Fox 1963 .35 Stunt Anniversary

[frank mccune]

        Hi All:

        I have a 1963 Fox .35 Anniversary engine in my "Junk Drawer" that I got out to see how well it would power a CG Shoestring.  In the past this engine has had great compression and appears to be better built, p&c, any Fox .35 engines that I have used.  This engine was used in the old Foxberg races as it always restarted with one flip.  Plus it gave at least 62 laps per 2oz. tank.  My friend was given this engine by his father as gift for his 15th birthday.

       My question.   Did these engines receive any special treatment to make them superior to other .35 Stunt engines.  I have been told that the 40th anniversary engines had tapered bores making them better.  Any truth to that rumor?

                                                                                                                                      Tia,

                                                                                                                                      Frank McCune

[Dave_Trible]

Frank I could be corrected but I think the 63' anniversary engines were the gold plated ones.  The gold would kind of wear off over time but they still remain extra shiny over the rest.  I am not aware of other differences though there could be some.  Perhaps just more care was taken to fit these.  As a kid I went through the plant with Duke and women were sitting with bins of pistons and sleeves just throwing together whatever would drop in the hole.  It's amazing I guess that they were as consistent as they were/are.  I was fascinated with a chucker spitting out glow plug casings. 

Dave

[Tom Niebuhr]

The Gold Fox .35s were perhaps the best ever produced. Bob Gieseke also agreed with me on this.

All I ever did was to de-burr internally and then carefully hand lap the piston and sleeve. Take your time with break in.

I ran one fro almost 5 years while flying several hundred flight a year. I still have tat engine. The gold plate has dulled, and the engine is quite worn, but actually still has some life in it.

The later Foxs were fit loose because people did want to take time for proper break in. John Lowey told me that before he left Fox.

[Gary Dowler]

        Hi All:

        I have a 1963 Fox .35 Anniversary engine in my "Junk Drawer" that I got out to see how well it would power a CG Shoestring.  In the past this engine has had great compression and appears to be better built, p&c, any Fox .35 engines that I have used.  This engine was used in the old Foxberg races as it always restarted with one flip.  Plus it gave at least 62 laps per 2oz. tank.  My friend was given this engine by his father as gift for his 15th birthday.

       My question.   Did these engines receive any special treatment to make them superior to other .35 Stunt engines.  I have been told that the 40th anniversary engines had tapered bores making them better.  Any truth to that rumor?

                                                                                                                                      Tia,

                                                                                                                                      Frank McCune

I agree with your fuel mileage comment.  I have a 3.3oz tank on my Shoestring Stunter behind my Fox 35 Stunt.  Last year I decided to see how long it would fly just going around in circles.  If memory serves it was 106 laps on 60' .015's.     Something like 7.4 miles if I recall.  Long enough that I was getting bored.

[frank mccune]

    Thanks for the replies.

     This engine did come with a "gold" finish that has dulled.  It is one of the best Fox .35 Stunt engines I have ever seen! I also have a 1949 and a 1951 Fox .35 that both have great compression.  Oh yes, I remembered that I have a circa 1951 Fox .29 that has great compression.  These engines are so superior to the later ones that I own that I no longer use/own newer Fox .35 engines.  I had some NEW Fox .35 engines circa 1980 that were so poorly fit that I junked them. These engines along with a .25, never broke in, but wore out first despite how carefully I was in their care.  They had little compression when new.  Did anybody ever have a Fox engine that had an increase in compression after being broken in?

       Oh yes, I had a friend who was a great machinist and engine enthusiast who toured the Fox factory in the early 80's and he too was shocked at the assembly methods used in their production! 

                                                                                                        All of the best,

                                                                                                        Frank McCune

                                                                                                       

[Terrence Durrill]

    Thanks for the replies.

     This engine did come with a "gold" finish that has dulled.  It is one of the best Fox .35 Stunt engines I have ever seen! I also have a 1949 and a 1951 Fox .35 that both have great compression.  Oh yes, I remembered that I have a circa 1951 Fox .29 that has great compression.  These engines are so superior to the later ones that I own that I no longer use/own newer Fox .35 engines.  I had some NEW Fox .35 engines circa 1980 that were so poorly fit that I junked them. These engines along with a .25, never broke in, but wore out first despite how carefully I was in their care.  They had little compression when new.  Did anybody ever have a Fox engine that had an increase in compression after being broken in?

       Oh yes, I had a friend who was a great machinist and engine enthusiast who toured the Fox factory in the early 80's and he too was shocked at the assembly methods used in their production! 


           Your friend should have visited the factory where the McCoy Redheads were manufactured and assembled.  I have never had a bad Fox .35 stunt or a bad Fox 29 stunt......I currently have 28 of the .35s and 5 of the 29s.  I never had much luck with the McCoy Redheads.  Currently I still have 5 or 6 of the McCoy Red heads, 19, 29 and 35 sizes.  I still have my first Fox .35 which I purchased in 1956.  It still has good compression and runs just fine on a "Green Box" Nobler.  I found that, with the Fox engines, you could not wear them out, if you always used 29% castor fuel and kept them clean.         

            T.Durrill
            Platte City, Mo. 

                                                                                                        All of the best,

                                                                                                        Frank McCune

                                                                                                       

[Andre Ming]

Terance:

Fox haters are gonna' hate. That's okay, though: Less buyers in the market for us that appreciate them! 

Still have my first two Fox engines I purchased by in the 1960's, along with a whole host of 'em acquired since.

Don't know what some of you saw when you toured Fox Mfg. Co... but as one that supervised the Assembly Dept from about 1970 - 1975, I can assure you the pistons and sleeves were not plop n' play. Each P/S set was a matched pair honed to fit within about 1 tenth of a thousandth of an inch.

All fer now!

Andre Ming

[Gordon Van Tighem]

I flew a 63 Fox 35 / CG Shoestring combo for about 10 years in the 70/80 era. It was a competitive and reliable combination, light, straight with good engine runs except for the odd burble in overhead eights. Foolishly sold it.
Current CG Shoestring has an Enya SS 25 and came in just under 30 oz, but my reflexes are not as good as they once were.

[Gary Dowler]

I flew a 63 Fox 35 / CG Shoestring combo for about 10 years in the 70/80 era. It was a competitive and reliable combination, light, straight with good engine runs except for the odd burble in overhead eights. Foolishly sold it.
Current CG Shoestring has an Enya SS 25 and came in just under 30 oz, but my reflexes are not as good as they once were.

Not sure the vintage of my motor, 70's at least for sure possible older, but one of my current toys is also a CG Shoestring Stunter powered by a Fox 35 Stunt.  Good combo, though mine is a little heavier at about 34oz.

[Doug Burright]

Neato! I was lucky enough to purchase a gold 1963 Fox 35 on a Combat Streak at the Newton auction! The gold looked like it was the residue from a heavy smoker. I was very close to polishing that off, to get rid of the "tarnish", before a friend told me the significance of that color on the engine!
The airplane and engine combination cost only $10. There were no other bids past my opening bid! I believe I rescued that engine, and saved it from being hurled by some agitators. The engine is the same age that I am, however, I think it runs better than I do!

[Gary Dowler]

Neato! I was lucky enough to purchase a gold 1963 Fox 35 on a Combat Streak at the Newton auction! The gold looked like it was the residue from a heavy smoker. I was very close to polishing that off, to get rid of the "tarnish", before a friend told me the significance of that color on the engine!
The airplane and engine combination cost only $10. There were no other bids past my opening bid! I believe I rescued that engine, and saved it from being hurled by some agitators. The engine is the same age that I am, however, I think it runs better than I do!

Interesting, your engine is a '63 model, and so are both of us!  My Kit was a hand me down from an old friend. I've had it since the 80's (early) was a pretty plain white box with just black lettering. No idea it's vintage.