Air-Cooled Light Plane Engine in a Hot Rod?

Famous Race pilot Steve Wittman had a Tailwind that was powered by an inverted, dry sump, alluminum Olds 215 with a 300 Buick crank for a total of 267ci. Now that is a HotRod airplane.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsH-j4pF4fE

 

That's first car that pops in my mind, when someone mentions aircraft powered roadsters. It was also featured in Hop Up, maybe twice. I can't remember if the update was a full feature.

Didn't Chet Herbert experiment with aircraft engines too?

 

The cover,May 1995 National Geographic Story of the Replica Vickers Vimy bomber.The largert bi-plane ever,Flew first trans Atlantic flight.Pilots Al**** and Brown.The replica had twin big block 8.4 GM truck engines,v8;s Steve Fossett and Mark Rebholtz flew it all over USA.Sorry this is so long . Bud Davis "Alberta Bud"

 

I'm surprised no one mentioned cost. Not for the cooling or adapters, but of the engine itself. They are not cheap, even in non-certified form.

Mat***uck sells a o-360, a 360 c.i. flat four rated at 200 hp at 2,600 rpm for $ 21,950.00. You could build damn near any engine you want for that price.

 

Granted it was a long time ago but I only gave 100 bucks for the Lycoming at the Camdenton, MO airport. It was in the back of a hanger and the fella that ran the airport liked me. I guess it helps to have friends.

there was a race team way back when that used 16 cylinder Allison motors in thier cars. Last one I remember seeing was a valient wagon.

Allison motors have been used in about everything from Tractor pulls to drag raceing and land speed raceing. they used to be pretty cheap and if I recall I've seen one recently for less than a grand.

 

wrong...i did..post #22...****ers are expensive just for a dam un certified core let alone a running engine

 

This is probably of no value, but a slight bit of interest.

For a time, especially in the 1970's, there were quite a few VW air-cooled airplanes built as kits or "experimental" airplane projects.
There were even some VW/airplane kits being sold and flown successfully.

It was a decent combination for the do-it-yourselfer.

 

in 1976 i bought a Lycoming O-235 from guy for $75. he had just bought a house and it was just sitting in the garage and wanted to get rid of it. of course, no log book and no idea of it's condition. sold it for $750 a month later in an ad in trade-a-plane and i thought i got rich

now i wish i had kept it

 

I was given a c-125 Cont. once (282ci six 125hp @2450) I sold it on ePay for $500. The c-145/0-300 was 145hp @2450 and a gear reduced GO-300 (all 300ci) made 175hp @3200, I still don't think they would make very good HotRod engines. Very weak lower ends not good for sudden bursts of power. although a V1710 Allison would be neat, saw one in a '55 chebbie.

 

one good reason not to,avgas, the aircraft engines are designed for leaded fuel, avgas has far more lead then old premium auto gas, this is to protect the valve guides, without it the valve start sticking, also autogas is full of additives that can gum up the same guides, don't forget the oil is completly different then what you run on the street, there are conversions available to run these on autogas, not sure whats involved, they run them on airboats all the time, most of those engines have problems that make them non airworthy anymore. they can be made to run,just not on airplanes.

 

the VW's are still popular in home builts,there is more to it then just bolting it in,especially involving the crank, to make it safe they require a special crank i believe,one that can handle the loads of the prop. the main thing about aircraft engines is they produce torque, they may not produce a lot of horsepower, but they have to make torque to be able to swing the prop.

 

Either it was junk (read: not capable of being made airworthy), or you missed out big, they bring BIG bucks these days. A fella that hangs out at the airport where I work went out west and brought back a semi loaded with 1710's back in the 70's. They were still crated and cosmolined- zero hours! He paid $1000 a piece for them and wishes he had bought more for that price. In the last few years, the price has went through the roof. He uses them in pulling tractors.

Avgas- 100LL (100 octane low-lead) is $3.45/gal here now. It hit $5.85 last summer. Pricey, and not street legal- no road tax on it and just like racing fuel, you (or a cop) can smell it burning from a mile away. The density is so much different on it that your floats should be adjusted to run it, making it not too practical for street use. Finding an airport that will still sell to the non-flying public is getting difficult too, we still do, but only into approved containers (red gas cans), not into vehicles of any kind, on or off road. I had to turn a guy away last Summer that wanted 100 gallons in his boat. Since the Oklahoma City Bombing and the 911 attacks, many airports have policies against putting fuel or gas into anything but a plane. Sorry if this went way OT. Luke

 

I honestly know no German at all, but does the bumpersticker on the back of that car say "I'm an energy saver?"

Dave, sometimes I think you evesdrop on me. We were thinking the same thing last weekend. Except I'd use a PT6A.

JK

 

It rolls!
You have to hand it to the guy it looks pretty stable and rolling straight.
Now I want to see what it can do in the quarter.

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That has got to have some nasty torque roll! Sounds cool though.

 

------------------------------
A PT6...... now your talking! Andy Granitelli used a PT6 in the
STP Indy Turbine car in 1967. Later on, sometime in the mid
to late 70's I think, he stuck another one into a late model
'Vette. I remember Hot Rod magazine did an aricle on it at
the time. It was far from practical, outrageouly expensive
and really little more than a show car but the car was
licenced and supposedly street drivable.

mart
=========================

 

@RileyRacing:
Yeah,thats a repop sticker.Originally from the 70s energy crisis.
A must have on a hot rod/muscle here.Got one one my V8 monza pro streeter too,
pisses the hippies off pretty good....LOL..
Olli

 

I've got to get one of those stickers- to put on my off road 4X4 truck that gets 4-6 MPG.
And, Mart, I did a brief stint at Standard Aero O/H PT6's- I wish I was still there but go stymied by the economy and had to move back home.

JK

 

Any shot of the Lujan Bros' RED they ran in 1972 or so? A very nice looking car.re