Webster I.C. redesigned as hit and miss----

[SAM in LA]

Here ya go Sam---This was taken last year on the "Great Canadian Hotrod Tour"--Somewhere down on the east coast of Canada---Cape Breton I think.

Brian,

Very nice. Very clean lines and yellow is what color I will paint my dream car someday.

SAM

 

[Brian Rupnow]

Now THIS is a flywheel!!!! It certainly weighs a heck of a lot more than the original did. I always have this morbid fear that once I have taken a well running engine apart to modify it, that it never may run again. I hope this time proves me wrong. Now I'm off to the garage to test fire this beast!!!

 

[Brian Rupnow]

Hah---No worries! Runs like a champion. Good Lord, will it ever idle slowly now. And at about 1/4 throttle, if I shut off the ignition switch that new flywheel has enough momentum to turn the cranks shaft 5 to 7 times before all motion stops. If I reach in with my long screwdriver and hold the exhaust valve from closing, the engine will miss for 3 or 4 cycles, then if I let the exhaust valve close, it fires again and keeps on Running smoothly. This is very encouraging. Next thing required will be some more in depth design work to set up the flyball governor properly.

 

[Brian Rupnow]

And here is a short video of it running with the new flywheel. this is a new video---I spent an hour on the phone with Cannon and hopefully got the problems with my camera sorted out.

 

[SAM in LA]

Brian,

If anyone can convert this engine to hit-n-miss is you.

SAM

 

[Brian Rupnow]

Here we have the govenor in its final form with all the required linkages. There is more information on it, but any further posts will be over in my thread about redesigning the Webster engine as a hit and miss. Those miter gears do actually mesh--Its just that I don't have the gears yet, and there is insufficient information in the gear catalogue for me to model them correctly.

 

[Brian Rupnow]

And this is ultimately what it will look like in place on the Webster

 

[cfellows]

Brian,

I hope you don't mind a humbley offered suggestion. I've altered your drawing slightly so the governor would hold the valve fully open or be completely disengaged. My suggested change is in green.

Thx... Chuck

 

[Brian Rupnow]

Chuck---Thanks for looking and for suggesting. I'm not real happy with this quite yet. On a Webster engine, the rocker arm is forced up to contact and lift the valve by way of a cam acting on the other end of it. The rocker has a pivot in the center. However, the rocker is moved in the other direction by a spring under the back end of the rocker arm. I am going to do a bit more design work, and possibly have a pin come up through the baseplate to contact the back side of the rocker directly below the valve stem to hold it open. There is one thing I am not really clear on. Any movement that the governors make is a gradual and progressive movement. Thus, it will gradually and progressively hold the exhaust valve open. Is this adequate, or does the action of the governor have to swing a "stop" into play more or less Suddenly" to completely hold the valve in the fully open position?----brian

 

[cfellows]

Hi Brian,

The suggested change would make your engine work like typical hit n miss engines. When the governor reaches the right speed, the lever would swing in under the valve stem (keeper) and hold the valve fully open. When the governor slows down, the lever would swing out, letting the exhaust valve drop.

Thx...
Chuck

 

[cfellows]

Another thought, how about mounting the flyball on the back of the engine such that it holds the rear part of the lever down to hold the exhaust valve open. Don't really have a design in mind, just brainstorming.

Chuck

 

[Brian Rupnow]

Chuck---Thank you for your help. I had a creeping suspicion that I didn't have it quite right. Will redesign tomorrow as per your suggestion.----Brian

 

[Brian Rupnow]

Okay---Today, another kick at the can. I went and picked up my bevel gears yesterday, and surprise, surprise---The ones they got in were not the ones I ordered.--Thats okay, I can redesign to accomodate that. Now I believe Chuck and Mr Britnell, who have both told me that I don't want to hold the exhaust valve open gradually. I want to prop it open all at once. Therefore I have redesigned the linkages to slide a steel "slider block" under the business end of the rocker arm when the engine reaches the RPM at which I want it to start missing.

 

[Brian Rupnow]

Some encouraging experimentation---I measured and found that when my exhaust valve is at maximum lift, I have 0.419" clearance between the underside of the rocker arm and the aluminum base. I made up a peice of aluminum bar 0.417" thick. I ran the engine at mid range RPM and slowly advanced my peice of aluminum untill it was riding against the side of the rocker arm. It only took a very light push to get under the rocker arm, and my engine immediately stopped firing and began to coast. I pulled the peice of 0.417 aluminum away (it took very little effort) and the engine immediately began to fire again. This exactly replicates what will happen with the "red slider" in the drawing above.

 

[cfellows]

A little unorthodox, but highly creative... should work like a charm!

Chuck

 

[Brian Rupnow]

And now you know how I spent MY afternoon!!! Its not finished yet, but you can see the detail of it laying underneath. That is the main frame for the 3 ball governor when I get it mounted on the Webster.

 

[Brian Rupnow]

And of course, I had to make a test block to mount my new bevel gears on to check and make sure the center distances in the catalogue were correct.---and they were bang on!!!

 

[Cedge]

Brian
I note you've added the spring. Suggest you consider a collar so you can adjust the tension in order to give you some control over the opening of the fly balls. Much easier to adjust than trimming the spring.

If the balls open too easily the cutoff could prevent the engine from even starting. ... but don't ask me how I know this...LOL.


Today I got mine adjusted to where the engine hits once on about every 4 revolutions with an occasional double or triple hit. Sounds sweet after all the wasted effort I expended trying to adjust the old design.

Steve

 

[Brian Rupnow]

Yesterday was a time out from machining. My mother turned 90 years old yesterday, and my wife and I organized a surprise birthday party for her. We had about 70 relatives and friends show up at the manor where she lives now. The party was a great success. and a great time was had by all. The oldest person there was mom, the youngest my granddaughter, Makayla who was turning 3 years old the same day. Here is a picture of me escorting mom into the party room---check out the look on her face.

 

[Brian Rupnow]

And heres a picture of mom and I at her decorated chair, and the cake.