A Gifted PeeWee .020

Great observation Andras!…. I use pliers with an opening about the size of the cylinder buffered with a strip of leather about 1/8” thick…. Inside the leather a strip of #400 sandpaper to grip the cylinder….. Get the engine positioned in the tool and heat over a candle flame …The other hand grips the engine with a glove cause it’s pretty hot!!…The sandpaper will not mark the fins if kept from slipping…..I use the same tool and add some silicone based oil to the threads on reassembly to help release for the next time…. I think I picked up the oil tip from yourself, Thank you Sir

Cool Deal ! Nice looking little .020 and can't wait to see it in action !

rdw777 wrote:Great observation Andras!…. I use pliers with an opening about the size of the cylinder buffered with a strip of leather about 1/8” thick…. Inside the leather a strip of #400 sandpaper to grip the cylinder….. Get the engine positioned in the tool and heat over a candle flame …The other hand grips the engine with a glove cause it’s pretty hot!!…The sandpaper will not mark the fins if kept from slipping…..I use the same tool and add some silicone based oil to the threads on reassembly to help release for the next time…. I think I picked up the oil tip from yourself, Thank you Sir

Thanks, Robert,

your tip may help me also with the oldstock 020 cylinders without the flats...yes, I use the WD-40 silicone spray on the threads of the cylinder, it will not cake and allow a trouble free removal of the cylinder even after multiple hot runs where castor would cake and sort of "cement" the threads together...

rdw777 wrote:Bob (@rsv1cox) and I recently made a deal to trade an engine for a model boat, But instead of one he sent three!!!… One of which was a fine early model PeeWee .020….There were two renditions of the thin wall cylinder…. This version is the thinner of the two…. It has a nice little pinch at TDC….I think Cox put some of their best efforts into these early models…..A photo trip below of its rebuild…. Mostly standard stuff with a few notes thrown in….

Apart for cleaning….I noticed a “B” scratched in the bottom of the crankcase…. Coincidence?…. Or was this one you had forever Bob?  



All the components fit in a condiment cup filled with alcohol for soaking….Amazing!



Even the glow head was still good…. Original copper reed was able to be salvaged…. All gaskets and fuel pick up changed out…The red anodizing on the tank is in excellent condition…. Not all scratched up like most I have seen….

I like to seal my tanked engines with a piece of sewing thread in the groove in the tank bowl and cotton fiber wound into a thread under the tank screw heads…. The fiber is from a cotton ball ….Trim off the tails after installation…. Credit to Ken Cook on this one…. It goes a long way on general handling and performance….The engine on the right has been treated this way as well…





A sincere thank you for this nice little engine Bob….Soon we’ll put it to work flying my little glider…. I’ll get some video of it to share here…

Robert

I don't know Robert, after awhile they tend to all run together.  It could be one I have had for a long time, or one I made up from these parts I got on 5 January of this year.  



But it seems I would have cleaned up the pieces before assembly.  I think these all had holes drilled in the tanks.

Nice to see a little Pee Wee getting some love! I've never owned one.. but hope to someday. Thanks for sharing the helpful tips on dis/reassembly Robert.

Isn't it great when one of these little engines runs like a clock.. right after you rebuilt it?  

I see that you included the little "coil-spring" inside the new fuel pick-up. The new pick-up looks to be made from OEM-spec. (clear-vinyl) material? I recently rebuilt a Babe Bee. (also gifted to me coincidentally by Bob V.) I used a length of silicone tubing for the replacement pick-up.. and included a spring. The brittle pick-up that was on the engine did not have a spring inside. I don't usually put a spring in there. My "Bee's" always ran fine after a rebuild without one.. but on this rebuild; I used an experimental silicone tubing with .062" ID and 3/32" OD. I thought it better to include the spring because of the tubing's thin-wall; which could guard against its collapsing or kinking.



   The spring's function has been discussed here on the forum.. but I don't know what thread. As an anti-kink measure possibly?.... "Capillary-attraction" in regard to fuel-draw to the venturi.. or simply a safeguard to catch debris before it can find its way thru the venturi.. and fouling the reed-seat. I think that those are all valid assessments.

That said; I've always saved the springs from my Cox engine's fuel pick-ups.. if they had one present.

Best of luck in mounting the engine in your model Robert!

roddie wrote:The spring's function has been discussed here on the forum.. but I don't know what thread. As an anti-kink measure possibly?.... "Capillary-attraction" in regard to fuel-draw to the venturi.. or simply a safeguard to catch debris before it can find its way thru the venturi.. and fouling the reed-seat. I think that those are all valid assessments.

Anti-kink seems most plausible, plus keep line aligned so fuel pickup end is always immersed in fuel. Otherwise, could collapse.

Regarding capillary action, doubt it.

Due to age hardening, they lose their resilience. I found the hard way that one needs to be careful removing age hardened fuel pickup tube, broke my share of tank back nipples as a result, especially on Pee Wee's. Back in the old days, we could buy Pee Wee tank backs at any large department store, but no more.

roddie wrote:I see that you included the little "coil-spring" inside the new fuel pick-up. The new pick-up looks to be made from OEM-spec.

Thanks roddie, …. .020’s are a hoot!..,.I did the same as you, Just made the pickup from tubing from our Cox vendors …. I save the springs from the old tubes for re-use….

GallopingGhostler wrote:Due to age hardening, they lose their resilience. I found the hard way that one needs to be careful removing age hardened fuel pickup tube, broke my share of tank back nipples as a result, especially on Pee Wee's.

Yes, Those can be scary George…. Especially on tank backs that are corroded and pitted….
I make a couple of cuts on the old tube at the nipple with a sharp knife…. Add a little heat to soften …. Seems to help a bit…,

New engine mounted and give “Ol’ Benny “ a break…. Benny had a bent cylinder and CEF member 706Jim graciously straightened it to restore to running order….Something normally impossible….Runs great to this day…. He’s got the touch!!!….Nearly been a couple of years ago according to the date on the inside of the hatch..



I left that “B” in the bottom of the crankcase… Very fitting  



Here’s your little power plant doing its thing Bob!!…. The glider gives a little thank you at the end of the flight  

SWEET flight and vid!!!

She was getting It , Nice flight even w/the wind on a foamy !! Engine ran flawlessly

I'm glad to see that it's getting some use Robert. If it remained here in WV I'm sure it would still be just a display case Queen, err Prince. But you have me wondering about that B. Doesn't stand for "Bob", I don't mark my engines. I will have to go through some of my old pictures because the old memory is coming up blank.

Bob

Robert, your Guppy (or HOB Nomad with foam wing?) was a sweet flyer, felt a throwback to Spring 1973, when I was a trainee at the Naval School of Music in Virginia Beach. Afternoons after class, I'd grab shoe box flight box and Pee Wee powered R/C Schoolboy, and put in maybe a dozen flights before walking back to the barracks.

The Schoolboy and quart can of fuel were small enough I could hide them in my in-wall locker (larger than a standard steel locker) upper hutch. Then, these small fuel cans weren't considered "HAZMAT".

Yes, that venerable Pee Wee sound is so familiar. With short flights of 1.5 to 2.5 minutes depending on prop, I got a lot of practice launching and deadstick landing, could place the plane within 10 feet of me.

That was simplicity at its best, most bang for the buck. Ace Pulse Commander on 27.995 MHz with its modern Superheterodyne receiver was solid, never had any problems with CB'ers, best $70 I spent at a local Hobbyshop in Virginia Beach. The Schoolboy was mail ordered from Hobby Shack of Fountain Valley, CA, it was something like $4.50 plus a small amount for shipping.

You brought back memories.

Beautiful flight, very neat plane, like all others in your fleet, Robert...I wish I had such a wide space near my home allowing a spontaneous flight whenever I want..

Roberto, what a beautiful video, it seems that Pee Wee carries his model airplane with great authority.
I have seen that plane in Outerzone, are we talking about the same model of plane?
I think yours is original from ACE R/C, because I see the Styrofoam wing, can I be wrong?

Thanks roddie, Eric… Bob’s gifted engine is a little power house and performed great!!!… It will definitely see more air time!!

I’m glad it sparked some memories for you George, Yes, there is much to be said for simplicity…. Very little support gear required…I’ll have to try that larger prop trick on a PeeWee sometime…. Not enough room on the Guppy but maybe something in the future… Like you say, short flights and lots of landing practice, fun stuff… I was keeping it close so the camera could see it…

I’m blessed to have that flying site Andras, Love the isolation of it…. Only drawbacks are wind and the rough terrain, I can deal with the wind by watching the weather and picking best days… Just need to keep practicing to hit a clear place to land ….

Hi Mauricio!!… The glider was built from plans and uses the wing from a toy glider I found at a craft store … It came surprisingly close to the measurements I needed and saved much time on building!… Not a high performance glider at all but can still easily ride lift due to its light weight….About 6-1/2 ounces…

https://www.coxengineforum.com/t16137-ace-r-c-guppy?highlight=Guppy

rsv1cox wrote:I'm glad to see that it's getting some use Robert. If it remained here in WV I'm sure it would still be just a display case Queen, err Prince. But you have me wondering about that B. Doesn't stand for "Bob", I don't mark my engines. I will have to go through some of my old pictures because the old memory is coming up blank.

Bob

Hi Bob, I’m glad to see it run too, A nice, reliable  performer!!!…. I didn’t figure you put the “B” in the crankcase, But I’m kinda glad it’s there just for a coincidental reminder …Would you do me a favor and look in your Cox information book and see if we can determine its age?…. Its main characteristics are: Thin wall cylinder ( .360” at the ex port dia)….. Narrow nose crank case …. Silvery coating on back plate, No screen, No printing…. Tank bowl is not stamped/lettered…...I’m thinking late 50’s….At your convenience, No hurry… Thank you again for the nice little engine…   …

Robert

Hi Robert.

This is what Dannels/Sitter has on the Cox .020's. They don't dig deep into them like the did on the .049's. Hope this helps.

Bob

Scans so the files are pretty large.

Thanks Bob, I appreciate the info…. Also found this below to help date….Seems to be an early version  

Good stuff Robert, I could be wrong but I believe that is the first edition of the Babe Bee .049 unless you are just showing it for referance.

Bob

Yes sir, Just for reference…. I think changes in tank backs, Tank lettering, etc in the photo should be near the same for PeeWee’s time wise…. Interesting to chase down and try and learn the history of these…

Robert

rdw777 wrote:Yes sir, Just for reference…. I think changes in tank backs, Tank lettering, etc in the photo should be near the same for PeeWee’s time wise…. Interesting to chase down and try and learn the history of these…

Robert

Agreed, thankfully there is this forum the internet and search functions.

That "B" marked case has me bugged. Normally I remember the oddballs, but I'm drawing a blank. I went back a year on my ebay Pee Wee's and crossed them over to my pictures and came up with nothing.

I remember when you bought an .020 parts lot a few months ago, I’m sure you would have noticed if it was in that group…. I’m guessing it’s one you have had for a good while and came that way as received…..When I got the bent cylinder .020 running I thought about polishing all the faded anodize from the tank and polishing out the oxidized crank case, But ultimately decided to leave it, Just part of its character….. Same for this one with the B ….If you do find something in your records let me know….

rdw777 wrote:I remember when you bought an .020 parts lot a few months ago, I’m sure you would have noticed if it was in that group…. I’m guessing it’s one you have had for a good while and came that way as received…..When I got the bent cylinder .020 running I thought about polishing all the faded anodize from the tank and polishing out the oxidized crank case, But ultimately decided to leave it, Just part of its character….. Same for this one with the B ….If you do find something in your records let me know….

That was my initial thought too Robert, that I built if from that mixed lot. But all of those tanks were drilled and repaired with JB Weld which would be quite apparent. It doesn't matter, I'm just happy that it found its way into somebodies hands that would enjoy it.