eBay Strato Bug

It actually looks like a Strato bug to me, its got the metal fuel pickup, tank looks right.  It has been run but judging from the piston not much, probably had air leaks. The mating of the tank and backplate is very poorly done. I wanted to mount it on a stand and run it but the reed is not functional and not going to pry the reed cap off and mess with it. So a shelf queen it is, you won't see another with a 1 handle on the price for a while. All I did was toothbrush it with Rem Oil. Not bad for 60+ years old.

Shouldn’t it have a groove in the rim of the tank to accept the backplate ridge? The backplate looks correct.

Good to see you got it! The backplate looks correct. Is the backplate warped? Does it hold fuel without leaking? It cleaned up nicely.

Boy you guys stay up late The tank does not have a groove where it mates to the backplate. the screws were honked down pulling the plate in around the screws.
I left them loose on reassembly. One thing for sure, its been sitting for a long time. I'm going to check my other one tomorrow for a groove.

Cribbs74 wrote:Shouldn’t it have a groove in the rim of the tank to accept the backplate ridge? The backplate looks correct.

Neither of mine have a groove in the tank. Didn’t you buy a strato tank off of eBay a while back? Peterparisparts was the seller.

I just "stickied" this thread: https://www.coxengineforum.com/t4229-the-strato-bug-identifying-originality Surprised it wasn't made a sticky before. If anyone has something to add to it, go for it.

I didn’t look before I posted. It just seemed like it should have a groove to accept the backplate properly. I’ve been wrong before...

Cribbs74 wrote:I didn’t look before I posted. It just seemed like it should have a groove to accept the backplate properly. I’ve been wrong before...

Ron, I think the neat things about these engines were they were in existence when I was a toddler. They are a part of Cox early history. Those who were teens back then would consider these as stocking stuffer items. They were certainly before my time of understanding.

Plastics back then were becoming more and more incorporated into common products. Speaking of brittle, I didn't realize that the much later gray plastic the horseshoe backs are made of very brittle plastic. A few months ago, I bought a stash of parts from Cox International. This included a gray horseshoe back and needle valve.

I attempted to push out the spray bar, but in doing so broke the back at that location. This was of no consequence as I am using the spray bar and needle to repair a Testor .049 front rotary valve engine. It's spray bar was so plugged with dried Castor that in spite of my cleaning efforts, just couldn't clear the spray bar orifice.

Thus I gather that the gray backs are made of a less expensive plastic than Dupont Delrin. Also, I will choose one of the other horseshoe backs in a different plastic, probably Delrin if I decide to ream out the intake hole.

One thing I marveled at during disassembly was how well the plastic backplate held up, no need to even be gentle with it even after 63 years. Tough stuff indeed.
The tank really needed the groove and they corrected that with Babe Bee. In the late 50s 12 dollars for a model was not chump change, quite pricey.

crankbndr wrote:In the late 50s 12 dollars for a model was not chump change, quite pricey.

Using an on-line inflation calculator, $12.00 in 1955 is now $112.84.

In 1962, a Cox .049 Babe Bee was $3.95 retail. That is now $32.96. That is basically what the latest Sure Start engine with starter spring goes for.

That would mean this guy is walking out with about 350$ worth of Cox goodies, thanks Pop!!!

crankbndr wrote:That would mean this guy is walking out with about 350$ worth of Cox goodies, thanks Pop!!!

Back then, taxes and rent were a lot lower than now, plus parents grew up with parents who had to heavily economize and make their dollars go further, save when they could as much as they could.
There was more money left over after the bills were paid.