Recent content by Brian Rupnow

My weed whacker runs---it's the other end that has something gone wrong. I could fix it---but---at 77 years old, I choose my battles carefully. I play with small engines as a hobby because I like to. I don't do maintenance on my car or truck, nor on my gardening equipment. I could--but thank the...

Now isn't that a beautiful thing!!! The new flywheel and hub fit into place exactly as I had expected, and cover up the ignition points. I still have to figure out where I am going to put the condenser, but that can be tomorrows work. Today I have been fighting with horrible weed eater...

So, here we are with the ignition cam and the purchased point set mounted on the flywheel side of the engine. The flywheel shape will change, so that an extended outer diameter will cover the ignition points so that they won't be visible when all is assembled. Please note that the engine hasn't...

No George--Not on this engine with dual cylinders. The points operate off the crankshaft no matter which side they are on. The points open every time the crank rotates thru 360 degrees. The distributor selects which cylinder the spark is going to.----Brian

I'm doubting my ability to successfully solder ignition points onto the brass strip as per the engine plans. However-- If I move the flywheel out farther away from the side of the crankcase and switch the ignition cam to the other side of the engine, there is lots of room for my purchased Dodge...

Thanks for the link Werowance--That is a great running engine.---Brian

Werowance--I have a set of store bought points that have been damaged, but the contact buttons on them are brand new. I would like to unsolder the contact buttons from their original point set and re-solder them to my brass strips and bolt head as per the Upshur plans. What kind of solder did...

After a couple of days of "sluffing off" (which I enjoyed very much), I went back to work on the engine today. The valves had to all be reground to match the new valve cages. I was able to get a drill in thru the exhaust tubes to drill exhaust ports in the side of the new exhaust valve cages...

Cylinder heads have been re-bored to accept new full length valve guides. New valve guides have been fabricated and installed in cylinders after being coated of J.B. Weld. The new threaded insert I made for the sparkplug is installed in the cylinder head, and seems to work fine. Everything I...

I've ran into a problem here with how well my valves seal---or not. Every previous engine I have built used full length "valve cages" in which the valve guide section and the sealing face were all turned from one piece of brass. This engine is designed differently, whereby the valve guides are...

Do a web search for Elmer Verbourg. He designed a whole bunch of different simple steam engines and most of his designs are available.----Brian

Okay, for what it's worth---The new threaded insert is in place. In the picture you can see a "driver" that I used to screw the insert into place after the aluminum cylinder head was threaded 3/8"-16 and the home made threaded insert was coated with J.B. Weld. Then the driver was unscrewed...

The sparkplug thread repair is under way. What you are looking at is a piece of steel threaded 3/8"-16 unc on the outer diameter and 1/4"-32 on the inside diameter. The sparkplug screws into it just fine. Now the question is "Will I be able to tap a 3/8"-16 unc thread into the aluminum cylinder...

I can get gas into my gas tank, and I can get gas out again. Thats all, to nice outside to spend any more time in my shop today.!!!

Steamchick--I have very little going on in the rest of my life. I spend my time either reading for entertainment or working in my shop.---and occasionally taking good wife out for a meal.---Brian