Corky's engine choice

Someone expressed surprise that I was now working on a Ford 3.8L V-6
for my engine. Last they'd heard, I was trying to find a certified
type.

I thought I'd bring everyone up to date. It's true that I had
basically given up on using an auto conversion as I was having trouble
justifying the cost of the PSRU. I'd started with a Buick/Olds 215
cid aluminum block V-8 and then switched to the Mazda 13B. I disliked
all the problems associated with the 13B so I sold that too.

I then actively searched for an aircooled aircraft engine. I mean I
really looked hard. But every single engine I looked at was really
tough to examine. I'd basically have to be an expert engine examiner
(which I wasn't) and be ready to travel all over the country to look
at it. Some had logs, most didn't. I eventually ended up with a
brand new piclkled 0-470-15. This turned out to be a military version
of the 0-470 and there was a LOT missing. I forget now what I paid
for it but it was too much and it would have cost me more than twice
that to get the thing running with all the parts missing. And
besides, it was REALLY heavy.

So I resold it.

I kept looking for a good low priced aircraft engine and just could
not find one close enough to get or I was unwilling to risk paying $7K
to $8K for someone to ship me an engine that had not been inspected.

I am an ex auto mechanic and have built several engines, but I am
totally unfamiliar with aircraft engines other than to understand from
a mechanical point of few. It's just that there is SO MUCH that can
be wrong with them and you don't know it until you've completely
dismantled them and zygloed them or x-rayed them or whatever to fully
inspect them. Then if anything is actually wrong, your bargain engine
is suddenly a financial black hole.

So I finally decided that I had to turn back to the auto coversion
again. At this point, things began to go right. Bruce Frank pointed
out why the Ford V-6 makes sense: millions of them out there, hundreds
of PSRU's and a lot of running time with a good record and it's a
light weight engine.

I found an engine salvager who was willing to ship any number of Ford
V-6's to me for $150 each. At that price, I took two, thinking that
if I found a problem part, I could just yank it from the other engine.

I also found a local machine shop who's owner had been building Fords
and just about everything else for half his life. He was willing to
take the block, crank, heads etc and clean them up and bring them to
specification. I needed all six intake valves, it turned out,
couldn't save them, they were pitted from water damage. I would have
used them in a street car but not my aircraft engine. They cost about
$16 each. The exhaust valves were fine.

At this point I found other parts suppliers. I found Morana racing in
Canada. They cater to the Ford V-6 and had all kinds of parts I
needed like new valve springs, keepers and caps. They also had roller
rockers. I bought a set of them too.

I found ARP which stands for Automobile Racing Parts. They make high
strength studs for engine assembly. They are used in a majority of
the racing world's engines. A set of studs for the cylinder heads and
main bearings cost me $145. I also bought new lifters, a new oil pump
kit and machined the intake manifold to accept the two barrel Holley
carb. Then I bought the carb and the McNeilly leaning block so the
mixture can be leaned.

All this was made possible because Bruce contacted me telling me that
he'd heard about a PSRU that was for sale at a good price. It was
less than half price.

I will be reporting the total bill for the engine and peripherals and
how things are working when I get there.

But for now, the process will be to assemble the engine and PSRU and
hang it off the firewall so I can get the rest of the airplane
finished. I already fabricated the engine mount, I used the second
block to mock that up. I also welded the Piper Tripacer landing gear
to the engine mount. That went well.

Corky Scott