Vertical, water cooled, hit and miss engine

Brian Rupnow · Sep 21, 2010

Forgive me---I have time on my hands, and thats a dangerous thing. I have been studying on the Upshur farm engines, and I am curious---Why did they mostly have horizontal cylinders? Was there something to be gained from this configuration, or did it just "Grow that way, like Topsy'??? I'm thinking in terms of a model watercooled hit and miss engine. The cylinder and cooling chamber would be machined from a solid peice of material. about 2 1/2" square. The central chamber, as shown would contain cooling water. Has anyone done this?---Brian

cfellows · Sep 21, 2010

Seems like hollowing out the water jacket would be a wooly booger! Also, wonder if vibration would cause the water to splash out without any kind of baffle over the top?

Chuck

Jasonb · Sep 21, 2010

I think I would fabricate it, either in 3 parts - square base, liner and jacket or you could turn the cylinder integral with the base and then use thin wall tube for the liner.

I'm likely to be making a larger version of teh 1/5th scale IHC I'm doing now, thius will have the sq base and liner machined from the solid with an annulus to hold the water, I will then fit a CI cylinder liner much the same way as the kit is done.

Jason

kuhncw · Sep 21, 2010

You might even eliminate the water jacket. These model hit & miss engines, running idle barely get warm. Not so with the throttled models as they will warm up.

Regards,

Chuck Kuhn

oldparts · Sep 21, 2010

I have just finished the vertical version of this engine. Mine will run for an hour with no over heating. As long as you make it hit and miss heat should be no problem.

Brian Rupnow · Sep 21, 2010

cfellows said:
Seems like hollowing out the water jacket would be a wooly booger! Also, wonder if vibration would cause the water to splash out without any kind of baffle over the top?

Chuck

Well actually---I was thinking of doing the water jacket part on the rotary table. plunge cutting with an endmill. It wouldn't have to be a full depth annular slot. Maybe just half depth with a series of holes to the full depth.