Guys,
I'm about to throw a .61FX on a Hangar 9 Aresti.
Only concern is that the engine mount that came with the ARF will not fit my engine. I was wondering if anyone has encountered this problem.
If not, is there an easy way to mount my FX .61 using the factory installed blind nuts? Can I just purchase another mount and use the same blind nut pattern in the firewall, or would this throw off my thrust angle? Thanks fellas.

Hi Paul,...

I did a review of the Aresti a while back for one of the magazines, and one of the things that I modified on my review piece was the motor mount.

The aluminum one they provide with the plane will work and is adequate, however I felt that being solid aluminum was a bit heavy. I chose to use a Dave Brown fiberglass filled mount for the Saito 72. The first thing I did was to pop their preinstalled blind nuts out and fill the resulting holes with short pieces of hard dowel. If memory serves me, believe it was 3/16 dia dowel (?).

I'm sorry, before the holes are filled you need to find the center between the holes. Yes, there is right thrust built into the firewall, and the "footprint" of the motor mount is offset to the left in order to have the center of the prop fall on buttline center of the plane. In other words,... you need to find the "footprint center" of their aluminum mount so that whatever mount you choose can be offset to the left the same amount. While you are at it, may as well find the thrust line of the footprint so that your mount can be positioned correctly up and down as well.

Once all centerlines from the old mount are found and drawn on the firewall and the holes are plugged, you can install any mount you like. If I remember correctly, the mounting holes for the Dave Brown mount were nowhere near the previous holes, therefore breaking into or slipping into a pre-existing hole was never a problem.

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,
Steve T.

Draw centerlines off the tank hole, and match your
new mount up with the lines. The new mount covers
up the old holes, so you don't even have to plug 'em.

Pop out the blind nuts, and re-use them. You need to
keep the alignment....if you want the spinner centered
on the cowl properly.

Dave.

Thanks for all the help fellas.
Flyboy Dave,
I did not know that you could use the center of the tank hole as a reference point. Does this mean that most ARF's have the tank hole in the exact center of the motor mount?
In other words, if I ever want to use a different motor mount, with a different blind nut pattern, I can just center the new mount up on the tank hole?
P.S. Thanks for taking the time to snap a pic. Really helped.

Paul....in most cases you can. Most mounts are set on
the thrust line of the plane....however, if there is right
thrust set up in the firewall....the engine has to be
shifted over to the left (like with the Arresti) for proper alighnment in the front.

See the offset in the front of the cowling....that matches
the right offset of the fire-wall ? With out shifting the
motor over like that....it will never line up.

Forget that aluminum motor mount that comes with the
plane....they look nice, but they are heavy, and don't last.
That's the same mount that comes with the H-9 Ultra
stick. I had one...and it broke two mounts....about five
flights each....for no reason.

See this thread....
http://www.rcuniverse.com/showthread...=&pagenumber=1

You're most welcome....Dave. )