austerwobbler

dont be cheap on your engine "you dont want to be at 2000ft when it goes bang and you wish you had spent that extra money"

I had top overhaul done on a gipsy 1 by vin tech, cylinders honed, heads faced, valve seats,rockers polished,mags over hauled,new inlet manifold,oil ring mod plus all new rings and they even welded new cooling fins back on the head where they had been knocked off !
The whole job looked like factory new and it runs like a champ.

It wasnt cheap,but if you want a good job you have to pay

I would use Vintech again no probs

stickandrudderman

Do let me know if you want to sell the chippy "as is"!

Arclite01

Lets just get it fixed.

But my choice of replacement would be a Supercub if we had to replace it.............or a Bulldog maybe ?

Arc

MichaelJP59

Wonder why it's so expensive - after all we're talking about a 1930's design 4 cylinder carburettor engine - is it because all parts need special manufacture?

(Probably being naive!)

gasax

I suspect a lot of it is about 'what the trade will bear'

There is nothing very difficult about the engines. 'Finding' parts is a bit of a challenge - which many people rise to by writing new paperwork for ex-military spares.

Granted there is a level of expertise - simply knowing which parts are suitable for which marks etc but all this is documented - although an encyclopedic knowledge certainly helps.

I learnt a huge amount about these engines and their care, from my engineer who has now passed on - 'in the land of the blind the one eyed man is king'

Justiciar

I think that this is true of all aero engines to varying degrees. One issue with the Chipmunk as compared to say an auster is that the latter is now permit whereas the former is national C of A under Annex II so the requirements for a paper trail in respect of every washer and bolt are somewhat more exacting. I guess to that the finite number of engine blocks in existence also affects overall prices.

Having said that, these engines were designed to be pulled apart in grimy old workshops and hangers and not in modern sanitised engineering facilities so most things should be doable locally, which is how we are intending to approach it initially I think. Hopefull it will be nothing more than a shell bearing to replace and we have caught the problem in its early stages. I flew her about ten days ago and there was nothing untoward then - the engine turned ok and oil pressure was good.

Lister Noble

If it is just a bearing gone then it's probably sensible to replace them all,big ends and mains,whilst the engine is stripped down.
Hopefully there will be no damage to the crankshaft.
Lister

bose-x

I have more bits of Gipsy engine in my garage and airing cupboard at the moment than is actually attached to the airframe.

They are very simple engine but need some odd sized and shaped tools to work on them!

Pilot DAR

For my experience with Gypsy Magors, you want the best engine shop you can find. Pay for the best, anything else will leave you unhappy later. I have machined two sets of Gypsy Major connecting rod bearings for two different engine rebuilds. This was a fussy task, requiring a special fixture, which I had to make to hold them for the process. Even after such precautions, it became apparent upon reassembly of the first engine that the connecting rods were all paired mating parts, and probably the bearing had actually been bored in place in that connecting rod before assembly. Not boring the bearing in the mated connecting rod had resulted in the perfectly round bore I had made, being forced slightly out of round upon installation in the connecting rod. Several reworks were required. to make it work properly. Ultimately the engine ran very well, but it was a complex and costly effort. Go to someone who has already learned all of these tricks, so you're not paying for them to learn on yours!

Pilot DAR

Lister Noble

Spot on,when I sailed a lot around Europe I had the best equipment and maintenance available.
When I raced cars,exactly the same procedure.
Sailing,racing,flying,all have a risk attached,the aim is to minimise risk as much as possible.
Lister

Arclite01

Currently looking like reports of death greatly exaggerated............... here's hoping

Arc

bose-x

Arc sounds like it could be good news!!

I have just finished spraying all the baffles off my engine this morning and replacing the rubber edges on the baffles. Hopefully when I put it back together on Friday it will look as good as I hope it will go!!