Red Wing Engine Project 10/3/12

 Posted on October 3, 2012:

       Hello again everyone! I just have a few things left to work on for me to complete the basic workings of the engine. I have yet to set the valve timing so that will be the first thing to work on. But first I need to install the head gasket so that my measurements will be accurate when setting up the valve timing. The head gasket is made from thin “Karropak” type gasket material that is included in the basic kit (seen below).

       To lay out the holes in the gasket I will be using one of my old tricks which involves using a thin layer of grease to imprint the form needed for the gasket. I applied some “super white” grease to the top of the cylinder as seen below...

       I now carefully pressed the gasket material against the cylinder making sure that it makes contact all around the edges.

       Now I can remove the gasket material and see where the holes will need to be cut.

       Next I used an Exacto knife to cut out the gasket. I also used a pencil to define the bolt holes a little better at this time...

       The last step is to punch the bolt holes with a 5/32” hole punch as seen below...

       I now wiped off the grease and tested my new gasket out on the head. I then mounted the head to the engine and snugged up the head bolts to get started on the valve timing (not shown).

       The first step is to orient the timing gear so that the ignition stud is barely making contact with the copper plug in the timing gear (seen below). This must be done with the timing lever positioned vertically and the crank at Top Dead Center or TDC. I positioned the gear by pulling it out of the teeth of the smaller gear and then reinserting it on the shaft so that it was the closest to where I wanted it. You will notice that the contact is offset to the rear of the engine at TDC.
       Note: The copper contacts used for the “points” of this engine will only handle a small amount of current or else they will erode quickly. There have been several accounts of this erosion when using an automotive ignition coil and condenser. I would suggest using a “buzz box” or electronically driven coil ignition over a coil and condenser setup so that the points will last longer...

       Now that the timing gear is oriented to the crank I am able to mark the two gears with a center punch as seen below.

       I decided at this point to set the valve lash adjustment to make sure the rocker arm is still aligned correctly. I will set the lash at .005” as it seems like an appropriate gap for a model engine of this size. I set the valve lash with the cam lobe vertical and adjusted the bolt on the rocker until my .005” feeler gauge blade resisted movement in the gap. I then tightened down the lock nut and retested the lash.
       Of course I will have to readjust the valve lash after the engine is broken in...

       The next step is to set the cam’s position on the timing gear so that the exhaust valve just begins to open when the crank is at 155° past TDC. To do this I will be using a dial indicator to help me indicate when the exhaust valve is actually opening. I have already set the lash at .005” so I will need to deduct this amount from my measurement to see when the valve is opening. It sounds complicated but it’s not ;0) 

       I set up my dial indicator so that the needle points at zero when the follower is at the bottom of the cam. As the follower starts to ride up the cam’s lobe it makes the needle move clockwise as seen below. Since I know that there is a .005” gap in the linkage I can deduct that when the needle passes .005” that the valve is starting to open. I now only need to adjust the cam lobe so that this condition happens at 155° past TDC.

       To set the cam correctly I will need to position the crank at 155°. Luckily the engine frame already has a built in “indicator” that can be used to position the crank. You can see that the bearing cap is mounted on a 25° incline which when deducted from 180° equals 155°. This means that if you line up the crank with the seam under the bearing cap (as seen below) the crank is at 155°! Easy enough :0)

       To set the cam I inserted an Allen wrench into the set screw on the cam and loosened it until the cam lobe could be rotated on the bushing (not shown). I then rotated the cam counterclockwise until the cam lobe started to push on the follower. I then fine tuned the cam so that the dial indicator would read .005” when the crank was turned to 155° and then locked down the set screw.
       Once the valve timing is set you can pin the cam to the timing gear with a 1/16” roll pin which is provided in the basic kit. This is done by using the existing hole in the cam as a drill guide and drilling a 1/16” hole .215” deep into the timing gear as seen below. Of course the cam needs to be secure on the timing gear bushing before attempting to drill the roll pin hole.

       I now set the roll pin into the cam with a small hammer.

       I could now remove the set screw and apply some blue Locktite so it will stay put in the cam...

       While I have the timing gear off it would be a good time to adjust the timing gear shaft so that the latch out bar is positioned correctly. The prints show a hole being drilled into the side of the shaft so that the set screw has a place to rest. I decided to custom fit this flat spot so that the latch out bar is perfectly centered on the valve pushrod.

       I used the “cupped” imprint made by the set screw to gauge where this flat spot should be and then used a needle file to make a flat spot as seen below.

       I now reinstalled the gear shaft to see if the flat spot would center the latch out bar on the pushrod. I tightened the set screw and the bar stayed put so no further filing would be needed...

       The next thing to work on is drilling the attachment holes for the nameplate. This very attractive nameplate (seen below) is to be attached to the engine once it has been painted however I want to drill the holes prior to paint so that I don’t mess up the finish.

       The plans locate the holes needed for the plate as seen below...

       I used my height gauge to measure the top of the head casting and then raised the gauge 1” to scribe a line on the water hopper as seen below...

       I then used my calipers to locate the center of the casting where I also made a mark. I then made two marks at .562” from either side of the center line mark and then center punched them to help guide the drill bit.

       I now set up a #51 drill bit with a axle collar so that the bit stuck out .200” as seen below. This will prevent me from drilling through the water hopper.

       Next I used my cordless drill to make both of the rivet holes...

       The nameplate was now center punched on the layout dots on either side of plate and drilled with a #48 bit (not shown).

       The next step is to stamp the plate with the serial number and scale horsepower. I used a set of 1/16” high steel number stamps to test out my skill on a piece of aluminum before attempting to stamp the nameplate.

       I now carefully stamped the engine number “902” and then “5” for the scale horsepower rating. You will notice that I used a heavy steel plate to stamp the nameplate. This is important or else you will warp the plate.

       I tested the fit of the plate by starting the rivets (provided with the kit) into the water hopper. I will not set them until the engine is painted...

       There are only a few more parts to be fitted to the engine now. The spark plug is one of them. The plug below is an NGK CM-6 plug of which should be gapped to about .017” to start out. It is a pretty common plug used for small engines and is available at most auto parts stores...

       The plug fits beautifully into the cylinder although I may need to cut a little notch out of the pushrod to clear the plug as it is installed.

       The next items to install are the compression release valve and the drain plug. The valve (Cat# DC-3) and brass plug (Cat# PP3M) were purchased from PM Research.

       The “PP3M” plug fits nicely in the “drain hole” and is a cheap alternative to using the “DC-3” valve.

       The compression release valve is next. The valve really adds a scale look to the engine and is functional as well. Of course these fittings will need to be removed later for painting so no thread sealant will be used yet...

       The muffler assembly is next and it mounts to the engine with a 1/8-27 x 1.5” NPT cast red brass nipple that is supplied with the materials kit...

       Last but not least the lubrication kit (Cat# R-WC-LUB) is ready for a fit check. This kit includes a beautiful “drip oiler” that adds real beauty to any engine. Of course you could machine all of these items if you have the time and patience ;0)

       I installed the drip oiler into the water hopper which really looks good!!!

       And now for the grease cups...

       The engine is essentially complete after 140 hours of machining!!!

       This is quite a beautiful machine and so far has been a very rewarding project :0)

       The engine could almost be put in a glass case as it stands although I really want to see how she runs ;0)

       During the process of machining this kit I had saved all of the cast iron shavings for fun. I collected them in the container below and weighed them in at just over four pounds!!!

       I now have figure out what type of ignition system to use to get the engine running so I will figure that out before moving on to paint.

       I am super excited to get the Red Wing engine running so please join me again when I work on the ignition system.

Till then my friends!!!

Don R. Giandomenico

[Home] [What's New At RCDON] [Articles] [Aircraft Projects] [Aircraft Videos] [Aircraft Videos II] [Experimental Projects] [Experimental Projects II] [Nixie Tube Clock Project] [6CI Steam Engine Project] [Vertical Boiler Project] [The Toolroom Tune-Up Project] [The Reverse Tumbler Project] [Red Wing Engine Project] [MakerGear M2 Project] [The LED Studio Light Project] [My Collection] [RC Links] [About Myself] [Contact RCDON]