My son posted these pictures on another forum and sent me the link. Pictures are nice but first hand experience is even better. So Saturday I made the trip for a 'look see'. Well, there are no 'look see's. Before I knew it I was put to work cleaning and painting parts. :thumbsup: When that work was caught up I assisted with taking bearing clearances --- now I'm in my element. All in all it was great day.


New pistons from Jack Roush.
These things are gorgeous.

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n46/Banshee55/Little%20Rebel/PICT0001-2.jpg

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n46/Banshee55/Little%20Rebel/PICT0002-2.jpg

Miscellaneous pieces:
The fuselage fuel tank is visible too. It is sitting beneath the valve covers.


http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n46/Banshee55/Little%20Rebel/PICT0003-3.jpg

Nose case:

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n46/Banshee55/Little%20Rebel/PICT0004-3.jpg


Two-stage supercharger:

http://http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n46/Banshee55/Little%20Rebel/PICT0005-2.jpghttp://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n46/Banshee55/Little%20Rebel/PICT0005-2.jpg

Heads and banks:

http://http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n46/Banshee55/Little%20Rebel/PICT0006-1.jpg

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n46/Banshee55/Little%20Rebel/PICT0008-1.jpg

Miscellaneous parts and assemblies.

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n46/Banshee55/Little%20Rebel/PICT0010-1.jpg

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n46/Banshee55/Little%20Rebel/PICT0011-2.jpg

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n46/Banshee55/Little%20Rebel/PICT0014.jpg

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n46/Banshee55/Little%20Rebel/PICT0024.jpg

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n46/Banshee55/Little%20Rebel/PICT0016.jpg

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n46/Banshee55/Little%20Rebel/PICT0027-1.jpg

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n46/Banshee55/Little%20Rebel/PICT0028.jpg

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n46/Banshee55/Little%20Rebel/PICT0030-1.jpg

A few more.

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n46/Banshee55/Little%20Rebel/PICT0009-1.jpg

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n46/Banshee55/Little%20Rebel/PICT0012-1.jpg

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n46/Banshee55/Little%20Rebel/PICT0013-2.jpg

That looks like a really cool project Dan.

What is the process for getting all those pistons in the bank at one time? Do you have 6 ring squeezes and release them one or two at a time? It would be very interesting to watch a step by step on that build.

That's sweet! I know the feeling, from keeping up with the (1st) engine build for our A26. GREAT! :thumbsup:

Dan, those are great pictures, thanks for sharing. :thumbsup:

Tom, I was thinking of you while looking at those pictures. :)

What is the process for getting all those pistons in the bank at one time? Do you have 6 ring squeezes and release them one or two at a time? It would be very interesting to watch a step by step on that build.

The pistons are inserted from the bottom in pairs. There are three pairs of pistons and each pair of pistons are at TDC at different times. They will start with the pair of pistons closest to TDC. Using ring compressors insert those two first followed by the next pair and finish with the pair that are near BDC. It is definitely a multi-person process.

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n46/Banshee55/Little%20Rebel/PICT0005-3.jpg

That's sweet! I know the feeling, from keeping up with the (1st) engine build for our A26. GREAT! :thumbsup:

Tom, I'm amazed that the quality of workmanship of these engines. Designed in the days of slide rules when machinist 'were' machinist. Before CNC and digital anything.

This is very cool stuff.
Thanks for sharing.
Kim

What a beautiful engine!

Yes, slide rules and a bunch of good engineers with a lot of experience and intuition can make such things. 60 years later it still works and we still admire it!

Ron

Great pics. Gotta love Merlin engines.

Thanks for the great pictures! I have only seen one fully assembled never blown apart like that!:thumbsup:

you cant work w/o donuts, lol
do they use brass or bronze main caps? pretty cool, thanks for sharing-nice clean work

Looking at the bottom of the engine, I'm trying to figure out how the rods are assembled at the crank journal. It looks like the rods on one side of the engine flank the rod from the other side of the engine at the journal, like one rod is forked at the end. Am I seeing that correctly?

That's going in a little '65 deuce right? :thumbsup::thumbsup:


Very very cool. Thanks for sharing.

"Put to work" huh? I am SO envious! More pics please...

The rods are a 'Fork and Blade' design.

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l9/dlplett/P51/PICT0142_2a.jpg

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n46/Banshee55/Sweet%20and%20Lovely/PICT0009-1.jpg

http://www.tpub.com/engine3/en3_files/image108.jpg

I'm not sure what material the main caps are made of. I'll have to do a little more 'asking'.

One word WOW ! ! A real piece of work. I have never seen one apart. Now i see how the rods work.

Thanks for the clarification on the "fork and blade" design. That's what it looked like to me, but I just wanted to know for sure.