Fairbanks 80HP 3 Cylinder Model

[Lawijt]

Nice work Chuck. Very nice that you make the pictures step by step.

 

[cfellows]

Nice work Chuck. Very nice that you make the pictures step by step.

Thanks, I try to do that if I'm using a method is is new to me or I think may be new to others.

Some of these smaller pieces take a bit to finish. Today, so far, I've finished up the push rod and valve adjustment assemblies.

The pushrods are made from 3/32" drill rod and the end pieces are 3/16" square cold rolled steel, threaded 3-48 on the end. The hex nuts are made from 5/32 12L14 hex rod.

I think I'm only a couple of days away from having this thing running. Once I get it running, I'll disassemble it again and paint it.

Chuck

 

[cfellows]

More cleaning up odds n ends today. I made the two bearing blocks for the 2 inside main bearing journals.

I also installed the cylinder barrel studs and temporarily fastened down the cylinders with 2 nuts each in preparation for soldering the intake manifold. One note I'd like to add, those little bitty 2-56 hex nuts are a wooly booger to install. I won't be installing all the nuts until I'm at the final assembly, after painting!

Here I've finished soldering the intake manifold.

Here's an overall shot of the engine with the manifold still in place. Next I'll remove it and let it soak in citric acid to remove the discoloration.

You can also see that I've drilled and tapped the hole for fastening the crankcase halves together and I've drilled the engine mounting holes around the bottom flange in the lower crankcase half.

One more piece to finish, the collar which keep the camshaft in place, and I think I'm ready for a preliminary assembly and test run.

Chuck

 

[aonemarine]

Awsome work Chuck!! What color are you going to paint it?

 

[kilocharlie]

The look of it makes me want to build a steam boat for it to power, or perhaps an old mining stamp mill. It sure has an 1800's look to it. Your model is much more attractive than the original. What approximate scale is your model?

 

[cfellows]

Awsome work Chuck!! What color are you going to paint it?

Haven't decided yet. So far I've considered grey or a dark blue/green.

The look of it makes me want to build a steam boat for it to power, or perhaps an old mining stamp mill. It sure has an 1800's look to it. Your model is much more attractive than the original. What approximate scale is your model?

The original engine had a bore and stroke of 11" x 13". That would would make mine a scale of about 1:14.

Chuck

 

[cfellows]

I've started assembling the engine. Here's a video with just the crankshaft, rods, pistons, and camshaft in place.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVWMDgXU4VU[/ame]

Now on to finish the assembly.

Chuck

 

[cfellows]

Crap, crap, crap! :rant:

Got the engine running a little while ago. That's the good news. Unfortunately, there were some air leaks around the inlet manifold so I set about fixing them by tightening up the 2-56 screws holding the manifold on. Never occurred to me that the screws were just a tad too long for the threaded depth. Long story short, I twisted off one of the screws. I did manage to get it drilled out, mostly. Then when ran the tap in to clear out the the leftover bits, I broke off the tap. And that ain't comin' out with any methods or tools in my toolbox!

So, guess I'll get started on one new head... tomorrow.

Chuck

 

[stevehuckss396]

That sux!

I had a feeling there would be a video of it running today. Guess we have to wait now.

 

[aonemarine]

That sucks Chuck!! but thats how it goes sometimes. Hey someone said the alum works on a carbon steel tap in a steel part...Care to test his "experience" ???

 

[cfellows]

That sucks Chuck!! but thats how it goes sometimes. Hey someone said the alum works on a carbon steel tap in a steel part...Care to test his "experience" ???

I think that only works in aluminum. Not sure I'd want to try it on 12L14 steel.

Chuck

 

[aonemarine]

I think that only works in aluminum. Not sure I'd want to try it on 12L14 steel.

Chuck

I understand if you dont want to try, there may be something behind this though.....Leaded steel may develop a layer of oxidation protecting it. Im just curious if it would work. If not we can consider the accusation defunct.

 

[kilocharlie]

I have not heard of anyone burning out a 2-56 tap with a wire EDM....not saying it can't be done, but perhaps building another head is a better idea. My guess in the dark - if there are leaks, the 2-56 screws do not give enough pre-load.

A bolt is basically a tension spring. Torquing it into a block makes it stretch out longer. It's tensile strength makes it try to pull back to original length, giving a clamping force, or pre-load, measured in pounds or newtons. Re-usable bolts are usually torqued to 3/4 of their elastic limit - torque tables are published by the manufacturers.

I'd suggest a combination of more, bigger, and higher quality bolts. ARP is the best bolt producer out there today, you might contact them for suggestions as to small bolt quality.

Also, experience has taught me that all bolts get dressings. Mains and head studs get graphite / molybdenum assembly lube, which reduces torque by 30%. Flywheel bolts get Lock-tite, exhaust and wheel lugs get Never-seez, water pump bolts get water-resistant sealant, outside engine bolts going through a gasket get Honda sealant, electrical connection studs get dielectric silicone grease.

I may be stating the obvious to the master, but I always appreciate pedantic help in technical matters

 

[cfellows]

I have not heard of anyone burning out a 2-56 tap with a wire EDM....not saying it can't be done, but perhaps building another head is a better idea. My guess in the dark - if there are leaks, the 2-56 screws do not give enough pre-load.

A bolt is basically a tension spring. Torquing it into a block makes it stretch out longer. It's tensile strength makes it try to pull back to original length, giving a clamping force, or pre-load, measured in pounds or newtons. Re-usable bolts are usually torqued to 3/4 of their elastic limit - torque tables are published by the manufacturers.

I'd suggest a combination of more, bigger, and higher quality bolts. ARP is the best bolt producer out there today, you might contact them for suggestions as to small bolt quality.

Also, experience has taught me that all bolts get dressings. Mains and head studs get graphite / molybdenum assembly lube, which reduces torque by 30%. Flywheel bolts get Lock-tite, exhaust and wheel lugs get Never-seez, water pump bolts get water-resistant sealant, outside engine bolts going through a gasket get Honda sealant, electrical connection studs get dielectric silicone grease.

I may be stating the obvious to the master, but I always appreciate pedantic help in technical matters

Thanks for the comments and suggestions. The problem was that the screws were too long for the threaded depth of the hole. After I ground off a bit of the screw ends, everything cinched up nice and tight.

Chuck

 

[cfellows]

Remade the head this afternoon, took me about 3 hours. Had another near disaster when a #51 drill bit broke off in one of the final holes I was drilling and tapping. Luckily I was able to fish the broken piece out. The microscopic bits that were left behind made it a booger to tap, but I took it slow and used lots of lubricant. Finished it up with no more mishaps.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFPlSqZXjnY[/youtube]

Still got a few air leaks to chase down and fix, and a few more little pieces to make. Then I'll take it apart and paint it before publishing another video.

Chuck

 

[jcirafic]

Thank you for taking the time to document and share this build with us. Its inspiring to see such skill!

 

[cfellows]

Thank you for taking the time to document and share this build with us. Its inspiring to see such skill!

Thanks for the kind words. I stumbled across this model of the Fairbanks built from scratch by Johan Van Zanten in the Netherlands. Truly a beautiful model. Wish I could find a video of it running...

Chuck

 

[cfellows]

I've got everything painted and am slowly beginning to reassemble the engine. Here is picture I thought the group might be interested in. I've fastened the bottom crankcase half to the base with what looks like studs, nuts and washers.

Well, there is in fact a washer, but the stud and nut are actually a 4-40 socket head cap screw with the head ground down to a hex shape. Then a short, 3-48 set screw, which is very close sliding fit, is loctited into the hex socket of the SHCS. To add to the realism of the "nut", I spun it by hand between a folded piece of 400 grit silicon carbide sandpaper a few times to get rid of all the sharp edges.

The washers are 1/32" long slices from a piece of aluminum tubing I found in my scrap box. The OD is 3/16" and the ID is just about a perfect fit for the 4-40 screws.
Chuck

 

[jcirafic]

That's amazing-couldn't imagine the time and effort that went into building that engine. Thanks for the picture. Just inspiring.

 

[jwcnc1911]

Aw man does that suck! In my experience, when you feel like you need to back off of a tap a little bit... it's too late!

This is a fascinating build. It looks so huge until your hand in the video puts it into perspective.

My compliments Chuck!