# Crusader .60s (x2)



## wareagle (Sep 15, 2008)

Well, I have taken the plunge and started the Crusader .60 that Home Shop Machinist Magazine published (Jul-Aug 2005) . It is a two stroke engine similar to a model airplane engine. It is a glow plug engine that runs on model airplane fuel. The author (George Genevro) used quite a few jigs in order to construct this engine using aluminum and steel bar stock.

My initial plan of attack on this project was to fore-go some of the jigs in favor of speeding up the build some; however, having a young son who is tending to want to spend more and more time in the shop with me has made the case to go ahead and build the project basically as published in the article. By using all of the jigs and fixtures and building the project this way, when he gets a bit older, he can build one himself without having to mess with making the jigs. With the build article, this should make the project for him easy to follow and can feasibly have a successful engine with getting bored of making tons of jigs.

Adding to this project is a good personal friend of mine. He has an interest in machining, and is building himself the same engine at the same time. Along with his engine, he also is building a full set of jigs for later use with his son. _He doesn't yet have any machinery, but is budgeting to get a small lathe and mill when he can._ He comes over one night each week, and makes parts for the engine. On that night, I will work on whatever machine is available or just stay out of the way to enable him the ability to machine his parts. The goal is to finish up the engines simultaneously, but with him spending only one night each week on the project, that is going to prolong the builds.


At this point in time, my engine is sitting with a crankcase that is 90% complete, and several of the jigs have been machined and prepared for later use. The other engine has the crankcase sitting at about 70% complete, and also has several of the jigs machined as well. All of the raw materials have been located or purchased and are set aside for the two builds. There are a few tooling items and fasteners needed in order complete the project(s). Other than that, just some time on the shop floor is the component standing in the way of two running engines.

Now, I know the question will be asked... Pictures. At this point in time, there hasn't been any photographs taken of the project(s). That will soon change. All that needs to happen is me getting myself in gear and taking some pictures of the current pieces, and then taking more along the way. Hopefully I can get those posted tomorrow.


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## Bogstandard (Sep 15, 2008)

W/E

Looking forwards to this one, I don't think we have had many builds on here that required holding jigs to be made so that you can progress onto the next stage.

Lovely idea as well, sharing your workshop. Two benefitting from one.

John


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## wareagle (Sep 15, 2008)

Here are a couple of pictures that I found on the internet of the Crusader. This will give an idea of what the finished engine is supposed to look like.









And, a few pictures of where things are at... _And my apologies for such crappy pictures_!

This was boring one of the crank cases on the lathe.





This is the crank case for the engine that I am building. I have deviated from the original design somewhat in the cosmetic department. I didn't really care for the square shape of the crank case, so I am going to add some curves and fins to it. The dimensions as far as the design goes are the same. This is a horrible image, but you can see it taking shape.





This is a picture of both projects. The set up on the left belongs to my buddy who is doing the build along with mine, and obviously mine is on the right. The example my bud is building will be to the origional design all the way. The jigs are also laying about, and I will do a better job of taking pictures of the build going forward. The stock laying in the various places is the remaining parts for the projects. We just haven't dug all of them out yet.... 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	








Now that I have some momentum, I am getting excited about this project!


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## Bogstandard (Sep 15, 2008)

Just what's needed W/E, a poke up the backside with a sharp stick.

Those bits are looking well.

John


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## Philjoe5 (Sep 15, 2008)

Looking good so far. This a high rpm engine isn't it (> 5,000 rpm)?

Cheers,
Phil


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## wareagle (Sep 15, 2008)

Philjoe5  said:
			
		

> This a high rpm engine isn't it (> 5,000 rpm)?



I am sure it will be. These small two strokers typically spin pretty fast. My guess will be it will top out in the 5k-6k RPM range. I haven't come accross any infromation on the actual engine performance. When I am done, if it will sputter and choke, then I think the whole thing will be a success!! 


Phil & John, thanks for the compliments!


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## steamer (Sep 15, 2008)

Damn Sexy! ;D :bow:

Nice looking engine!  GREAT silver solder job!


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## Maryak (Sep 16, 2008)

Great Job and an inspiration as I am embarking on my 1st IC engine; but mines a baby alongside your model, if my math is correct 10cc? assuming 0.6 = cu ins mine 3cc and a 3 port job, no valve in the crankshaft.

Please may I pick your brains, from what I have read my project would suffer from blowback due to the ?? excessive time the inlet port is open. I have made some changes to the porting/timing but don't know 2, (pretty vital),things.

1. Would it run as drawn?
2. Do my mods make it more or less likely to run?  :bow: 

View attachment 3ccICD.pdf


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## wareagle (Sep 17, 2008)

Maryak,

I'm glad that my fiasco is an inspiration to some. ;D Before answering your questions, the engine that I am designing has all of the ports dimensioned for the various parts, so the actual timing curve on my model is an unknown to me. I would have to plot it out to compare mine with yours. And I may very well do that in the future if the engine doesn't perform well.


For answering your questions, I think that either design would run. I think that the original curve will run better through a wider range of RPMs, but the modified curve may run a bit better at higher RPMs. Again, this is a SWAG on my part.

The original timing curve looks like what mine will be for the most part. The port locations and geometry are pretty straight forward. Because of the lack of time between the port openings, my guess is this engine will run pretty smoothly. On the top end of the RPM range, I think that the engine's power curve will flatten off and limit the RPM range some. That isn't a bad thing, I am just guessing at how the engine will react to changes in timing.

The modifications to the original timing curve are going to allow the crankcase to be at a slightly higher pressure before the intake port opens, which will obviously aid in filling the cylinder. You should get a slightly higher compression from the denser fuel/air mixture, and my guess is this will help performance on the upper end of the power band. With the timing curve this way, my bet is the engine will not want to idle very well, but may have a higher RPM. Again, this isn't a bad thing, either.

To summarize, my guesses to possible engine performance are just that, guesses. By no means am I an expert on two-stroke engines, but I do understand how they operate. My answers (okay, wild arsed guesses) are based on my experience with four-stroke engines and how changes in timing affect them. The only way to know for sure is to build it and see what happens.

_And I have to say this has me thinking now about the timing in the Crusader... _


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## Bogstandard (Sep 17, 2008)

W/E,

I found your last post really pleasing. You are showing what we all should do when building from plans.

Instead of just moronically machining shapes and dimensions, you are also attempting to understand how the engine works, and you aren't afraid to give your own opinions, whether good or bad.

Nice one

John


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## Maryak (Sep 17, 2008)

War Eagle

Thanks so much for your reply to my porting/timing query, I am much happier to start on the cylinder now. and your comments have prompted me to ask the kids/grandkids for a book for my birthdayfrom the UK "Model Engine Mechanics," self published by Gordon Cornell who I think was a design engineer for Frog which were around when I was a kid.


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## wareagle (Sep 17, 2008)

Bogstandard  said:
			
		

> W/E,
> 
> I found your last post really pleasing. You are showing what we all should do when building from plans.
> 
> ...



John, thanks! 



			
				Maryak  said:
			
		

> War Eagle
> 
> Thanks so much for your reply to my porting/timing query, I am much happier to start on the cylinder now. and your comments have prompted me to ask the kids/grandkids for a book for my birthdayfrom the UK "Model Engine Mechanics," self published by Gordon Cornell who I think was a design engineer for Frog which were around when I was a kid.



Maryak, you are very welcome. My best wishes for a successful build! Keep us up to date when you start your project and feel free to ask any questions.


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## wareagle (Sep 27, 2008)

Woo, Hoo!! I finally got some uninterrupted time on the machinery!! ;D Not very often that happens!!!

I made some progress on the Crusader. My buddy that is building one along with me is unable to join and won't for a while, so after visiting with him, I am off and running on mine. And I made a fair bit of progress today. It seemed like most of my time was building tooling for this project, so I opted to make some parts instead.

_My apologies for the horrible images. These will be the last set that are of poor quality coming out of my shop. The camera I was using to take the pictures seemed to need a fine adjustment, so I obliged and grabbed my 16 oz. fine adjustment tool.  8) The camera didn't take the adjustment very well. ;D_

I started with turning the cylinder. This picture is indicating the stock in the four jaw. 




For the newbies, a four jaw chuck does not self center the work in the jaws. You have to locate the center yourself. It is easily done with an indicator and a little time. The method I use is to chuck up the piece and eye ball it as close to center as I can. Once that is done, I will put the indicator on and see where things are at. Then, take one set of jaws at a time, and center your work piece. Once you have one set done, just repeat for the other set until centered, then double check all of the jaws to make sure nothing moved on you. With some practice, you can indicate a piece of bar stock in a couple of minutes to within .001".

This is drilling the bore in the cylinder. After this step, I bored the cylinder to .002" under size to allow for lapping. 





Cutting the fins on the cylinder. This step proved a bit tricky. I had some chatter on the cutter when I cut the first fin, and it took a little adjustment on the QCTP to get it to subside.





And this is the cylinder atop the crankcase.





The things that are left on the cylinder are drilling and tapping the holes for the base and head, and also milling the bypass slots and exhaust port.

The other things I did is I drilled and tapped the rear of the crankcase, and turned the rear portion of the crank shaft. That took a bit of time to get the geometry right and also to polish the rod journal. With the rear of the crank shaft done, the remainder will be straight forward, and hopefully will go smoothly.


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## Maryak (Sep 27, 2008)

W/E

Great to see you moving ahead. Were you using the dial indicator because you had to re-chuck or do you always do it that way? Just curious, back when Methusela played full back for Jerusalem, they would have kicked my butt good and hard if I used a dial indicator on black bar, (I notice yours is polished, if not machined where the indicator is). Chalk was the accepted tool for black metal and really fancy was a piece of metal in the tool post and white paper on the saddle!

Neat design with the cooling fins integral with the cylinder, I've got to make this Aluminium pot which doubles as the fins and cylinder head.

Keep going mate and thanks again for your advise and support.
Bob ;D ;D ;D


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## wareagle (Sep 27, 2008)

Maryak, the dial indicator was indicating on a machined portion of the stock. You are correct that typical stock is out of round, and sometimes by a great deal! 

Thanks!


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## wareagle (Oct 4, 2008)

Well, I thought that I would give you guys some better quality images. The other camera I was using must have had a lens made from Saran Wrap. The optics were horrible!!

This is the cylinder and crankcase awaiting more operations for completion. The crankcase lacks four tapped holes for the cylinder flange, and then the fins on the bottom (a bling item).





This is where the crankshaft is currently. The journal has been turned to dimension and polished, and it has bee centered in the four jaw to turn down the main journal. There is a hole in the main journal for bushing lubrication and that has now been drilled.





Now, I am off to my favorite place, the dawg house! ;D Gonna make some more chips this evening!!


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## Maryak (Oct 4, 2008)

W/E,

Great shots 

Interesting way of machining the crankshaft.

I've done it your way, i.e. journal 1st, between centers when making a solid job at 12" = 1ft, and a single throw with mains either side, (that way you don't turn off the centers of the main shaft). Then onto the other centers for the mains.

My plan is to turn a 1-1/16" dia and then turn and lap the main shaft, 5/16", all at one setting.

Next make a slotted bush with a hole offset to 1/2 the stroke and mount this in the three jaw, where I hope it will grip the main shaft and allow me to turn and lap the journal. :

Watdeyathink ???


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## wareagle (Oct 4, 2008)

Bob, I don't see why it wouldn't work.

As far as the way I am machining this part, I am basically following the setups that the article stepped out. I am not convinced that this is the easiest way, but I couldn't come up with an easier plan myself, so decided not to reinvent the wheel.

I made it a litle ways before I decided to call it a night out there. After being sick for a week, I am am still weak and just finding myself not concentrating on the work as close as I realy should be. So, the logical thing to do is stop. And that's what I did. It will be there another day.


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## Maryak (Oct 4, 2008)

I reckon you are some 14-15 hours behind us timewise, so must be close to beddybyes ;D and I'm sorry you had the flu or some nasty virus.

I like your plan to stay away from machines if the concentration's off. That way not only will the job be there tomorrow, so will you :

Thanks for your comment on my proposed method.

Best Regards
Bob


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## wareagle (Oct 4, 2008)

Maryak,

I have been down for a week, but I use the term down loosley here. I have had some sort of respitory somethin' that is making me cough like a dying emphesema patient, and I just don't have any steam. Have had very little fever, and that was low grade. Top it off with a little sinus congestion, and a loss of appetite and you now know what I have been feeling like for seven days. I'll make it, and I think I am turning the corner now with it.

Getting away from the machinery when not 100% on the game is vital for survival - operator survival and use the part later! It's okay, I'm not punching a clock out there and there is no deadline that I don't have control over, so I could think of no reason to continue.

BTW I am glad you liked the shots. Camera quality does make a huge difference in what your pictures look like. This thread is a great example of that.


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## steamer (Oct 5, 2008)

W/E,

The engine looks great!  I was reading parts of that article recently,,,,tempting!

I do hope your feeling better! 

Regards,
Dave


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## DICKEYBIRD (Oct 5, 2008)

wareagle  said:
			
		

> I have been down for a week, but I use the term down loosely here. I have had some sort of respitory somethin' that is making me cough like a dying emphesema patient, and I just don't have any steam. Have had very little fever, and that was low grade..


I had those exact symptoms a few years ago and can usually whip anything with extra fluids & rest. After 2 weeks of pure misery at work and tumbling into bed as soon as I got home and ate, my wife hauled me to the doctor, protesting the entire way there.

The doc poked & prodded, took an x-ray and said "Jay-sus, man, you've got pneumonia....yer lucky you're not dead!"

So, if you haven't already, go see a doctor!


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## SERCEFLYER (Oct 5, 2008)

I'm an internal medicine doctor-- Dickybird is right on. Please go to a doctor as soon as possible. You'll need a chest x-ray and may benefit from antibiotics and may need IV fluids. Not everyone mounts a high fever with a pneumonia. I've seen some dangerous pneumonias present in a similar way.

George


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## S_J_H (Oct 5, 2008)

I built the crusader .60 several years ago. I made every jig and fixture as well. But you really don't need most of them. I built it on a 7x10 mini lathe and mini mill. 
It was my first engine and I really enjoyed that project. I went and tried several piston combos including an aluminum ringed version. Stick with the lapped ringless iron piston.
I used a commercial carb. 
I am smack dab in the middle of another custom machine project. But as soon as it is done I can't wait to begin working on some model engines again!!
Here are some pics of my crusader .60.
Good luck with your build, it's looking great!

















Steve


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## S_J_H (Oct 5, 2008)

here are the jigs/fixtures I built -






Steve


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## wareagle (Oct 5, 2008)

DICKEYBIRD  said:
			
		

> I had those exact symptoms a few years ago and can usually whip anything with extra fluids & rest. After 2 weeks of pure misery at work and tumbling into bed as soon as I got home and ate, my wife hauled me to the doctor, protesting the entire way there.
> 
> The doc poked & prodded, took an x-ray and said "Jay-sus, man, you've got pneumonia....yer lucky you're not dead!"
> 
> So, if you haven't already, go see a doctor!





			
				SERCEFLYER  said:
			
		

> I'm an internal medicine doctor-- Dickybird is right on. Please go to a doctor as soon as possible. You'll need a chest x-ray and may benefit from antibiotics and may need IV fluids. Not everyone mounts a high fever with a pneumonia. I've seen some dangerous pneumonias present in a similar way.
> 
> George



Alright, I'll heed the advice. I'll see if I can get into my doctor's office this week sometime. That is a hit and miss proposition at best around here! Seems like all of the doctors are booked so full that they dont have room for the sick cases.


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## wareagle (Oct 5, 2008)

Steve, your example looks great! I would like to hear what the observations were with the different piston combos.

As far as fixtures, you are right. I could esily get by with half the fixtures called for in the build article. But with a little one who seems to want to be exactly like me (and that is a scary place to be!), I figure he will want to build one at some point and having the fixtures would give hime a great start. It would lessen the build time for him, and be more likely to keep his enthusiasm than a longer build would.

Thanks for sharing your engine! It is inspiring!


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## Maryak (Oct 5, 2008)

W/E,

Glad your taking the doctors advice 

Lovely job by S_J_H :bow:

Regards
Bob


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## jack404 (Oct 5, 2008)

wareagle  said:
			
		

> Woo, Hoo!! I finally got some uninterrupted time on the machinery!! ;D Not very often that happens!!!
> 
> 
> I started with turning the cylinder. This picture is indicating the stock in the four jaw.
> ...



Wareagle  great instructions  i cheat i put a 3 jaw self centring chuck on the tail stock tighten the peice then move it to the 4 jaw and clamp the 4 jaw to that and then do fine adjustment. This came from a machining guide for black powder rifles.

if the main peice is to be off centre i drill a hole in the centre and put in some waste round bar to suit and do the same..

love the build  I am learning soooo much and people say building rifles is hard!!!  this stuff make it look easy.. 


cheers 

jack


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## wareagle (Oct 5, 2008)

Jack, I think that I have to disagree with you... 

Really, none of this stuff is hard. Some operations take longer to perform than others, and there's some to learn about the cutters and materials. As with anything, there are tons of tricks to make things easier, but it's not rocket science (though if one wanted to, you could dig as deep as you wished) and the real secret is keeping your brain engaged. You have to stay one step ahead or face undesirable consequences. And each of these engines has been built one part at a time!

W/E Who is looking forward to making a few more chips on the Crusader!!


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## jack404 (Oct 5, 2008)

War Eagle Fair enough like i said i cheat ( cheats are generally not good) 

i dont have a dial indicator yet and have been lucky so far but i do know its wrong, 

but after reading of this short cut ( with a strong warning thats its not perfect) it has saved me a lot of frustration when setting up,

but it is my intent to learn correctly and get the tools to assist this education hence my being here.

I am what you call a rank amatuer, and am happy to admit it and liked your direct and simple explanation and am setting up a 4 jaw chuck to copy your instructions ( laptop next to lathe ) as i type.

i dont have a dial indicator but am trying with a wobble set with a scribe end and will "play" with that today and later window shop for a dial indicator from Oztion ( aussie ebay) budget at the moment is awful tight

i am buying a mini lathe ( reason for tight budget) and will send stuart ( the reseller here) a email asking if he can do me a deal on one ( dial indicator)

Thanks again for the Information  you took 3 pages of confusing info ( 26th machinists guide) and condenced it into "people speak" so even i could understand it 

cheers 
jack


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## wareagle (Oct 5, 2008)

Jack, I think our wires are crossed a bit... My disagreement was with the statement that says that building rifles makes machining engines look hard. Sorry about the misunderstanding!!

I will also add that though your set up method may be imperfect, but you are working with what you have, and that is a good thing! Yes, and indicator is probably a better method, it is still good to see other ways of accomplishing the same task, because one day my indicator may break and the piece I need to finish might not be critical.... It is good to see altenate methods of doing things!

Those indicators and bases are fairly inexpensive here in the states. I think I saw a complete set up (mag base & 1" indicator w/ .001" grads - both import but it's a start!) for about $20 US. Not sure about elsewhere, but I suspect that they aren't obscenely expensive in other countries. It might be worth shopping for...


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## jack404 (Oct 5, 2008)

Rifles and muzzle loaders i almost do in my sleep ( 30+ years of playing with them)

that i am well setup up for, its the smaller items that are driving me nutz

My Lathe is a Howard ( aussie made for Lithgow small arms) but too old and large for the models and too specific in setups that i dont wish to change it.

have hydraulic button riflers, sine bar riflers, oil pressure gun drills heat treat ovens etc

Its what your used to i think, i'm great at monkey see, monkey do,

i'm a clever monkey now i have seen your 4 jaw setup i'll do that too..

yes things in the US are a lot cheaper i found a dial indicator here for $99 with magnetic mount plus $20 shipping 

same thing on US ebay is $35 USD plus maybe $20 USD shipping ( wonder why i buy so much from the US :big: )

cheers

jack


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## dsquire (Oct 5, 2008)

wareagle  said:
			
		

> Alright, I'll heed the advice. I'll see if I can get into my doctor's office this week sometime. That is a hit and miss proposition at best around here! Seems like all of the doctors are booked so full that they dont have room for the sick cases.



War Eagle

I Used to be like that too. I would get around to see the Doctor when I had time for it. Not anymore. If you don't look after yourself, nobody else is going to look after you either. Get in to see the Doctor TOMORROW at the latest.

If it is pneumonia he will probably give you some antibiotics and tell you to rest. Listen to him. In a few days you will start to feel much better. Resist the temptation to get back into the shop. Be satisfied to get plenty of rest and maybe catch up on a bit of reading. After a week or 10 days you will probably be feeling like a new man.

If you wait till the end of the week to get in and see him then next week this time you will still be feeling like you are now or worse. I know your medical system is somewhat different in the US than ours in Canada. If I feel the need to see the Doctor I go now. If I can't get in I go to the Emergency at the hospital. There they llook at you in the order of need, not the order of arrival. I have not had to wait too long to be seen so I must have done the right thing.

What I suffer from is COPD (chronic obstructive pulmanary disease) and have to baby sit an oxygen bottle and a face mask 24/7. If I had listened when I was painting cars without a mask, working in the wood shop without a mask, smoking, etc, it probably wouldn't be like this, but this is how it is.

I've been there, done that. Now I'm shouting back over my shoulder, hopeing someone will hear me and maybe make smarter decisions than I did.

Cheers

Don


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## DICKEYBIRD (Oct 6, 2008)

Steve, what did you use to get that beautiful finish on the cyl head on your Crusader? Do you have a blasting cabinet and if so is it blasted with baking soda...or what?

W/E the doc gave me some big-a$$ horse pills which I think were "Biaxin" and they knocked out the crud in a couple days. Good luck and don't screw around with it. We ain't young and bulletproof anymore.


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## chipstractor (Oct 6, 2008)

War,
 Interesting project, hope you feel better and get back to making chips!


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## wareagle (Oct 6, 2008)

Well, boys, I did go see the doctor. I have been officially diagnosed with...




a cough.  :


Nothing else found. I have a cough surpressent that is supposed to have the ability to knock it out, and the doc is playing it safe and treating for a potential infection. The likely cause... Allergies. He said I should feel 100% better is 48hrs. We'll see.

I appreciate everyone's well wishes and concern! The advice was heeded, and fortunately everything was clear. Hopefully this will speed me along the recovery path!


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## dsquire (Oct 6, 2008)

Wareagle

Thanks for getting in to see the Doc. This makes me feel better too. Im glad that it is nothing worse than a bad cough. I used to think that I was invincible but as the years creep up I find out that I'm not. Whats the old saying, Too soon old and too late smart.

Have a speedy recovery

Cheers

Don


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## CrewCab (Oct 6, 2008)

Good to hear WE 8)

Blimey, we have these specialists at our disposal, let's make em' earn a crust  ......... to be fair it's like shop safety ............. let's make sure we make use of it 

CC


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## wareagle (Oct 6, 2008)

Well, I now have a self imposed deadline on my engine project. My two nephews will be around for Christmas, and I would really like to fire it up for them. Each time they see my shop, you can't imagine the sizes of their eyes when they see all of the stuff out there. My BIL has a wood shop, and that's cool, "But Uncle Wareagle makes metal thingys!!" 

I think that I am able to meet that goal. I am far enough along that it should be workable to finsih and get it running. However, I won't be able to have too many distractions between now and then. Stay tuned, we'll see how it unfolds!


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## Maryak (Oct 7, 2008)

W/E,

From what I know already - YOU"LL BOLT IT IN :

Regards
Bob


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## S_J_H (Oct 7, 2008)

wareagle, The ringed piston was just harder to get good compression with. As well as more trouble to make. I was just trying for a lighter piston for more rpm with it. I made the wrist pin from titanium as well .

DICKEYBIRD, Boy it's been a while since I made those parts, but the cyl head is shown in it's as machined state with a little hand deburring. A Slotting saw used for the fins with wd40 as lube. I can't remember what I made it out of though. It might be 2024 rather than 6061. 

Steve


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## wareagle (Oct 8, 2008)

Maryak  said:
			
		

> W/E,
> 
> From what I know already - YOU"LL BOLT IT IN :
> 
> ...



Thanks, Bob. I'll certainly give 'er hell!



			
				S_J_H  said:
			
		

> wareagle, The ringed piston was just harder to get good compression with. As well as more trouble to make. I was just trying for a lighter piston for more rpm with it. I made the wrist pin from titanium as well .



Thanks for that bit! For the first go 'round, I was planning on sticking with the plan as is, but had thought of the same mod. I guess that saves me the time! Over the past few days as I have been boxed up, I have thought of adapting this engine for ball bearings on the main and rod journals. Maybe raising the compression ratio some as well. Probably won't and will let it be in the end. I'll be happy with a smooth runner and am getting anxious on starting the next project.

More to come soon!


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## wareagle (Oct 10, 2008)

Well, I hit it again this evening. Made some headway on a couple of the tooling fixtures. I needed one to support the tail end of the crank shaft and while I was at it, I went on and made a couple of the others that will be needed. No pictures tonight...

I did a little studing of the plans this evening, and I am having a concern on the layout of the ports in the piston and cylinder. I looked and did a little bit of figuring, but it looks like one of the ports will be in the wrong location slightly. I think I am going to lay it out in CAD (because I am lazy) and double check things before I make any of those cuts. I'd hate to get towards the end of this and find out that a dimension was wrong and I had to remake the cylinder!

Hopefully if all goes well, I will get a temporary pass to make some more chips this weekend. I'd really like to finsih the crankshaft and get on with some other things. Actually, with the crankshaft, all I would need is the piston and connecting rod, and then I could actually measure the proposed port locations and make sure that everything is falling where it should.

Until then.....


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## Maryak (Oct 11, 2008)

W/E
Try Rons site:
http://www.modelenginenews.org/

under resources
     design centre

are some calculators which will produce a timing diagram for you.

Best Regards
Bob


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## wareagle (Oct 11, 2008)

Bob,

Thanks for the link! That should make things a bit easier!

W/E


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## wareagle (Oct 18, 2008)

Well, I made it to the shop and actually made some progress for a change. 

The evening started off on a bit of a sour note... The crankshaft that I was working on was inadvertently knocked off of the bench and it landed on the rod journal. Running an indicator confirmed the fears; the crank is bent.  Along the crankshaft lines, I did manage to finish the fixture that will support he back of the crankshaft during the machining operations on the lathe.

So, on to other things. As I have said before, this engine is fixture intensive if you follow the build article. I am building the fixtures for the purposes of building another Crusader in the future. It's a pain right now, but in the end I think the trouble will be worth it.

So, I started by drilling the fixture that locates the holes for the head and cylinder. I located the rotary table with my nifty little coax indicator that Casper the Friendly Ghost left for me. See *this topic* for details. I must say, this thing is the cat's meow! I had the RT located dead on in about 60 seconds.













After locating the RT, I set the jig on a couple of pieces of brass stock for drilling clearance and located the jig to center. Once done, the radius dimension was dialed in and six holes were drilled evenly apart. 

_NOTE: The method used to secure the jig to the RT looks spooky, but the piece was solid enough to drill holes safely. I wouldn't try to do anything beyond drilling holes with this setup. When securing a work piece, be sure that the method secures the work piece to withstand the forces that will be applied during the operations! Loss of tooling, workpieces, both or personal injury are hazards that are present when a work holding method fails._







After that, the jig for the cylinder and crankcase bolts was profiled and the hole was bored. Then the holes were drilled in the jig and everything was deburred. I then mounted it to the cylinder and drilled the holes for the bolts. The flange that meets the crankcase was profiled. Then came another round of careful deburring of the cylinder flange and holes. _Sorry, no pics of this._

This is where the night left off. The cylinder and crankcase are sitting happily on the 1-2-3 blocks, and the jigs/fixtures that were machined this evening are placed around the on the bench.






The next step is to finish the crankcase which will involve cutting the fins on the bottom (for bling purposes only) and turning the bushing and pressing it in the crankcase. Beyond that, the CC will be ready for the remaining parts that are dying to be dug out of the bar stock laying about in the shop. Next in line will be the crankshaft. That will obviously be rework, but that's okay... I need the practice.


----------



## Maryak (Oct 18, 2008)

W/E,

Bugger   about the crankshaft, but your no orphan it happens to us all. The engine is looking really neat.

Did you sort out your timing/porting problem ???

Best Regards
Bob


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## wareagle (Oct 18, 2008)

Maryak  said:
			
		

> Bugger   about the crankshaft, but your no orphan it happens to us all. The engine is looking really neat.



Yeah... Ya win some, ya lose some, and some are a draw! I figured there would be a part or two that would be required to make from scratch. It is just lost time and a little money in materials, and usually on the second go things go smoother and the part is better in the end. With this being the crank, I don't mind too much. I'll just make it better than the first! 8)



			
				Maryak  said:
			
		

> Did you sort out your timing/porting problem ???



I did... Until I trashed the crank. Once I get the new crank made, I will measure it and will layout the ports with the new dimensions. The site link you shared has helped immensely.  :bow: The published timing was off by just a slight bit, but the first crank had about .005" more stroke than the plans show. Not exactly sure where the discrepancy is.... ??? 

The other piece to this puzzle is the cylinder deck height. I think the author was allowing a little for a gasket to be installed. My cylinder should seal around the spigot hole, thought I am wandering about the expansion of the aluminum loosening that up a bit when the engine gets to operating temperature. A little high temp gasket sealer will be my plan B.

My plan of attack is to get the rotating assembly finished and put everything in place prior to cutting the ports. I may have to make two pistons to accomplish this because I want to lap the cylinder after the silver brazing has been completed. Once everything is together and measured, I can lay it out in CAD and verify the port locations and dimensions prior to making those cuts. I'm not sure why the little hair is standing up on the back of my neck regarding the build article and the published port locations, but I want to make certain that they are correct!!

I appreciate the feedback and support!!


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## wareagle (Oct 31, 2008)

Well, I finally found some time to make it to the shop. This thing called work really intrudes on one's play time! ;D

My plan of attack was to machine the bushing for the crankshaft and press it into the crank case. Afterward, I would machine the crankshaft, and then drill and tap the holes in the crank case. The crankshaft is, in my opinion, the most complex part to be made for the engine, so I had planned on that taking a period of time to accomplish.

_________________________________________________

The bushing is pretty straight forward. The inside diameter is .500" and the outside diameter is .626 -.627" for a press fit in the crankcase. There is a trust face of .750" diameter on one end of the bushing, and it is .062" in length. I left mine at .075" so I could get the end play correct. I'll chuck the crankcase in the lathe when the time comes, and make the final cut on the trust face. _More on this brilliant idea in a bit..._

Here's is the bushing and crankcase ready for the press. I added a little heat to aid in the pressing operation by putting the crankcase in the over at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes prior to assembly. No problems with this operation, and the bushing is now installed.






Next on the list to do is the second attempt at the crankshaft. I chucked up a piece of bar stock and started turning the crankshaft down. The main bearing journal is .499 - .500" in diameter. The overall diameter of the throw is 1.375" diameter. I turned the nose of the crank down and set up a makeshift tool post grinder to take it to dimension.

Turning the nose of the crank down to dimension.






The makeshift tool post grinder... I took a Dremel tool and mounted the flexible shaft to a QCTP. I then chucked up a grinding bit in the collet and went to town. I saved .005" so that the shaft could be ground to dimension, and the Dremel tool worked well for this. It doesn't have enough torque to take more than .001 - .0015" off at a pass, but it got the job done. Note that there is butcher paper protecting the ways of the lathe. The last thing I wanted was to have grinding grit where grinding grit isn't supposed to be!!
















So, we're cookin' with grease now. The shaft is ground to dimension, and turned out well for the improvised tool post grinder. The next thing is to cut a .030" groove .350" from the nose of the crank, and turn the end of the nose down to .437". The next step is to drill and tap the center of the nose with a 1/4 x 28 thread about .625" deep. No problems with these operations, and the crank is now cut from the piece of bar stock.

The crank along side the crank case.






And a test fit of the crankshaft in the bushing/crankcase.






The crankshaft is a nice fit and turns with ease. So all is going well. Now for the fun part, machining the business end of the crankshaft. The design calls for a connecting rod journal of .375" diameter to be turned offset .437" of the center line of the crankshaft. There is also a counterweight that is integral to the crank as well, and a subsequent operation on the mill will remove more of the material fro balancing.

Now the lathe is changed for the three jaw to four jaw chuck, and the back side of the crank is laid out and scribed for reference. The dimensions are measured against the drawing, and that's when the it was realized that the saw took to much material off of the end of the crankshaft.  :wall: After some choice words my little boy likely would repeat if he was in ear shot, I looked into where the problem came from. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 It was a simple error in arithmetic. I had played it safe (so I thought) by adding a cushion of material on the end of the crankshaft, but the extra was of no use, the shaft was too short by .015". It's my own fault... Cut once, then measure twice! 








So now that I have theoretically lost an afternoon in the shop, I have taken the time to sit down on go through my steps again, and I have realized that my plan of adjusting the end play by turning the thrust face of the bushing down won't work out, because the crankshaft will then need to have the nose length changed. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 I have also come to the conclusion that I will write out my steps and measurements in a machining sequence prior to going for a third go at the crankshaft.

At this point I am too irritated to do anything else, so I call it a night. Stay tuned for _Crankshaft, Part III_.


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## Maryak (Nov 1, 2008)

W/E

DOUBLE BUGGER :'( :'(

Remember the old adage 3rd time lucky. 

I'll bet you had something else on your mind even if it was subconscious.

Hang in there buddy I'm on your side and I really like your improvised toolpost grinder.

Best Regards
Bob


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## dsquire (Nov 1, 2008)

wareagle

Too bad about the tough luck on the cranks. I know exactly how you feel, I've been there. You try so hard the second time to make it better and it comes back to bite you some place else. Just remember the third times a charm. Got my fingers crossed for you.

Glad to see that your feeling bertter.


Cheers

Don


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## Metal Mickey (Nov 1, 2008)

:bow: :bow: :bow:
I am very impressed and can see you are a quality engineer. I like the grinding solution in particular. And the protection method of the lathe. I will store that away for the future thats for sure, so thanks for that.

Mike


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## wareagle (Nov 6, 2008)

Bob, Mike, and Don, thanks for the kind comments! They are much appreciated.

I did get out to the shop for a short period of time, and I did make a start on crankshaft #3. About the time I faced the end off, tapped and threaded the hole for the prop stud, the phone rang and I had to take care of the work thing.  :

It's a bummer when you get a small tast of something sweet, only to have the spoon abruptly pulled from your mouth! Oh well, it's still progress even as little as it is.

Hopefully I'll have more to share in the next day or so!


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## Brass_Machine (Nov 6, 2008)

Been awhile since I looked at this post... it was barely 1 page. The crankcase looks awesome WE. Sorry to hear about the cranks. You will knock it out this time. I have a huge pile of 1st 2nd 3rd all the way up of parts attempts. ;D

Eric


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## wareagle (Nov 8, 2008)

Eric, 

Thank you for your kind comments.


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## wareagle (Nov 8, 2008)

_ Crankshaft Part III _   

All right, so I made it out to the shop today and made some progress on the little beast. After the last episode of cutting too much off of the crankshaft, I decided that I would do my homework and have a procedure written down and follow it during the next attempt (this one). I also found a couple of errors in my approach that would have bit me later. _PPP = PPP P_$$ Poor Planning = P_$$ Poor Performance_

I checked the plans against the actual measurements on the crankcase and bushing. What I discovered is that the thrust face needed to have .032" taken off. I chucked the crankcase in the lathe and checked the back for run-out. First time was a charm! Cutting the bushing was straight forward, and it wound up dead on.

Checking the run-out on the crankcase with a dial indicator





Next up is machining a fixture to hold the crank for machining the business end. Maryak, I ripped this idea from your project! Hope ya don't mind!  The reason I chose to do this was to protect the newly polished main journal. My first thought was to use the four jaw to get the offset, but after seeing the way Maryak did his crank, I decided to have a go at it myself. The fixture only took about ten minutes to bang out, and I was on my way.

To make the fixture, I chucked up a piece of 1.750" aluminum bar stock about 4" long and faced the end and center drilled a locating hole. I flipped it and faced the opposite side. The piece was taken to the mill where it was squared up in the vise and the center was located. I then move the table the distance needed (radius of the stroke) and drilled/reamed a hole for the crankshaft main journal to be inserted. I then drilled a 1/4" opposite of the center-line through the part to relieve the stress from flexing during clamping. A slitting saw finished the fixture up after flipping it on its side in the vise.

In the three jaw chuck, it is hard to have repeatability due to the run out they typically have. To reduce the problem, I have identified each of the jaws on my three jaw with a different color on each. If I have a need to remove a part and put it back for further operations, I just make the part with the same colors at each jaw and then when it goes back I can have it clocked in the chuck as it was previously. In my experience with my chuck, I get about .001" run-out when doing this. The crank fixture was identified this way and I did a test run on the previous crank we'll call Shorty. I chucked Shorty up and did a cut to make sure the fixture would indeed hold the crank solidly,and also pulled it out and chucked it back up several times to verify the run-out. It was either dead on or at the worst .001" TIR. 

This might be a trick to save some time with changing between the three and four jaw chucks. Keep in mind that it doesn't eliminate the run-out issue, it just keeps it close. If your task requires a high degree of precision, then I suggest you use the four jaw for those purposes. Use this trick at your own risk!!

The trial run on the crank fixture using Shorty





Next is making the infamous crankshaft. Fortunately, I have plenty of material and should a fourth, fifth, or even sixth attempt need to be taken at getting a good crankshaft, I wouldn't have to buy anything. And off we go. I chucked up a piece of bar stock in the three jaw and faced the end and center drilled the nose. I went ahead and drilled/tapped the hole (1/4 x 24) while I was there.

Next I started the mass removal of metal. It took moderate cuts until I got about half way there, then I progressively used lighter and lighter cuts as I approached the final dimension. This was to avoid any chance of warping the crank from too much force from the cutting tool and the reduce the amount of heat being generated in the part. I was concerned about a potential for warp-age, so I stopped about .050" from the final dimension and let it cool off for a few hours.

Turning the nose of the crankshaft





After the part cooled off, I finished the cut to .002" oversize. I employed the hillbilly tool post grinder to take the part to the final dimension (actually about .0002" oversize). I then polished the main journal with 800 grit Emory cloth and oil.

The hillbilly tool post grinder




This has worked out pretty well for getting a good finish on a part. A couple of things to keep in mind if you try it... Make sure you dress your stone before grinding the part. They are not very concentric! And don't try to take a heavy cut. The shaft on the bit will flex and the Dremel tool doesn't have enough torque to turn the stone with a heavy bite. I have found that .001" - .0015" is about all it wants. And protect your machine! Butcher paper is what I use.

So far so good. I was at the same place last time when things went awry! : The next step is to cut the stock off and put the nose in the fixture for the next operations. And, this time, I got it right!

The crank was placed in the fixture and chucked up in the lathe. I carefully faced it off and then drilled a locating hole for the live center. The business end was then roughed out to size, but this was a slow go. I didn't want to take chances of the crank moving within the fixture and making my next post _Crankshaft IV_. So light cuts were the order and I eased it down close to the dimension.

The crank in the fixture backed up with the live center





She's slowly getting there





Now we're real close, just need to do some final shape cuts and finish it up





And then Mr. Murphy makes his appearance... As I am making my shaping cuts, I notice that the live center is dancing very slightly back and forth. At this point I know the the crank has moved in the fixture. So I stop and take a break before exploding into a ginormous mushroom cloud. As I was contemplating which one of you were about to be the recipients of a mill and lathe, the "You Dumb-ass" fairy popped in my head... All I had to do is loosen the chuck, then relocate the crank pin back to center and all would be well.

That's exactly what I did and moved on. I didn't have any more issues with movement going forward. The finish cuts were made and the rod journal was polished. I drilled the hole in the rod journal for the pin that will turn the rotary valve and verified all of the measurements. I missed the thickness of the counter weight by .001". Everything else hit dead on.

Success! Here is the crankshaft with the crankcase and cylinder





And here is the Shorty with the new crank





So that conclude this episode of    _ Crankshaft Part III _   

Next up for the crankshaft will be milling the angles on the crank disk, but I believe that will wait until I get the connecting rod and piston made. I am planning on doing a proper balance job on it. And I am looking at the rod journal throw and am thinking that I will be needing to notch out the crankcase to make way for the con rod.


It doesn't look like much, but that was a day!! Everyone's support and comments are appreciated. Finishing this piece today was a milestone, and I fell like I have now made it to the top of the mountain and will have some momentum to carry through the remaining part of the project. Stay tuned!!


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## Maryak (Nov 8, 2008)

wareagle  said:
			
		

> Next up is machining a fixture to hold the crank for machining the business end. Maryak, I ripped this idea from your project! Hope ya don't mind!



W/E,

Mind - Hell it's just great that an idea I borrowed and tried has not only been successful for me but of use to a friend and colleague 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




I am tickled pink that you have one good looking crank there buddy 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Best Regards
Bob


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## dsquire (Nov 8, 2008)

wareagle :bow:

I knew that the third time would be the charm, no doubt in my mind at all. Now we will sit back and watch the rest of the crusader take shape.

Cheers

Don


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## wareagle (Nov 8, 2008)

_Quote from a different thread_


			
				SandyC  said:
			
		

> Hi Guys,
> 
> Bob..... excellent progress on your diesel, it is really beginning to look the part now.
> 
> ...



Sandy,

Thanks for the informative post. Lots of great information! I have been thinking about the fuel for this little engine, and am thinking that I could mix my own, but am not 100% sure of there being any other additives inthe commercial model fuels. I have plenty of Methanol, actually have a few gallons of nitro, and have some racing castor oil. Is there anything else that the model engines need in the fuel?? Based on the prices I have seen for the model engine fuels, it would be much cheaper for me to mix up my own.   FWIW My purposes for this engine will be running it on a static display. It won't be used in a plane or other application.

As for the RPM range of the Crusader, you're obviously much more experienced with these little guys than I. My expectation of the RPM range was somewhere around 8,000 - 10,000 RPM. Heck, if it starts and runs I will be happy!


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## Philjoe5 (Nov 8, 2008)

WE,
I'm with Eric. Last time I saw this post it was a page long. You're making some great progress :bow: :bow:. You've documented some great techniques here, the photos are great. The co-ax indicator is one of those tools I often thought I'd like to get, now you've given me a good reason to make the move.

Keep us posted

Cheers,
Phil


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## wareagle (Nov 9, 2008)

Maryak  said:
			
		

> Mind - Hell it's just great that an idea I borrowed and tried has not only been successful for me but of use to a friend and colleague
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Bob, that fixture worked like a charm. I am glad that you had posted it in your thread because it sure saved me some time. And thank you for your kind comments. 

The crank turned out pretty good. The biggest thing is it is well within tolerance and with some light oil spins easily in the bushing. We'll see just how good it is when the thing is fired up. If it holds together, than I call it a success... If not, then as you say, flight will commence shortly there after! ;D



			
				dsquire  said:
			
		

> I knew that the third time would be the charm, no doubt in my mind at all. Now we will sit back and watch the rest of the crusader take shape.



Don, if it were any other time, I would say that a blind hog finds an acorn every once in a while. Not so this time. I found on this particular part I had to be on my game. That's obvious with having to give it three tries for one good part. :

Stick around, I've got some momentum going now! Still aways to go, but I'll get 'er done one piece at a time!



			
				Philjoe5  said:
			
		

> I'm with Eric. Last time I saw this post it was a page long. You're making some great progress :bow: :bow:. You've documented some great techniques here, the photos are great. The co-ax indicator is one of those tools I often thought I'd like to get, now you've given me a good reason to make the move.



Phil, this project has been like getting an overloaded truck up a hill, it goes s - l - o - w at first, but once you get to the top, things really start moving. My enthusiasm is building for completing this project, so that helps, too.

As far as techniques, I am not sure how great they are. They work for me, so I am happy to share. One thing about this hobby, there's a million different ways to drill a hole!

And the beloved co-ax indicator... There's a mysterious history behind this particular tool! If you haven't seen it, it is *here*. This is one of those "luxury" items that I personally always talked myself out of when spending the tooling budget. Now that I have one, I am throwing rocks at my old method of locating any circular object on the mill. It is one of those tools that won't get used all of the time, but it is sure handy to have in the bag of tricks!


Thank you one and all for the encouragement and support! :bow:


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## SandyC (Nov 9, 2008)

WE,

Yes mixing your own fuel will be very much cheaper, especially since you already have the required ingredients available.

I used to mix most of my own, however, it is now very difficult to get hold of METHANOL, and especially NITROMETHANE here in the UK thanks to government restrictions on the distribution of such chemicals (largely due to ILLEGAL DRUG FACTORIES with regards to METHANOL and, since NITROMETHANE is also classed as an explosive, TERRORIST THREAT).

CAN'T HAVE ANY FUN NOWADAYS...    :big: ;D ;D

So what is required?

There are only three basic ingredients required, namely: -

OIL...... either pure CASTOR OIL, SYNTHETIC RACING OIL or better still a 50%+50% mix of the 2.

METHANOL (METHYL ALCOHOL).

NITROMETHANE.

A good general running mix would be: -

18% -20% oil (CASTOR, SYNTHETIC or a blend of both, as above).
5% - 10% NITROMETHANE.
remainder % METHANOL.
MIX BY VOLUME.

I would suggest for your first runs that you use the higher oil content and the lower NITRO content.
Once run in for an hour or so you can then increase the NITRO, and reduce the OIL.

Some commercial fuels use an additional CHEMICAL DYE additive, YELLOW, RED GREEN etc, mainly to identify the PARTICULAR MIX FORMULA, whilst others may also contain some anti-foaming agent (e.g. LIQUID POLYMER RESIN as used in CAR POLISH).
In either case only a few drops (per GALLON) are introduced.

Neither contribute anything to the running capability and some DYE materials, such a HY-VIZ red, can actually stain the engine metal. So best left out in my book.

A note on the OIL...... SYNTHETIC oil is much cleaner to use but breaks down more readily, especially if you get a LEAN mix, which will result in much higher running temperatures when it will break down completely and not protect your engine.
CASTOR oil does not break down (in fact it gets better with high temperatures and lean mixture), however, it is much dirtier to use and will coat your engine with a thin layer of brown gunge which can be difficult to remove.
By using a BLEND of both oils you get a cleaner running mix but with the added protection of the CASTOR at higher, LEANER, running temperatures.



On a slightly different note: -

Your coaxial indicator can also be used as a very accurate TRAMMING tool.
Place an accurate flat plate on your machine table and use one of the long,curved end, probes to sweep around the top surface, almost at the max dia. This will get over the problem of the table slots.

A good source of an accurate flat plate is a brand new DISC BRAKE rotor (disc) which are not very expensive to purchase from a motor factor.
These are machined (very often SURFACE GROUND) to very high tolerance with regard to being flat and with both sides parallel, certainly close enough for the purpose.
If necessary, gently clamp it to the table via it's centre hole using low profile clamps, but generally they are heavy enough not to need clamps (given the low forces being applied by the probe) and TRAM away.

Just another idea to let you play with your gift.

Best regards.

Sandy.
 ;D ;D ;D ;D


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## wareagle (Nov 9, 2008)

Sandy, thanks for the reply! I have been messing with exotic fuels for more years than I can remember. Kind of goes with the racing stuff!! I looked today, and I have about 100 gallons of methanol, and about four of nitro. Two quarts of castor oil. I wonder how long that little engine would run on that amount of fuel?? :big: ;D

One nice benefit of mixing my own fuels is the ability to adjust the percentages as things break in. And yes, the cheap factor is certainly attractive! I guess I will need to get some synthetic racing oil to supplement the castor oil. Any one brand of synthetic you would recommend??


As far as the co-ax indicator, I hadn't thought of using it for a tramming tool. I guess it would be a great application for that as well. Mater of fact, it could be used in the lathe as well for centering work pieces in a four jaw, but an indicator on a magnetic stand works perfectly for that application.

I currently use a piece of 1" plate glass for tramming my head, but the more I use it, the less I am fond of it. Not due to inaccuracy, but if my hands are a slight bit oily (I don't know why they would be messing with machinery :), it tends to want to slip out of my hands. I have visions of that happening and then landing on my foot with the corner impaling or taking a toe or two off. The edges have been ground down, but that piece of glass is heavy, and I know it would do some damage if dropped onto a body part!!  

Because of that, I very likely will go to a brake rotor or something similar for nothing more than being able to have a good hold on it. I can then use the glass for sanding flat surfaces and avoid handling it with oily hands.

Thanks again for the comments!!


----------



## SandyC (Nov 10, 2008)

> I guess I will need to get some synthetic racing oil to supplement the Castor oil. Any one brand of synthetic you would recommend??



WE,

That is a very hot potato, a bit like asking what lathe is best?...ask 10 guy's and you get 10 different answers.

I think it will depend upon what is available in your particular part of the world but a few suggestions are: -

KLOTZ oils....... Techniplate R50 for synthetic (and BeNol for racing castor). 
A lot of the commercial fuel manufacturers use these 2.

Others are: -

Silkolene 4T R40S is a very good synthetic, also Castorene.

The most important thing to establish is the miscibility with Castor oil.... some don't mix well and should be used on their own.

For Castor oils then: -

BeNol (see Klotz above)

Castorlube C from 'BIRCO'

Castrol M is one of the best castor oils around and can be used on it's own.... it is one of the cleanest available.

Hope this helps.

best regards.

Sandy. ;D


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## wareagle (Nov 10, 2008)

SandyC  said:
			
		

> That is a very hot potato, a bit like asking what lathe is best?...ask 10 guy's and you get 10 different answers.



Oops!! You're right!  What I should have asked is if there was on or two to stay away from (still a hot potato, but not quite as large ;D). At any rate, thanks for the advice. I do have some Castrol M on hand, 1/2 quart to be exact.

Now all I need is an engine to burn this stuff in.  Guess I need to get busy!!


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## CrewCab (Nov 11, 2008)

Glad to see your managing to progress W/E 8) ........... thanks for all the updates and for sharing all the up's and down's, including all the crankshaft options ??? ......... to be fair I think we all learn more from something like that than all the "it went right" threads ......... however ...... I hope you don't have any more for a while, leave that to someone else for now. :bow:

atb

CC


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## wareagle (Nov 15, 2008)

CC, thanks for the well wishes!!


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## wareagle (Nov 15, 2008)

Well, after a very busy week I made it out to the shop this evening, and even made a little progress.

I started off by turning the head. That started from a piece of aluminum and was a straight forward face off, shoulder, and part off job. It was flipped over, and the other side was faced off to dimension and the counter bore for the glow plug was machined.

Here's the business side of the head being machined.





The cylinder was test fitted to the head and was a tight fit.





After the business side of the head was machined, the next thing I did was to machine the engine's backplate to the internal dimensions. This part is also aluminum and was a straight forward face of, shoulder, and a blind hole was drilled and reamed for a press fitted bushing to later be installed. The original drawings call for the crank case and backplate to be squared off, but on my engine I am leaving some meat on the crank case for aesthetic reasons. I machined the backplate to the same outside diameter as the crank case for now. I haven't decided what I am going to do on that little bit at this point, but the material is there when I decide.

Turning the backplate's internal shape.





Almost there...





And a test fit with the crank case and crankshaft in place.





Once the internal stuff was done on the back plate, I drilled the center hole in the crank shaft. This was done in the four jaw as well, and the part was centered and drilled. Nothing really to write home about...

Drilling the crank shaft center hole.





And this is where things left off for the night. 

The parts laid out.





It's starting to look like an engine!











Next up will be finishing the crankshaft which involves drilling one hole about midway down the main journal for the fuel/oil to lubricate the bushing. The connecting rod and pistons (one for trial fit, one for real) are next up. And then the trail fitting of the rotating assembly will begin. There will be some relief cuts needed in the crankcase for the rod. Once everything looks good, I will then cut the ports in the cylinder and machine the bypass cover and exhaust manifold. Then comes the infamous drilling and tapping of the head, cylinder, and crankcase.  A little solder job will finish the cylinder up.

The rotary valve and bushing will follow.  The backplate has a bunch of material to be milled off, so that will take a bit of time to do. The final bits will be the prop flange and spinner, and the carburetor. Fining the head and bottom of the crankcase I am saving for after I get the engine running.

I feel like I have made it over the hill and now have a little bit of momentum going on this project. I hope that I can keep it and finish this thing out before too much longer! I am ready to see this thing sputter!!


----------



## ksouers (Nov 15, 2008)

Looking real good there, W/E.
With all the heartbreaks and hurrays along the way I'm anxious to see it running.


----------



## seagar (Nov 15, 2008)

To add fuel to the fire in my younger days I raced go karts and model aircraft both using methenol and I ALWAYS used Castrol M. It is great. 

Ian.


----------



## dsquire (Nov 15, 2008)

WarEagle :bow:

Looking pretty good. Its starting to look like the engines that I play with. Feels a lot better when you have a productive night like this. Keep up the good work, I'll be watching.

Cheers

Don


----------



## Metal Mickey (Nov 15, 2008)

WarEagle, you passed some nice comments on my Mills build but I have to say the quality of your work is exceptional! :bow:

I don't know how you keep your chuck as clean as you do either.....super work. :bow:


----------



## Maryak (Nov 15, 2008)

W/E,

Its really starting to look like an engine. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Will there be fins on the head. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	







Best Regards
Bob


----------



## wareagle (Nov 15, 2008)

ksouers  said:
			
		

> Looking real good there, W/E.
> With all the heartbreaks and hurrays along the way I'm anxious to see it running.



Thank you for the complements! As with any project (at least any that I undertake), Mr Murphy is right there along side me. It just takes a little persistence to keep him at bay!!

The excitement is really starting to mount as I am getting closer!



			
				seagar  said:
			
		

> To add fuel to the fire in my younger days I raced go karts and model aircraft both using methenol and I ALWAYS used Castrol M. It is great.



No arguments there! And the younger days of racing.... Those were some great times!!!



			
				dsquire  said:
			
		

> Looking pretty good. Its starting to look like the engines that I play with. Feels a lot better when you have a productive night like this. Keep up the good work, I'll be watching.



Don, it was a productive night indeed. Some nights you have it, and some nights you don't. Last night was on my side!  Thanks for the cud-dos and definitely stick around, the fun stuff is just beginning!!



			
				Metal Mickey  said:
			
		

> WarEagle, you passed some nice comments on my Mills build but I have to say the quality of your work is exceptional! :bow:
> 
> I don't know how you keep your chuck as clean as you do either.....super work. :bow:



That makes my day, although I would tend to argue! :big: I am my own worst critic. : On the mills build, I really enjoy seeing these projects posted here and each one is an inspiration! 

As far as keeping my chuck clean, I really work clean in my shop. After each process, I go after the chips with the shop vac and wipe down tools and machines pretty often. I guess it is being anal, but my time is limited and I like to be able to walk into an organized (well, loosely used term here!) and clean shop and go to work. The messes drive me nuts if they are left behind,



			
				Maryak  said:
			
		

> Its really starting to look like an engine.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Bob, thanks for the comments! It is starting to look pretty good. I have the majority of the bigger stuff at least semi-finished, so it is coming together on the exterior. The small stuff will take a bit to get through, but maybe not a large amount of time.

As for the head, I will cut fins in it but am waiting until I get the other parts made and check clearances. No need to go through all of the trouble doing the fining if the part will need to be remade. _There is a method to my madness... If I don't totally finish a part, then it will be good to go. But if I finish a part, bling it and have it show quality, then there will be some little something that will turn it from masterpiece to scrap!!_ ;D :big: 


To all, thank you for watching this come together! It has been a lot of fun, and I have grand plans going forward. For all of those documenting builds, "Thank you for the inspiration!". As I say, stick around because things are starting to get fun!!!


----------



## Brass_Machine (Nov 16, 2008)

Great progress WE!

It's looking very good.

Eric


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## Metal Mickey (Nov 16, 2008)

You are always welcome to come to my work shop if you want to clean up :big:


----------



## wareagle (Nov 16, 2008)

Metal Mickey  said:
			
		

> You are always welcome to come to my work shop if you want to clean up :big:



Okay, I'm game. You cover my travel expenses, wages, feed me, and provide me a place to sleep (the shop would work) and I'll clean your shop...  ;D  :big:


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## wareagle (Nov 24, 2008)

Well, my goal of having this engine completed by the end of the year is now looking to be in jeopardy and the ability to pull it off is swiftly eroding away! I am hoping to have some time to spend on it this weekend and hope to have a few more pieces made. Having way too many irons in the fire here lately has made the shop pretty much inaccessible. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




The hardest thing for me will be fighting the urge to hurry it along to make the goal. I know that won't work, or it will be a sloppy finish to the project. Maybe the model engineering gods will smile on me over the next few weeks and I can see some progress.


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## Philjoe5 (Nov 24, 2008)

W/E,
You have a great looking engine taking shape here. Keep at it man. We're all anxiously awaiting. Watching someone elses WIP is as exciting as working on my own + it's easier cleaning up afterward :big:

Cheers,
Phil


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## Maryak (Nov 25, 2008)

wareagle  said:
			
		

> Well, my goal of having this engine completed by the end of the year is now looking to be in jeopardy and the ability to pull it off is swiftly eroding away!



Don't sweat it 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





When the time is right the time is right. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Deadlines are only an aid to being dead before your ready 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




We are all pulling with you on this one 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Best Regards
Bob


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## wareagle (Nov 25, 2008)

Phil & Bob,

Thanks for your words of encouragement! I am not giving up by any means, just a bit disappointed that I won't have it done as soon as I had hoped. With as busy as things have been over the past couple of weeks, I have been way too tired to be safe and productive out in the shop when I have had that bit of spare time. : 

The next month will be very busy for us and it doesn't look like things will let up until the middle of January. Hopefully between now and then I can finish this one up, have the required video up and be starting on the next one. Aside from the small little fixtures and other odds and ends that will be made on the machinery, I am planning on one engine project per year for at least the short term future. 

Maybe I need to get some coaching from Brian!!! He sure has been able to knock one out with much quickness!!

Thanks again guys!!  :bow:


----------



## CrewCab (Nov 25, 2008)

WE .............. the guys are right .......... (much) better late than never 

just take your time and it will all come together when the time is right 

just my take :

CC


----------



## dsquire (Nov 25, 2008)

WarEagle

What your doing is looking great so far and I'm sure that when finished it will be impressive. Remember that his is your hobby and is supposed to be fun and relaxing. If you don't get it finished till Xmas 2009, then that is fine by me. Work on it at your own pace and it will all work out for the best. When ever it shows up we will all be here to look it over.

cheers  :bow: 

Don


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## wareagle (Jan 17, 2011)

It is funny how life works its way into things. Work, family, spouse, friends... Pretty soon, the days turn to weeks; the weeks to months; the months to years. A lot has transpired since then, but it hasn't involved much in the way of working with the machinery. Nonetheless, life has been good for us, so no complaints. 



Well, after reading this topic here on HMEM, I have been inspired to jump back on the Crusader project and see about wrapping it up. When I started this project over 2 years ago, I had started taking the HMEM community along with me. So, here we are a bit over two years later... _Resurrecting a "dinosaur" thread!_


Okay, so back to it. This evening was spent going over the pieces that have been made, checking measurements, reviewing the plans and getting a feel of where I left off. The remaining items are the piston, connecting rod, valve and bushing, exhaust manifold, bypass cover, carb assembly (which may go commercial), hub, spinner, and some misc. hardware items. 

Existing parts that have machining (beyond drilling/tapping) left are the head, rear engine plate, and cylinder. 

When I had to set the project aside, I took the time to put a light coat of oil on the pieces and store them in plastic bags. A quick cleaning and we are where we left off without the issues of corrosion and dust.

There are a few things I need to gather up in the way of bar stock, so a trip to the local metal supplier is in store. I'll get by this week and gather up some materials, and hopefully have some pictures with fresh chips to share in a few days.

'til then,
An excited and reinvigorated Wareagle!


----------



## dsquire (Jan 17, 2011)

Wareagle

Glad to see that you are getting back to the Crusader build. I will be following along as you progress. Best of luck in 2011. :bow: :bow:

Cheers 

Don


----------



## zeeprogrammer (Jan 17, 2011)

I was reading the other day, came across one of your posts, and realized I hadn't seen you for a while.

Glad you're back!


----------



## Maryak (Jan 17, 2011)

WE,

I hope the Grizzly can handle the shock : Nice to have you back in the saddle.

Best Regards
Bob


----------



## wareagle (Jan 17, 2011)

zeeprogrammer  said:
			
		

> I was reading the other day, came across one of your posts, and realized I hadn't seen you for a while.
> 
> Glad you're back!



It is great to be back! 



			
				Maryak  said:
			
		

> WE,
> 
> I hope the Grizzly can handle the shock : Nice to have you back in the saddle.
> 
> ...



Bob, if the ole Griz can't handle the shock, then we'll find one that can! ;D I imagine it will be like rekindling an old flame; great in the beginning, but fizzle back to the same old arguements (just won't leave 'er in the ditch this go). LOL!


Well, the trip by the metal place yielded a disappointment... missed them by about ten minutes! Oh well, tomorrow is a new day and it will give me a chance to work on the pieces I have started. Let's see what I can accomplish (or scrap) this evening...


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## wareagle (Jan 22, 2011)

Well, I was finally able to get by the metal place and pick up a few odds and ends. I thik I now have the majority of what I need to complete this project.

And... A few chips have been made as well. (Bob, I am happy to report that the Griz was happy to see me.) Started machining the piston by facing and turning down to the OD. The plans call for the piston to be made from fine grain cast iron. Rather than reinvent the wheel, I am going with what the author specified. I figure that the piston could probably be made from 2024, but that may be an experiment for a rainly day. 

Not a whole lot of progress, but progress nonetheless! ( no pics... nothing really to show :-\ )

Today, I had grand visons of chips flying through the air while singing the praises to the machinery gods, but another project was placed in front of the Crusader that demanded my attention. Not of the honey-do variety! This one was with my boy. He is in scouting and this is the time of year for the Pinewood Derby. 

So, instead of making chips I was making dust. He and I did manage to get a rough shape of a car for his project, and he is now trying to figure out what color he wants it to be (oh, the difficult decisions in life!). It was a great day spending time with him in the shop, coaching on how to work with a file, making sure to sand with the grain, checking the all important weight and other various tidbits. 







We'll have to see what he decides for a paint scheme. He has already said it has to have flames on it. _Almost brings a tear to my eye.  ;D_ Over the next few days, hopefully we'll wrap that up and I can get rolling at a steady pace on the Crusader. 

_Oh, how sweet it is to be making some chips!_


----------



## steamer (Jan 22, 2011)

Thanks for the picture of the Car!....Cool... needs a skull on there somewhere too I think..don't you?

You gotta put a hemi in that too....you just gotta.. ;D

Dave


----------



## kustomkb (Jan 23, 2011)

Glad to see you back at it WE.

 I built one of those cars with my Dad. We put bearings in the axles and everything. Got beat by the ugliest, ricketiest one out there! Got any lead handy?

Have fun!


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## wareagle (Jan 23, 2011)

steamer  said:
			
		

> Thanks for the picture of the Car!....Cool... needs a skull on there somewhere too I think..don't you?
> 
> You gotta put a hemi in that too....you just gotta.. ;D
> 
> Dave


I am sure mommy wouldn't appreciate the skull business on Mini-Me's car. Especially considering that she rolled her eyes when he asked for a flame job! _But, yes this one is screaming skulls!_

As far as the hemi, great minds think alike. I had contemplated buying a plastic model of a dragster and widdling out enought wood to get the engine in it. I figured that little car would look bitchin with a huffer sticking out of the hood and zoomies on the sides! A parachute would add something as well, I think. _Holding myself back... This is his project, and I have another engine project myself... Restraint! I must use restraint!_ ;D



			
				KustomKB  said:
			
		

> Glad to see you back at it WE.
> 
> I built one of those cars with my Dad. We put bearings in the axles and everything. Got beat by the ugliest, ricketiest one out there! Got any lead handy?



Thanks! Yeah, we drilled holes in the car and have filled them with enough lead to get it to the 5 oz. maximum weight. We are going to dress the axles (no bearings allowed), true the wheels, and see how we do. Some of the guys are extremely competive, so I am sure it will be an interesting day when we race. It is two weeks away, so I'll report the results... or outcomes of the fights!


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## wareagle (Jan 25, 2011)

A bit of free time was discovered this evening, so why not make a few chips? I have a start on the piston, but need to make a holding fixture to continue the work on it, and really didn't want to spend the evening making tooling. I figured the connecting rod would be an easy enough part to work on, and though not expecting to be able to complete the part it would have a large portion of the work done.

I also have plenty of aluminum on hand, so mistakes wouldn't necessarily be a costly event (other than time lost). I started this with locating the RT to the spindle (centers) on the mill. Subsequently a piece of aluminum was fastened to the RT and a hole was drilled for the crankshaft journal. 






The hole is drilled out and reamed to .500. The next operation is to move the RT off center and cut a relief of .160 around the journal to a diameter of .500. Yes, the dummy operating the mill drilled and reamed the hole to .500. oh: The hole is supposed to be reamed to .375 (ID), and the diameter (OD) is supposed to .500. Reading is a wonderful tool! Maybe I should use it sometime!  :wall: Oh well, no big deal. Plenty of material on hand, so we will just move the piece and have another go at it.

Piece moved, the hole is drilled and reamed to the proper size and the offset is calculated for the relief. A check and double check here! After all, I have made it past the first hole! 

The relief operation goes without a hitch down to the finished depth. So now the end of the rod is being plunge cut with the end mill and all is going well. Until movement. The holding method, while adequate for light cuts, just wasnt up to the task of keeping things in place while cutting around the end of the connecting rod. Its another silly mistake, but one that could have serious consequences (broken tooling, ruined part, both, impaled object, etc.). This time I am lucky.






Starting the connecting rod for the third time will wait for another day. At this point, I am tired and have had enough for a night. Even with the bone headed mistakes and nothing to show at the end of the night, it was a whole lot of fun making some chips for a change!


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## wareagle (Jan 25, 2011)

It worked out that time allowed the opportunity to have another run at the connedting rod. And this time we have success. _At least partial success..._ Still a lot of material to remove, but it is off to a much better start than yesterday! So far, everything is dead on. 






If I am able (or paroled by Mrs. WarEagle :hDe: ) to get some time this evening, I will machine around the top of the connecting rod and get it closer to being liberated from the plate.


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## wareagle (Jan 26, 2011)

Parole was granted by Mrs. WarEagle, and the connecting rod is all but finished. It looks rougher in the picture than it is for some reason. The tooling marks will be polished out and I will likely break the edges a bit more. Not a lot of progress, but it is more more piece. 






The rod is a slight bit tight on the crankshaft, but a little massaging will cure that. The build article mentioned that the crank case would have to be relieved to allow the connecting rod to clear. In putting the rod in and moving it to the collision spot, it looks like about .050 give or take will be enough to let it swing. There's plenty of beef in the crankcase, so no fear of breaking out of the side.







In further consideration, the carb will most likely end up being a manufactured unit. I gathered up a prop and a fuel tank today. For now, I'll use a plastic fuel tank, but will eventually fabricate a brass tank for display (and running). 

Next up: piston and wrist pin


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## dsquire (Jan 26, 2011)

Casey

Glad to see that all worked out this time around. One piece at a time and before you know it it will be time to give the prop a flip and listen to it scream. :bow: :bow:

Cheers 

Don


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## wareagle (Jan 28, 2011)

dsquire  said:
			
		

> Glad to see that all worked out this time around. One piece at a time and before you know it it will be time to give the prop a flip and listen to it scream. :bow: :bow:



Yeah, boo-boos and blunders are still in plentiful supply in the "Eagle's Nest". It is great to know that the old man is still alive and kicking... as in Mr. Murphy! The old bastage.  

I have had some good quality time on the machines this evening. At the moment I had to take five and answer an email, but if all goes as it has so far, we'll have a rotating assembly (crank, c-rod, & piston) mated together. The wrist pin is done, and the piston is about 75% complete. I'll update this tomorrow with some pics and a report of where we left of for the evening.

'til then... I hear the machines calling my name!  ;D


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## ksouers (Jan 28, 2011)

W/E,
It's good to see you back in the shop and moving on with the Crusader.

Are you still planning to build two of them?

Sorry I haven't commented till now. I've been watching but time is in rather short supply the last few months.


----------



## wareagle (Jan 29, 2011)

ksouers  said:
			
		

> W/E,
> It's good to see you back in the shop and moving on with the Crusader.
> 
> Are you still planning to build two of them?
> ...



ksouers, I can't imagine why you haven't had time to post!   You're in my boat; trying to squeeze 28 hours into 24. Doesn't leave much for the important stuff!  

The second engine was being done by a close friend. His schedule changed not long after we started them, and I continued on until my schedule halted me on mine. Hopefully he can get back on his before long and start catching up. 

And yes, how great it is to be one with the machinery again! Thanks for the response!


After several productive hours, the piston is done and has now been lapped to the cylinder. No pics... Not a darned one came out in focus. th_wtf1

The was an issue with the connecting rod hitting the bottom of the cylinder, but some rough file work cleared the interference. The c-rod will have to be prettied back up, or remade. But, the assembly rotates very smoothly. 

The design calls for some brass buttons to press into the ends of the wrist pin to avoid scarring the cylinder as it is a full floating w-pin. I am not sure I like that, so I may look into an alternative solution. Maybe some spring clips in piston to capture the w-pin, although I am not sure how the best method would be to machine the groove in a .250 hole.  ??? Probably isn't worth the trouble and effort, but...  

A neighbor who has flown RC airplanes since Edison was an infant stopped by after hearing of the project to scope it out. His first question was "why", and after explaining to him the engine was meant as a challenge to make it run from bar stock he looked the plans over for what seemed to be an hour. We spoke a little while longer about how I was going to display the engine, what I was going to do for the fuel system, and other misc. questions on materials and such, and he left. About thirty minutes later, he showed up with a carburetor off of a .60 airplane engine. I am not sure what it came off of and neither was he, but that will solve the dilemma of the carb.

_This machining stuff can be addicting! _ ;D   Next up: completing the crankcase and cylinder.


----------



## wareagle (Jan 31, 2011)

The weekend here has been just about perfect weather wise. Rather than stay indoors, we made the best of the weather and did outdoor activities this weekend. Sorry for those that are suffering with the snow and cold! Our good weather is behind us again and we are facing temps in the teens by mid week (for us in TX, that is brutal).

Even though a "vacation" was taken, some shop time was squeezed into the schedule. Not a lot of progress was made, but some details were knocked out. The cylinder was drilled and tapped for the head bolts (screws). _No broken taps! Why is it that always happens on the last hole?_ The head was also drilled, and the relief was cut in the combustion chamber to allow clearance for the piston's deflector/fin.

The head and cylinder were mated, and a quick and dirty compression test was made. The results were better than expected, so hopefully this one will be a decent runner.

To complete the head, I need to tap the glow plug hole to 1/4"x32 to accept the glow plug. In the search for the tap, none of my usual local sources had any in town. So, I let my mouse do some walking and easily enough found a source for the tap. It was just under $10, so I figured I would just order it and get it coming. Until... I saw the cost for shipping. Instant pissed! I understand that companies need to cover costs, and having a shipping department does take capital to operate. However, I absolutely refuse to pay $12 to ship a tap. I will contact their sales department tomorrow, and see if they can be a little more realistic on the shipping charges.

Finally, a few progress pics...

The piston, wrist pin and gnawed on c-rod:






The head mounted on the cylinder for a quick compression check:





And the carburetors that have been donated to the cause:






More to come later this week...


----------



## Billitmotors (Jan 31, 2011)

G'day Guys
  I just found your posts on the Crusader 60, the photo's look great.
I finished a crusader last year and was very pleased with both the look of the engine as well as the performance.
I changed a few things like the shape of the crankcase as I wanted to lighten it as much as possible to improve the flying performance. I'm hoping to put it into a control line stunter, if I ever get enough time to build the model.
Here are some photo's if my engine.
         Rob.


----------



## wareagle (Jan 31, 2011)

Rob, welcome to HMEM! When you get a chance, please drop a post in the Welcome area so that we can give you a proper welcome. 

Nice looking engine! Thanks for sharing the pics! Have you had any trouble with the head not being finned as designed? I am going back and forth whether to cut the fins in the head or not. My copy will never see an airplane, so long runs are probably not going to be common.


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## Billitmotors (Feb 1, 2011)

G'day Guys
First where is the welcome area?
I made a head with fins and one fine was slightly thicker than the others and looked terrible, so I made a new head and was about to re-cut the fins when I remembered that I had made a Sparey 5cc diesel and didn't cut the fins on top and it looked great. As well as a friend who is a stunt flier said that with one particular motor (I think it was a super tiger) the first thing that fliers do is to cut the fins off the head. So I ran it with both heads and it made no difference at all. Quite apart from that I like the look of the polished head.
This motor starts very easily and runs very smoothly.


----------



## wareagle (Feb 1, 2011)

Rob, here is the main forum index that will show you all of the different boards. Beware, you might lose a few hours, days, weeks, months, years digging through everything on HMEM!

The Welcome Area can be found here. At the upper right of the topic index, click on the New Topic button, and it will take you to the screen for starting a new thread. From there, it is basically the same as answering a post.


Regarding the fins on the head, I am really going back and forth. I'd like the challenge of sutting the fins, but don't care for the looks of the engine with them. I guess I could cut another head and have one with and one without. Decisions... :-\

For a quick progress update; I started removing the material from the back plate yesterday. I snapped an end mill (inadvertantly bumped the handle on the table) and decided to call it a night. I'll get back on it a bit later today. 

We are snowed & iced in here (I really can't say that without shame... those in the north would laugh at this!), so I am sure I will get some quality time on the machinery this afternoon and tomorrow.


----------



## wareagle (Feb 3, 2011)

Thanks to the blizzard : I have indeed made some headway on the project. I hogged the rear cover to shape today. The intake passage needs to be drilled, and the holes drilled to mate with the crankcase. A little rubbing for some bling action will be in order as well. 






To mate the carb up to the rear plate, I had decide to make a bolt on adapter that will accept the donated carb. This will give me some future flexibility it I decide to do something different (or if these carbs don't work out). 

I have started thinking about a display stand. A simple flat piece of wood is easy enough to make and would suffice for a mount. However, it would be great to have something a little nicer for the engine to sit on, but I haven't had the "vision" yet.

I finally feel like I am over the hump with this project, but also realize I am getting closer to the hardest part; the last 10%. I am anxious to hear it run, and am looking forward to the next one.



On a side note, the Pinewood Derby car is just about finished. That has been a fun time with the kiddo. I think he has done an amazing job on it as well. Aside from the cut out and rough shaping, finishing up the final sanding work (a 7 year old doesn't get the concept of completing the sanding before painting), and coaching him on how to use spray paint, he has done it himself.

When we started this project, he was all about a black paint job with yellow flames. That is, until he saw the blue paint with metal flakes in it. He said it would be more shiny with the blue paint, and that shiny things go real fast. LOL!











It was entertaining watching him paint the car. There are places where the paint is probably a 1/4 thick, and others where is it a micron or two. The graphics were the store bought rub off decals, and a couple of clears coats have been applied. His axles and wheels are ready, just a matter of letting the paint and clear finish curing.

The race is Saturday (unless we are weathered out), so we'll see how we do.


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## GailInNM (Feb 3, 2011)

"and that shiny things go real fast"

About 15 years ago a middle school girl placed quite well in a science fair with the premise that "red cars go faster". She set up camp on a pedestrian over pass on the Interstate highway with clip board and stop watch and timed cars of various colors and proved her premise. Report was well written and documented in the scientific method. Shows how you can prove most anything if you eliminate enough other factors that might be affecting the outcome.

Gail in NM
who still lovingly drives a very red Mercedes sports car


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## wareagle (Feb 4, 2011)

GailInNM  said:
			
		

> Shows how you can prove most anything if you eliminate enough other factors that might be affecting the outcome.



So true! Folks do it everyday to push their agendas along!


Slow progress has been made over the past couple of days. I am down to making just a few more pieces, then it is wrapping up the small stufff and final assembly. Lacking off the top of my head are the bypass cover, the exhaust manifold, the rear bushing, and the rotary valve. A couple of other pieces need some final machining steps to be made, but we are getting close. I can almost smell the nitro!  ;D


----------



## Maryak (Feb 4, 2011)

Wareagle,

Looking good :bow:

Is it just the angle of the photo, coz the shaft looks very short where it comes out of the front of the engine ???

Best Regards
Bob


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## steamer (Feb 5, 2011)

Hi W/E

There was a coupe "Rat Rod" that looked just like that at last years NEMES show...with a twin turbocharged HEMI.......but of course...being a rat rod it was in primer gray...

Oh the cruisader looks good too!  :big:

Dave


----------



## wareagle (Feb 5, 2011)

Maryak  said:
			
		

> Is it just the angle of the photo, coz the shaft looks very short where it comes out of the front of the engine ???



It is the camera angle. The crankshaft protrudes about .750 from the snout of the crankcase. It does look a little short in that image, though!



			
				steamer  said:
			
		

> There was a coupe "Rat Rod" that looked just like that at last years NEMES show...with a twin turbocharged HEMI.......but of course...being a rat rod it was in primer gray...
> 
> Oh the cruisader looks good too!  :big:
> 
> Dave



I think the primer concept is lost on kiddo. I thought that making it a rat rod would be real cool myself!

His car probably has turned out better than the Crusader, and will likely run better, too.  ;D


As a side note, we were weather out of our race today. It has been rescheduled for the following weekend. The weather here has been very cold for us, and we have had ice and snow on the ground for five days now. Haven't been above freezing since Monday evening. Very odd for this region!


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