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Author Topic: Side mounted  (Read 3119 times)

Offline Bob Reeves

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Side mounted
« on: August 06, 2009, 05:10:42 AM »
This quote is from the Brainstorming thread and as much as I hate to hear about any mishap it reminds me...

Quote from: Willis Swindell on August 03, 2009, 10:44:06 AM
Bob
The airplane sort of pancaked in from a hourglass onto soft grassy ground. We think the cylinder caught some tough crab grass. We found a streak of engine parts up to 10 feet in front of the Strega. The Strega belonged to Jim Welch. He has another one almost ready to go but has a decision to make about repairing the Saito.
Willis

The big reason for side mounting 4 strokes is it puts the tank inside the intake. The faster the airplane goes the more centrifugal force helps feed fuel, engine richens up and slows down, airplane slows down it leans out and the engine picks up speed. Built in free speed regulation...

The above mishap wouldn't have cost an engine if the Saito had been side mounted instead of inverted. I also believe the valve train gets better lubrication when it on it's side. Enough reasons for me to go to the trouble of redesigning the nose..
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Offline jim welch

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Re: Side mounted
« Reply #1 on: August 06, 2009, 05:54:21 AM »
Bob...as the owner of a 7 piece saito 62 in dire distress i'd have to agree about side mounting as i have three side mount 62 airplanes that are still with me.The strega that i pancaked hit rather hard, broke the carbon pushrod at the flaps and the steel ball  link connection at the tail.Airplane was intact except the outer gear ripped out, snapped the motor mounts out etc.Odly enough that was the second time that airplane has pancaked on the same maneuver at the bottom of the hourglass.Lesson learned anyway...still having fun and the replacement is on the paint stand for final finish for this week end.It's inverted engine also but it was too far along to change.Saito number 2 is ready to play jeopardy in the new airplane!!!  Jim Welch
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Willis Swindell

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Re: Side mounted
« Reply #2 on: August 06, 2009, 07:17:41 AM »
After seeing what can happen to that  engine in grass, I am looking at my Saito exhaust pipe and thinking the muffler needs to be moved up on my side winder. I think some one was ether bending the exhaust pipe for people or instructions on how to do the job yourself. Any one recall who this was?
Willis
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Offline Bob Reeves

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Re: Side mounted
« Reply #3 on: August 06, 2009, 08:35:30 AM »
Yep, when I first installed the 56 in a Score I looked at that muffler hanging down below the fuselage and thought about the bad things that could happen if I were to pancake it. That's when I ordered the proper tap and made a steel bending jig out of a couple pieces of junk I had laying around. Have been bending them for every airplane I've built since.

I've posted a couple threads on bending the pipe but not sure which forum and/or if they are still around. If I can find them I'll see if I can't provide a link, if it's on this forum maybe I get one of the moderators to move it.

Edit... Was unable to find the main post, all I could find was buried in other threads so lets start over...

This is the bending jig but since this photo was taken I added a piece of 1/4" drill rod about 3/8 inch long to fit down in the pipe when I screw the thing together. To make the jig I ordered two M10X1 taps and ground one down to make a bottoming tap.

Basically I screw the pipe into the short piece which is held in a vice. Fill the pipe with fine sand, insert the drill rod and screw on the handle. The small piece of drill rod insures the sand is and stays packed tight in the tube. If the sand is allowed to move it might just as well not be there. Once everything is ready I heat the pipe with my torch and bend away.. Pretty easy actually, it only bends where the heat is applied and other than a bit of discoloring the pipe isn't damaged.

« Last Edit: August 06, 2009, 09:44:56 AM by Bob Reeves »
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Offline Bob Reeves

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Re: Side mounted
« Reply #4 on: August 07, 2009, 09:09:12 AM »
Changing the 40 is a bit more work.. In this case I machined a new adapter with the proper angle to set the muffler straight back. This was for sure a labor of love as I ended up having to make 3 before I got it right. Am pretty sure this photo was the first version as I didn't yet have the angle quite right. Way too much work (at least without CNC) to be able to make them in quantity for others but thought I would throw it up in case someone else has the need and tools to make it for themselves.


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Dave Adamisin

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Re: Side mounted
« Reply #5 on: August 08, 2009, 03:48:03 PM »
How about a newbie (to 4 strokes) question? How do you align the tank on a side mount? Engine c/l or port c/l? Thanks.
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Offline Bob Reeves

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Re: Side mounted
« Reply #6 on: August 08, 2009, 04:48:12 PM »
Quote from: Dave Adamisin on August 08, 2009, 03:48:03 PM
How about a newbie (to 4 strokes) question? How do you align the tank on a side mount? Engine c/l or port c/l? Thanks.

Short smart a$$ answer.. What ever works  ;D

Real answer, I've found plastic clunk tanks are not quite as critical as hard tanks as to vertical placement for even upright/inverted lap times. But it does make a difference if it's far enough off. The 30/40's seem to work centered on the intake.

On built up fuselage airplanes I just duplicated the measurement to the tank floor of the Score. Can't remember what the measurement is, next time I should make a note.. The built in tank floor of the Score fuselage just happend to work with a thin 1/16 piece of plastic foam padding.
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Dave Adamisin

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Re: Side mounted
« Reply #7 on: August 09, 2009, 10:37:48 AM »
Quote from: Bob Reeves on August 08, 2009, 04:48:12 PM
Short smart a$$ answer.. What ever works  ;D

DOH! You got that right ;D

Real answer, I've found plastic clunk tanks are not quite as critical as hard tanks as to vertical placement for even upright/inverted lap times. But it does make a difference if it's far enough off. The 30/40's seem to work centered on the intake.

Makes sense.

On built up fuselage airplanes I just duplicated the measurement to the tank floor of the Score. Can't remember what the measurement is, next time I should make a note.. The built in tank floor of the Score fuselage just happend to work with a thin 1/16 piece of plastic foam padding.

Thanks.
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