
4/26/08 - I inserted the new oil pump gears and bolted on the
cover with drilled head stainless socket screws. I ended up using
a .010 thick gasket
|

4/26/08 - after assembly I turned the oil pump gear with a long
screwdriver to ensure I had no abnormal drag
|

4/26/08 - my first attempt at safety wiring bolt heads. Not bad
but I could have done a better job positioning the wire on the
bolt head at 12 o'clock
|

4/26/08 - before installing the rear accessory cover I removed
the four studs, cleaned the threads at both ends, ran a tap thru
the case holes and cleaned out, and the reinstalled the studs
with Loctite 620. I then installed the rear accessory case using
Permatex copper spray sealant on the gasket
|

4/26/08 - at the end of the day today I installed the WW case
top cover. I applied Loctite 620 to all the bolts except for the
five that will mount the starter motor
|

4/11/08 - made my first trip to Sun-n-Fun and attended
many forums including this one by William Wynne |

4/25/08 - applied Loctite 620 to the studs for the
WW deep sump oil pan. These came with the kit with locknuts
|

4/25/08 - installing the studs on the bottom of the case
|

4/25/08 - I had previously installed the WW modified oil pickup.
Here are all the pan studs installed
|

4/25/08 - and the pan installed using the WW recommended Permatex
Ultra Grey RTV silicone sealant on both side of the pan gasket.
You'll notice my heads on not on yet as I recently acquired another
set of 110 heads since the last pair were pitted in the combustion
chambers. I cleaned up the new pair this weekend and will take
to the shop next weekend.
|

3/22/08 - today I completed the install of all six
cylinder/piston/rod assemblies to the crankshaft |

3/22/08 -- all the arrows on the piston tops pointing
to the prop end of the crankshaft on both sides
|

3/22/08 - another shot |

3/22/08 - this evening I went and retapped all the
threads on the case using some aluminum tapping fluid. They all
looked clean and shiny when I was done |

4/5/08 - the stainless socket head hardware I ordered
from McMaster arrived this weekend so I installed the front cover
to the short block |
| 
3/21/08 - very nice looking tig welding here on top
of the machined off head surface. The gold above is just a reflection
of the camera flash |

3/21/08 - I think every Corvair conversion builder
has an image of their engine becoming something similar to that
in this picture. This beautiful engine was built by Pat Panzera. |

3/22/08 - here's where I did the job of compressing
the rings and inserting the pistons in the cylinders. I ended up
placing the bottom of the cylinders on a couple of 2x4 blocks which
made it much easier to work with the ring compressor |

3/22/08 - here's a shot of torquing the 12 point ARP
rod bolt nuts. Yes that's a clicker torque wrench even though WW
recommends a non-clicker. I went looking for one at Sears and couldn't
find one with a 3/8 drive. I torqued them three times each to 26
ft-lbs per the ARP instructions to properly stretch the rod bolt |

3/22/08 - just a shot of rods number 1 and 2 installed
with the numbers facing up |
| 
3/16/08 - here are my balanced connecting rods from
Clark's and one of the set of forged pistons from Larry's Corvair.
Today I tried the WW approach of heating the rod end with a propane
torch and then slipping the rod pin in quickly as demonstrated in
his video. I had very limited success lining up the pins in the
pistons before they froze in place. I ended up taking them to the
machine shop to install |

3/21/08 - here are the piston/rod assemblies as I
picked up from the machine shop today. |

3/21/08 - here's the number 1 piston/rod/cylinder
assembly installed and bolted to the crankshaft. That's PVC pipe
bolted to the top of the cylinder to keep it from moving when I
rotate the crank |

3/21/08 - and here's number 2 installed. Note the
arrow pointing towards the propeller end of the crankshaft |

3/21/08 - I picked up my rebuilt heads today from
the machine shop and they also had the intake tubes welded on for
me. |

3/15/08 - per the recommendation in WW's conversion
manual, I marked the timing marks on both the cam and crank with
extended lines. To assure myself that I had this correct, I purposely
misaligned the gears one tooth in both directions and saw that both
those positions were way off visibly. The above puts the cam keyway
towards the bottom of the case or at six o'clock and the crank keyway
is at nine o'clock |

3/15/08 - one lubed up and in place I turned the crank
to ensure there was no binding. Almost forgot to put the cam lube
on the cam lobes |

3/16/08 - I coated the threads of the eight case bolts
with silver antiseize |

3/16/08 - and also, per the conversion manual, applied
sealer to the underside of the bolt head and nut face |

3/16/08 - I torqued up the case bolts in 10 pound
increments making sure to tap the case webbing with a dead bow mallet
to ensure the dowel pins were seating. Click the above pic to see
a movie of me testing the rotation of drag of the crankshaft. |

3/9/08 - this is the counter sink bit. |

3/9/08 - I saw a suggestion from Mark Langford in
the Corvaircraft archives about removing the belt from my drill
press and turning the pulley by hand to tap the hole. I did this
and it worked nicely. Caution, though, while tapping the hole, you
need to also rotate the handles on the drill press. I was startled
to see my case lifting off my makeshift table which caused the tapping
to be slightly askew as I found the stud to slightly off straight
after I installed. |

3/9/08 - the finished time sert |

3/15/08 - I put the crankshaft in the case today without
oiling the main bearings, placed a couple threads of plastigage,
and then closed and torqued up the case. Checking the plastigage
showed the clearance within the spec of .001 to .003 clearance |

3/15/08 - another shot of the plastigage |

3/9/0 - After cleaning the cae threads with brake
cleaner and blowing them out with air, I replaced with standard
size case studs. I kept them in the freezer over night and coated
the threads with Loc-tite 620. |

3/9/08 - before inserting each stud I heated each
hole with a propane torch |

3/9/08 - and then threaded in the studs with a two
nuts locked together on top |

3/9/08 - I had one stud that did not come out easily
and when I attempted to thread in the stud it gave me quite a lot
of resistance halfway in. I backed it out and decided to install
a time sert in this hole. The time sert requires you rethread the
bottom of the stud to 3/8-16. I tried my hand at rethreading a couple
3/8-16 bolts shanks, cut off the thread that was on the bolt to
start with, and then tried my new 3/8-16 thread in a time sert to
check for fit. Once happy with the adjustment to the die, I rethreaded
the end of the case stud as seen above |

3/9/08 - before drilling the hole for the time sert,
I had marked the drill with tape to be sure I only when as far as
the time sert was deep. |

3/8/08 - all 6 came out with just using the wrench
on the lower nut and heaving with a pair of leather gloves on. Only
the last one required more force. I decided to work on it a bit
with an impact wrench since I was bending it with the wrench. After
a few raps with the impact, reheating with the torch, I was able
to remove with the wrench. None of the studs took any aluminum with
them as they came out so I will not be using the time serts. |

3/8/08 - I inspected all the case threads after cleaning/brushing
thoroughly with brake cleaner and compressed air. I put the new
standard size case studs in the freezer today and will install with
Loctite 620 tomorrow. Today I also cut the required 5 inches off
my dipstick tube. I went looking for my dipstick amongst my core
parts, but I guess I never had one I'll have to pick one up at the
auto parts to shorten when I get my WW oil pan. |

3/8/08 - today I cut my aluminum U-bend that I had
ordered from Burns Stainless (part # 6061-UB-150-25-16UB-150-25-16-6061
4x4 Legs). I finished the cut end on the belt sander. |

3/8/08 - I'll be taking my heads and head parts to
the machine shop this week and will also have them mill off the
intake flange and weld on the intake tubes. |

3/9/08 - I needed a small brush to clean out the threaded
holes on the case with braker cleaner.. Today when shopping with
my wife at the local Wal-Greens drug store I spotted a small spare
mascara brush. It has perfect sized bristles and a durable wire
stem. Yep, that's a spare one in the background my wife said she
didn't need anymore. |

2/26/08 - last weekend I painted my cylinders with
black high temp 1200 degree ceramic engine paint. |

2/26/08 - here's how they came out. I coated the inside
of cylinders with some fogging oil using a cotton pad to protect
them from corrosion |

2/26/08 - the other day I built a case stand out of
2x4s, wood glue, and screws. This should make it a little easier
to assemble the case when I get my crankshaft back from machine
shop where it's currently being polished and balanced |

3/8/08 - last weekend I finally finished cleaning
up my case so I decided to paint it with high temp engine paint.
Today I worked to remove the top row of case studs that had badly
rusted threads. I had time serts and an install kit on hand but
didn't need them as the studs came out cleanly without bringing
aluminum with them. In this pic I use the WW approach to removal:
heat the case with a propane torch at the base of the stud and let
candle wax (see the lump abvove just to the left of the stud) wick
in when it heats up. I have the case half kept stationary with two
2x4's screwed to the bench |

3/8/08 - before heating any studs I had slid a closed
end 9/16 wrench over the stud and then double nutted the top of
the stud |

2/15/08 - cleaned up my pushrod tubes on a scotchbrite
wheel. This worked better than I expected. |

2/15/08 - here's the result. After this I took a shotgun
cleaner with a rag and used brake cleaner to clean out the inside
of each of the tubes. I also wire wheeled the O-ring grooves. Tomorrow
I'll get some high temp white paint on these before they rust. |

2/15/08 - yesterday I tallied up what I've ordered/spent
so far on the Corvair conversion. Nothing received so far from flycorvair.com
.. course some guys have waited over a year for stuff from WW,
so I guess I can be patient as I do not expect to have my fuselage
ready for the engine until about a year from now at least. |

2/16/08 - painted my pushrod tubes today with white
Dupli-Color (with Ceramic) high heat paint. Except for just a couple
runs, I like how they came out. Some folks bake in the their ovens
to cure the paint but I'm not sure my wife would be thrilled if
I did that, so they'll air cure in the garage. |

2/16/08 - today I made a lot of aluminum sawdust on
my bandsaw cutting the bell housing. Cuts nicely if you use a blade
that has 18 teeth per inch. I did some filing and grinding with
a hand held grinder. Tomorrow I will finish it up on my belt sander. |

2/2/08 - Larry called today and said my crankshaft
was back from being nitrided. His son Cody shared these pictures
with me taken by Advanced Nitriding Solutions in Batesville during
the nitriding process. |

"Nitriding is a surface-hardening heat treatment
that introduces nitrogen into the surface of steel at a temperature
range (500 to 550°C, or 930 to 1020°F), while it is in the
ferrite condition. Thus, nitriding is similar to carburizing in
that surface composition is altered, but different in that nitrogen
is added into ferrite instead of austenite. Because nitriding does
not involve heating into the austenite phase field and a subsequent
quench to form martensite, nitriding can be accomplished with a
minimum of distortion and with excellent dimensional control."
www.Key-to-Steel.com |

"Ion (or Plasma) Nitriding
Since the mid-1960s, nitriding equipment utilizing the glow-discharge
phenomenon has been commercially available. Initially termed glow-discharge
nitriding, the process is now generally known as ion, or plasma,
nitriding. The term plasma nitriding is gaining acceptance.
Ion nitriding is an extension of conventional nitriding processes
using plasma-discharge physics. In vacuum, high-voltage electrical
energy is used to form a plasma, through which nitrogen ions are
accelerated to impinge on the workpiece. This ion bombardment heats
the workpiece, cleans the surface, and provides active nitrogen."
www.Key-to-Steel.com |

2/2/08 - here's my nitrided crankshaft. Note the milky
candy-stripe appearance of the crank caused by the nitriding process, |

2/2/08 - closeup of my crank. Next step is to take
to it the shop to have it polished and balanced. |

1/20/08 - been a while since I pulled out my Corvair
engine parts to assess the work I need to do. I could accomplish
some prep and parts ordering over the next few months until my fuselage
is ready to pick up at Zenith. Yesterday I was was able to get together
with some other local Corvair conversion builders and now I have
renewed interest in building my own aircraft engine. My crankshaft
is on it's way to be turned, tapped, and nitrided! |

1/25/08 - my crankshaft is one of the batch above
on its' way to be nitrided at Advanced Nitriding Soutions in Batesville,
IN. Larry Hudson is a fellow builder south of Indianapolis. He and
his son Cody are experienced at building Corvair conversions and
provide help and support to several area builders like myself. |

2/2/08 - this pic of Larry and Cody Hudson was taken
by Zodiac 601XL builder Robert Luken of Dayton, OH on 1/19 as they
disassembled his Corvair core. |

1/25 - the batch of crankshafts loaded up for the
trip to ANS |

1/25/08 - the nitriding equipment at ANS in Batesville,
IN. |
|
9/20/05 - no visible issues with the valves (course
they'll be replaced) or the combustion chambers that I could see
except for this one intake valve stuck open |
9/21/05 - rear case removed |
.
9/21/05 - I split the case this evening. Most of the
time required was removing the rods from the crank prior to separating
the halves |
9/21/05 - all the pieces on my bench. The crank looks
great and the cam case journals look clean and in good shape. |
9/22/05 - this evening gave the case halves three
short treatments of Super Clean and hosed it off each time. This
stuff works fast and I didn't leave it on for more than couple minutes
each time before rinsing. |
|
9/19/05 - and the inside of the first head off. Lots
of corrosion here like some water was sitting in here though one
cylinder on this side was filled with oil |
9/19/05 - the case with one head off. |
9/19/05 - both heads propped up so I can look at them
.. lots of clean up needed here. |
9/19/05 - I wish I had taken the same care with the
vice grips on the bottom row of head nuts. They all came off easy
but one backed out a head stud I could not see until too late. Consequences
of working on the garage floor .. d'oh. I will need to assess the
condition of the case hole and see if any aluminum is on the stud
threads. |
9/20/05 - tonight after work I cleaned up both heads
with Super Clean and a stiff brush, hosed them down, and blew off
the water with air. They look a lot better even with this little
cleaning than when I pulled them off last night. |
|
9/17/05 - Today I am the proud owner of a Corvair
core! It's a RH case, matched set of non-smog heads numbered 3856759,
and the right 8409 crank. This week I'll start taking it apart to
assess the condition of this core. My two garage buddies are in
the pic: Chloe and Max |
9/17/05 - another shot of the engine |
9/17/05 and another. This is going to be fun to work
on. I've already ordered catalogs from Clarks and Corvair Underground
and assembly videos from WW
|
9/19/05 - for the last couple days I have soaked the
upper head nuts with PB Blaster to loosen the rust. I locked the
head studs with vice grips and was able to remove all the upper
nuts with a little effort. |
9/19/05 - the inside of the case. Fairly clean. |