"IF I lost the prop, the Cof G would be so far fwd that I don't think that she'd fly, BUT if I lost the prop and the engine the CofG would move rearwards and quite possibly be a safer scenario!"
Stik,
What you need, then, is not to renew the engine bolts but to install explosive bolts on the engine mounts, with the trigger in the cockpit. That way, in the unlikely but devastating event that the prop departs the airframe, you can immediately jettison the engine thus restoring the harmonious balance and handling characteristics of the venerable Pitts and glide safely to a soft landing...in a cushy field...near a cup of tea...and a phone.
Or, if you want to get clever, you could design a microswitch setup such that when the prop departs the airframe, it triggers the explosive bolts automatically so prop and engine all go at nearly the same time. Through this ingenious setup you spend virtually no time in the dangerous transitional "engine but no prop" phase of the sequence. You'd merely hear one wrench, one loud bang, and then complete silence, maybe even feel a bit of a shudder, as most of the aircraft weight hurls itself toward the nearest school/hospital/orphange/cute furry animal sanctuary.
I think you're on to something here. Properly designed and marketed, maybe a bit of Millo Magic stuffed in there somewhere, and you'd really have something. THE aviation safety system for the 21st century. You'd be laughing at Cirrus and their poncy "floating humiliatingly around the sky" parachute recovery system. REAL pilots will go this route and continue to fly their machines, not float, to the crash site...near a cup of tea...and a phone.
Just my .02 worth
Pitts2112
(Which of us needs to get out more?)