard and won't tear.

brickwoodward

thank you, I tried starting it a couple of days ago without the throttle servo and radio reset after having the engine off. I was very careful priming it and finally got a couple of pops and and a kickback. I need to try the new starter and see if it will power the engine through the compression stroke without fuel and glow. I’ll post an update as soon as the next play day comes up.
thanks again bill

Jesse Open

Good deal!
Once you get the carb settings back you should be good to go.
As isso often the case, something simple!

1200SportsterRider

Lonnie, here is that battery we discussed, it is a LIPO, And the LT 40 converted to all JR radio equipment and the Saito (66) mounted. The greenery really shines this time of year.

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

I love it! Airplane and radio match!

Jesse Open

Airplane, radio...... and motorcycle

1200SportsterRider

And all that matches my shirt.

Glowgeek

I'm a bit jealous, Dave. Learned inverted flight and rolling loops on an LT40. Was very sorry to see it go down due to a TX failure. That one flew on an OS 46AX but I DID have plans to mount up a Saito 62. Would have been an excellent match, me thinks. Even better, your 66.

Jesse Open

My first LT-40 has about twenty years on it's Saito FA-72. Mostly on floats until about three years ago. Still a wonderful flyer.
Weighs about six ounces more than when new.

The second one went in at only ten years but I can't blame the transmitter



The short- lived, scratch built, second LT-40
The OS two stroke/cycle was soon replaced with a Saito FA-82.