Jonathan Baron
New member
Actually, Dan, the accessory fittings, and some essential gears for the starter and generator - one rather large one, a red tagged example sitting in front of me as I type this, was unique to the A model. When it comes to technical matters I'm as pure an idiot as you can find. In this matter, though, I have some painful experience - not as a mechanic of course, but as a...well...victim.
It shared the Franklin's 1200 hour TBO. Since that time, my O-435, as I'm sure is the case with most engines of that period with similar TBOs, has been refitted with larger (half inch, I believe) valves and such that would probably make the effective TBO longer. By then, though, it was an orphan and did not, as other earlier engines in the 1200 TBO crowd, have its TBO elevated.
When you have 435 cubic inches making 190 horsepower, you have a loafing engine that would probably run merrily for a long, long time. I've been told, however, by two people with long experience - one as a rebuilder of them back in a distant day, and one who flew behind one for 29 years - that cylinder cracking tendencies remain a issue. Given Lycoming's original 500 degree CHT red-line, I'm not surprised. I aim for 400 as anything lower with this engine in the Cruisemaster's installation, regardless of baffling, appears impractical.
One long-time owner - Jan Gerster - became nearly obsessed with efforts to get his CHTs below 400. He'd fly at relatively low cruise RPM, hawking an engine monitor, try all manner of baffling, and he was so plagued by this problem and the continual need to replace cylinders, that he eventually had to sell his. Then again, his chief pleasure was mountain flying into those matchless (for roughness and difficulty) air strips in Idaho, sometimes using 2800-2900 rpm for take-off...along with some flap tricks apropos of another topic.
I had the higher compression cylinders of the A2 installed in my engine, bringing the HP rating to 225. This power figure is impractical at it can only be achieved at 3000 RPM, but it does help with lead fouling at proper RPM. This was the reason Jan had them installed in his engine.
Al Pontius's said he would install O-480 cylinders in the splendid 14-19 that he restored. I don't know if he did. It would make far more sense to use the Continental O-470 used in the -2s, as many people have. But you need a different cowl, as this engine is heavier and has to be moved aft. I will not surrender my grinning, stately cowl, plus I feel a need (for some reason I cannot define) to keep an original 1950 in the fleet. I'm sure there will remain others. Perhaps this responsibility I feel is a bit pompous.
Sticking to Cruiseairs, one fellow I know (Mike Grimes, I believe) put a Franklin engine of 220hp in his. As he worked for the FAA in a capacity that allowed him to gain approvals most of us could not, it was a perfectly legal installation. He would not reveal performance numbers to me when I inquired. It was for sale at the time. However he said that, were he possessed with perfect foresight, he would never would gone through the trouble, even with his legal advantages.
Jonathan
It shared the Franklin's 1200 hour TBO. Since that time, my O-435, as I'm sure is the case with most engines of that period with similar TBOs, has been refitted with larger (half inch, I believe) valves and such that would probably make the effective TBO longer. By then, though, it was an orphan and did not, as other earlier engines in the 1200 TBO crowd, have its TBO elevated.
When you have 435 cubic inches making 190 horsepower, you have a loafing engine that would probably run merrily for a long, long time. I've been told, however, by two people with long experience - one as a rebuilder of them back in a distant day, and one who flew behind one for 29 years - that cylinder cracking tendencies remain a issue. Given Lycoming's original 500 degree CHT red-line, I'm not surprised. I aim for 400 as anything lower with this engine in the Cruisemaster's installation, regardless of baffling, appears impractical.
One long-time owner - Jan Gerster - became nearly obsessed with efforts to get his CHTs below 400. He'd fly at relatively low cruise RPM, hawking an engine monitor, try all manner of baffling, and he was so plagued by this problem and the continual need to replace cylinders, that he eventually had to sell his. Then again, his chief pleasure was mountain flying into those matchless (for roughness and difficulty) air strips in Idaho, sometimes using 2800-2900 rpm for take-off...along with some flap tricks apropos of another topic.
I had the higher compression cylinders of the A2 installed in my engine, bringing the HP rating to 225. This power figure is impractical at it can only be achieved at 3000 RPM, but it does help with lead fouling at proper RPM. This was the reason Jan had them installed in his engine.
Al Pontius's said he would install O-480 cylinders in the splendid 14-19 that he restored. I don't know if he did. It would make far more sense to use the Continental O-470 used in the -2s, as many people have. But you need a different cowl, as this engine is heavier and has to be moved aft. I will not surrender my grinning, stately cowl, plus I feel a need (for some reason I cannot define) to keep an original 1950 in the fleet. I'm sure there will remain others. Perhaps this responsibility I feel is a bit pompous.
Sticking to Cruiseairs, one fellow I know (Mike Grimes, I believe) put a Franklin engine of 220hp in his. As he worked for the FAA in a capacity that allowed him to gain approvals most of us could not, it was a perfectly legal installation. He would not reveal performance numbers to me when I inquired. It was for sale at the time. However he said that, were he possessed with perfect foresight, he would never would gone through the trouble, even with his legal advantages.
Jonathan