Small 4 stroke engine?

On Mon, 06 Jun 2005 22:05:00 -0700, Richard Riley
wrote:

I'm looking for an engine that may not exist. If anyone has a notion
of what it might be, I'd be grateful.

It's for a 103 legal ultralight.

60 lbs or so all up, including re-drive and cooling
35-40 hp.
4 stroke.
More reliable than a 2 stroke Rotax

Any ideas?

Half-VW?

Ron Wanttaja

Richard Riley wrote:
I'm looking for an engine that may not exist. If anyone has a notion
of what it might be, I'd be grateful.

It's for a 103 legal ultralight.

60 lbs or so all up, including re-drive and cooling
35-40 hp.
4 stroke.
More reliable than a 2 stroke Rotax

Any ideas?

I don't know if it's an exact match but the Briggs & Stratton V-twin is
close. They're very detuned in stock condition but the cart racers have
pumped them up considerably with little effort.

Tony

On Mon, 06 Jun 2005 22:05:00 -0700, Richard Riley
wrote:

I'm looking for an engine that may not exist. If anyone has a notion
of what it might be, I'd be grateful.

It's for a 103 legal ultralight.

60 lbs or so all up, including re-drive and cooling
35-40 hp.
4 stroke.
More reliable than a 2 stroke Rotax

Any ideas?

Colin Chapman of Lotus fame was a pilot and into Ultralights. He had
his engine group design a small four stroke intended for this type of
flying that had an interesting prop drive: They simply beefed up the
camshaft and bolted the prop to it. Since all camshafts spin at 1/2
crankshaft speed, they had themselves a PSRU without all the belts or
gears.

Alas, with the death of Chapman, the engine died with him, or shortly
thereafter.

Finding a decent, reliable small fourstroke engine has been going on
for a long long time. Motorcycle engines are intriguing, but attain
their high output via extremely high rpms. In addition, nearly all of
them come with the transmission case cast along with the engine
crankcase. You don't need the transmission, unless you want to use it
as the PSRU, and then you don't need all the gears which add to the
weight you have to carry. People have tried to use the transmissions
as PSRU's with mixed success.

For one thing, the transmissions aren't designed to spin a prop so
some kind of beefed up power takeoff has to be added and it just
becomes a bit of an engineering nightmare. It might actually be
easier to have one of the local machine shops machine a case out of a
block of aluminum using their computerized milling machines.

It's the old story of liability issues, plus the relatively limited
market for such an engine. But I watched Jesse James order a couple
of cylinderheads for a custom chopper he was building, and the camera
guys went to the machine shop where this CNC milling machine cut the
cylinders out of a block of aluminum. If they can do that, they can
cut out a crankcase, it should be a more simple job.

Or, go whole hog and recreate an Offenhauser engine in miniature; no
cylinderhead so no cylinderhead gasket to worry about. Valve jobs are
a bitch though...

Corky Scott

Richard Riley wrote:
I'm looking for an engine that may not exist. If anyone has a notion
of what it might be, I'd be grateful.

It's for a 103 legal ultralight.

60 lbs or so all up, including re-drive and cooling
35-40 hp.
4 stroke.
More reliable than a 2 stroke Rotax

Any ideas?


The Mid-West GAE 50 R for Ultra (Micro)Lights, Homebuilt or
Kit-Planes:
72 lbs / 50HP
http://www.tiho-hannover.de/bmt/bmt/...kel/ggkart.htm
Kumaros
It's all Greek to me

Try http://www.wankel-rotary.com/
"kumaros" wrote in message
news:1118157997.450933@athnrd02...
Richard Riley wrote:
I'm looking for an engine that may not exist. If anyone has a notion
of what it might be, I'd be grateful.

It's for a 103 legal ultralight.

60 lbs or so all up, including re-drive and cooling
35-40 hp.
4 stroke.
More reliable than a 2 stroke Rotax

Any ideas?


The Mid-West GAE 50 R for Ultra (Micro)Lights, Homebuilt or Kit-Planes:
72 lbs / 50HP
http://www.tiho-hannover.de/bmt/bmt/...kel/ggkart.htm
Kumaros
It's all Greek to me

Stan Premo wrote:
Try http://www.wankel-rotary.com/


The don't appear to have any sales representatives.

Hard to get a price that way.

--

FF

There was an email address either on their site or out of Ultralight Flying
Magazine that responded in a couple of days with a
price list and some mounting info. I'm not sure this will format in the
spreadsheet form I received it but I'll try to paste it in...here goes...
Engine Power Description Retail US$
LCR 407 SGti 37.5 HP @ 6,000 rpm single rotor aircraft and marine
engines $5,691.95
LCR 407 SG/w 41 HP @ 6,900 rpm single rotor Kart engines $5,174.50
LCR 407 SG/k 41 HP @ 6,900 rpm single rotor Kart and industrial
engines $4,822.50
LCR 814 SGti 75 HP @ 6,000 rpm Twin rotor aircraft and marine engines
$7,968.95
LCR Twinpack 150 HP @ 6,000 rpm Four rotor aircraft and marine engines
$16,735.00

*LCR - Liquid Cooled Engine, Charge Cooled Rotor
SG = Single rotor, Gasoline
*ti =Tric-Ignition system
*w version includes carburetor, clutch, electric starter & generator
*k version includes carburetor, electric starter or shaft

Accessories
For Engine Part number Description Retail US$
LCR 407 153 110 Exhaust pipe kit $442.75
LCR 814 152 610 Exhaust pipe kit $638.25
LCR 407 152 121 Stainless steel muffler $977.50
LCR 814 153 621 Stainless steel muffler $1,425.00
LCR 407 156 121 Radiator - steel $615.00
LCR 814 156 122 Radiator - steel $615.00
LCR 407 156 123 Radiator - aluminum $845.00
LCR 814 156 124 Radiator - aluminum $845.00
LCR 407 & 814 154 100 *HDT Reduction Drive $910.00
LCR 407 153 110 Exhaust Pipe & Assembly Kit $442.75
LCR 814 152 610 Exhaust Pipe & Assembly Kit $638.25
LCR 407 & 814 154 100 Reduction Drive (3:1 or 2:1) $910.00

LCR 407 & 814 155 541 spark plug
LCR 407 & 814 151 041 air filter (tapered)
LCR 407 & 814 155 333 V-belt 10x530 Z21
LCR 407 & 814 155 310 generator c/w regulator
LCR 407 & 814 155 611 electric starter
LCR 407 Kart 153 182 engine cover
LCR 407 Kart 155 522 ignition coil PVL
LCR 407 Kart 155 531 high tension lead

LCR 407 & 814 155 203 Electronic Tachometer
LCR 407 & 814 155 202 Coolant Temperature Gauge
LCR 407 & 814 155 205 Ambient Temperature Gauge
LCR 407 & 814 155 204 Voltmeter
LCR 407 & 814 155 206 Hour-meter
Terms - 10% with purchase order
- 40% 30 days prior to delivery date
- balance payable on delivery
- Dealer & OEM terms as arranged
- FOB Oshawa, Ontario, Canada

wrote in message
oups.com...


Stan Premo wrote:
Try http://www.wankel-rotary.com/


The don't appear to have any sales representatives.

Hard to get a price that way.

--

FF

Check out the various Yamaha Virago engines. One has been flying
successfully in a "Graham Lee Neuport 17 for a number of years.

"Chuck" wrote in message
...
Check out the various Yamaha Virago engines. One has been flying
successfully in a "Graham Lee Neuport 17 for a number of years.

I have had a 1982 Virago for five years. It has 80,000 miles total.

I would no more climb into an airplane with a Virago engine than lay down on
a red ant hill. Either way, you're gonna get bit.

Rich "Found by the side of the road more than once" S.

I'm amazed that no one has mentioned this yet.

The military 4a032 is a 32 cubic inch horizontally opposed "inini Lycoming"
4 cylinder engine.
With a larger carb, and shaved heads, it will put out over 30 HP, but it's
more comfortable at 16 to 20 HP. Stripped of all the junk, I believe it's
weight is within range of your specs too.

They are cheap via surplus
http://saturnsurplus.com/engine/engine.htm

And have been used in many aircraft.
http://www.harpritsan.com/EngineRecord1.html
http://home.cfl.rr.com/aircraft/4A032.html/
as examples. There are many others Google 4a032.


Also look at the 2a043. 2 cylinder, but a bit larger displacement. More
power, less weight, but not as smooth.

I use these things to turn a skiff into an airboat. They're a lot of fun!

Ron Webb







"Richard Riley" wrote in message
...
I'm looking for an engine that may not exist. If anyone has a notion
of what it might be, I'd be grateful.

It's for a 103 legal ultralight.

60 lbs or so all up, including re-drive and cooling
35-40 hp.
4 stroke.
More reliable than a 2 stroke Rotax

Any ideas?