At our club meeting last night, our VP handed  me a static display model of the F4U Corsair with a very old K&B engine. I can't find Tony Elmore's web site but the Engine Land museum has some pics, one of which is of the 1946 K&B Torpedo B .299 ignition. My engine is obviously glow but the casting looks like that of the ignition engine, minus the point assembly and tank. And of course, it has a glow plug rather than a spark plug. Bypass side has "Torpedo" and serial number7033G. Very interesting engine, not a lot of compression but I think I can get it going. I will try to attach pictures.

Comments?

Bob in NEPA

Weight is about 6.5 ounces, length is 3 inches from back of backplate to end of prop shaft. Mounting holes are 1 & 5/8 by 5/8. Crank is only about 3/8 in diameter; I guess that was considered adequate in those days.

Thanks,

Bob

It is an old K&B Glo Torp 29 from about 1949. Good running engines.

I have a couple of old Forster 29's in  my small collection. One of them has a tapered exhaust with a needle valve mounted on the rear of the crank case cover. The other has a square exhaust with the venture up front.

The problem with the K&B glo-Torp of 1950-52 (round case, 4-bolt head) , the shafts break!  I had two of them snap, and Johnny Broadbeck (at the Compton factory) rebuilt both at no cost.

Floyd

Hi Bob - You already know the crankshaft is at risk.  The first version of this engine had a conrod brazed up from 2 end bushings and a central tube.  Please pull the backplate and look it over first.  If it has one of these rods, get a replacement rod either from an ad on this forum or for one of the Shilen reproductions of this engine.  The brazed rod will fail in use very quickly.