Upshur Vertical Single 4 stroke by Werowance

[werowance]

here is my completed Upshur Vertical single 4 stroke engine.
build log here - Werowance attempts Upshur Vertical Single | Home Model Engine Machinist and thanks all for the help

last video here - unedited and poor video

and a photo or two

 

[terryp]

Hello Bryan, Nice job on the Upshur! Having built single cyl wobbler and two cyl steam engines I am starting to build the Upshur for my leap into ICE. This could be interesting as I love a machining challenge.

 

[Brian Rupnow]

Hero Cookie for you my lad. Engine looks great and runs like a champion.----Brian

 

[Eccentric]

Bravo, she is a beauty!

 

[werowance]

Thanks guys, for a second i thought my post had some how "re-posted" itself but i realized it was 2021 not 2022. hope no one thinks i just up and re-posted last years engine trying to get an ego boost (which im not against lol)

and Terry p - good luck on yours, hope you post lots of pics of your build along the way. hardest parts for me were the cams and making the woodruf cutter to do the head.

Bryan

 

[terryp]

Yes, the cams and cam timing look like a challenge. On the head fins I was thinking of just cutting those with an end mill. The crank has me a bit spooked though.

 

[werowance]

the crank was pretty easy, i pinned and locktighted mine. peened over the pins to make sure they were good and snug. the plans if i remember right show at least 2 ways of making the crank, i went with the multi piece crank and didnt solder mine. its still holding good. i also instead of bronze busings i used ball bearigs for the crank and cam bushes. on the rod i recomend using 2024 aluminum as i was taught and seems to hold true that it works better for bearing wear surface (for lack of better words) since there arent any bronze bearings for the rod itself.

 

[kuhncw]

Very well done.

Chuck

 

[terryp]

Bryan, Looking through my box of miscellaneous treasures I found two double sealed ball bearings stripped from a computer hard drive years ago. They are .312 ID and .625 OD. perfect for this Upshur engine. Planning on making the conn rod from bronze to act as a bearing surface but now concerned about the reciprocating weight. Alum would be lighter but a poor bearing surface. Planning a one piece crank as i have done so on a previous engine and only scrapped one in the process. You probably heard me screaming. In the materials bin I found a 1 3/8 diameter chunk of 41L40 purchased a while back on Craigslist. Apparently this is a machinable Chrome Moly used for among other things...crankshafts! We will see. The engine in my avatar is a two cylinder steam engine I built from slightly modified plans seen in a 1960 issue of Popular Mechanics. It took me a year to do that one so don't look for any fast results on this ICE project.

 

[werowance]

i think bronze would be fine for the rod. maybe cut a gusset out in it or something to lighten it a little. aluminum certainly machines better than bronze though. but 2024 ali if im not mistaken is the same material used in briggs and stratton piston rods these days. (and yes i could be wrong here)

 

[terryp]

i think bronze would be fine for the rod. maybe cut a gusset out in it or something to lighten it a little. aluminum certainly machines better than bronze though. but 2024 ali if im not mistaken is the same material used in briggs and stratton piston rods these days. (and yes i could be wrong here)

Good feedback. Thinning the rod would reduce the reciprocating weight. Think an end mill pass down the center would also look cool. I am building this open crankcase so the innards will be exposed.