By popular request, here it is, for what it is.

For the first time, the Internet failed me in providing information on the Ford Model A engine. I searched for hours looking for decent 3 views to work from, and failed. Information was very sketchy. I bought a 1/25th scale model with an engine, scanned the engine parts into the computer, then into Autocad, traced and scaled up. The model boat man at a local hobby shop has a Model A, and was kind enough to let me photograph the engine. With that, I had a start.

I made a styrene box the size of the top of the engine and poured it full of rock hard water putty. I drilled the holes for the head bolt and spark plug bosses, added the water pump housing and channel, then shaped the whole top end. I glued styrene rod and tube into the holes, then cut the top end in half. Since both the top and part of the bottom surface were rounded, it could not vacuum formed in one pull. The pieces turned out well. When I glued them together, I left a slight seperation between the two to allow for the "head gasket".

I did the same for the square parts of the bottom half of the engine. I used oven bake clay to form a rod the diameter of the exposed cylinders, cut the rod in half, and to length, and glued the halves to the square part of the bottom. I used oven bake clay to form the timing gear cover, and glued it in place on the rock hard putty shape. The vacuum form turned out better than I had hoped for, and assembly proceeded.

The valve cover was done in the same fashion as the head; a mold out of rock hard putty, and vacuum formed.

The intake manifold, carburetor, water inlet and outlet, were again oven bake clay. The exhaust, oil filler tube, and water pump shaft are aluminum tube. Zap A Dap A Goo provided support in the case for the oil filler tube. All else is CA.

Neither the clay, nor the rock hard putty machined well, so I made a 1/2 x 1/2 x 1 1/2 inch billet of Alumalite for the water pump shaft and pulley support. It is great stuff. It drills saws, sands very well; it is light, and quite strong. I will definitly use it again. I used my Dremel tool, and hand shaped it to "that looks about right".

All of the flanges and flat stuff are sheet styrene.

I took a real sparkplug, drew it in Autocad; scaled it down to 1/6th, and dimensioned it. It turned out that a standard 0-80 nut was the right size, and an 0-80 scale washer toped off the nut to provide the flange for the upper insulator. The whole thing is assembled on a 0-80 by 5/8 screw. Styrene tubing for the bottom, then paint; then styrene tubing for the insulator.

All up weight is 1 oz. Probably not suited for internal cumbustion engine planes, but it will work just fine for my electric.

Les

Thanks for showing the "A" engine. I have an OLD midwest kit for a Pietenpol Air Camper which shows a an engine but not as well done as yours. I will copy your methods. Just hope it turns out as well.

Very inspirational! So many modelers seem to figure that if you can't "buy one" you have to forget about that detail.

Pretty neat there... I have a 1/4 scale Corben Super Ace (also used the Ford, "A" engine. Although the Super Ace does not allow for showing as much of the engine as your Pete does. One question....Why not use the distributor that mounts through the cylinder head?
I used this illusion on my dummy engine and used small strips of brass sheet for the plug connectors to the distributor as the full scale engine uses. Gives agreat effect. Once again great scale rendition.

balsa bandit: Several of the "REAL" Pietenpol pictures I managed to find used magnetos, not the stock distributor. One used a really tall distributor in the stock location, but it was obviously not Ford stock for that engine.

Les

Wow! What a motor you have built. What scale is it? I plan to build a kit cutter Pietenpol Air Camper this winter and install a Saito 82 that I have already purchased. WO

Les, that's really well done. Having grown up when Model A's were still plentiful, I would have recognized your replica right away. And that's a compliment.

Tony

Very nice Les. If you like Alumilite, you should resincast that entire engine and let all these guys pay you for it.
John Weaver at the Discount Hobby Warehouse can't keep enough Alumilite in stock for me
Paul

Thanks for the compliments, gentlemen.

WO: it is 1/6 scale.

Tony: My first automobile in high school was a Model A, and I remember much of it, since I worked on it myself.

Paul: John was trying to get me to do that, and let him carry the product. I have built for other people, designed for other people, ya da, ya da, ya da. Turning the hobby into a business took the fun out of the hobby.

If you are interested, here is the build thread on my bird.

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...ight=pietenpol

Les

Les:

A friend of mine gathered up old plans and iron and built a full sized Pietenpol about three years ago. Although he knows how to build an engine for an auto, for the airplane you must first be certified. He gave (and grudgingly paid) a fellow in central Arizona to build his engine.

For the others, according to the Arizonian, only the side drive magneto is approved by the F.A.A. for this particular aircraft. You cannot use Ford ignition what so ever. And thus the hole in the cylinder head just (used to) get plugged with a thermos cork. The tall Wico magnetos are not approved, but were used. They tend to wear out the helical camshaft gear too quickly.

Instead of using the Ford water pump, he also installed a sidedrive water pump, for it drains the block and pushes water up to the small radiator better than original.

Many other things get altered in order to attach a propeller on to where the flywheel used to be. However, interesting, was that the overall noise of the engine was subdued by the propwash. Those open exhaust stacks are only heard when cranking over the engine. No electric start remember.

Wm.

Hi

I loved the work you did with your Pietenpol. I've managed to find a new House of Balsa kit and need all
the help I can get. Your being about the most expert help I could possibly find. I try searching this forum to
find all the pictures you posted but am unsure if I have looked at them all. The engine was a work of art, Would you be willing to sell the plans or send them by e-mail in a scale that I could enlarge to have a working set of prints?

I have to be honist with you, I'm not in the same league as you when it comes to making parts from molds. I have never cast a part in my life. Being in Kuwait, Turkey, Malaysia, you can't bring a big work shop
around with you. I do flight simulation for the F/A-18, and have been in Kuwait the last ten years. Being back
in Texas for a little while I wanted to build at least one plane, and your Pietenpol was my inspiration.

As you, I was going to try electric ( this would be a first for me ). Please e-mail me if you get any time
my e-mail address is ([email protected]) Thank you so much for your time, I sure hope you can find the time to write me back. Jim

Here is a Model A that is scale inside and out. It is 1/5 scale
And it RUNS!
Ted

Absolutely beautiful. I don't think I would dare fly it. Where did it come from??

Les