K&B Green head torpedo .35 - It worked

Good job , Man it came out nice !! You still going to run it up ?

getback wrote:Good job , Man it came out nice !! You still going to run it up ?

Tried to a couple of days ago.

Fueled it with Traxx 10% with added castor, flipped and it backfired spinning the prop nut nearly off. I had the needle out about four turns primed only with finger over intake. Too rich I thought, in a turn and got several nice pops. This thing is going to run I'm thinking but I never did find the needles sweet spot. With sweat running off my forehead I gave up.

Plenty of fire, lot's of compression, a rotation or two. It will run, just have to keep at it. Leather glove, no spinner, no electric starter.

Well as hot as it is it needs no warming up Looks like your in the garage and i know that baby is going to bee Loud and you have hearing protection !??! It's a little hard for me to hear engines pop off with plugs in but muff's are easily put on , of coarse you know this I got my new battery for my starter box and need to finish hooking it up (it was a Free Bee too ) Guy down the road he has a big field out in front of his place off the road , said i could fly there (beans in it now ) But there are a lot more of the Big power line/towers there than my no fling butt wants to work around

If this helps to get the Green Head to run. Both of my Torpedo .35's have the same stock needle valve assemblies. They both run with the needle turned open from a closed position, at 3 and 1/8 turns open. The better running Torpedo, will tac. at 12,150 with a 10/5 Master Airscrew on 5% nitro. Hope this might help, 10% nitro might be a little hot with the 9.0 compression ratio untill it's warmed up. Eddy

rsv1cox wrote:

Tried to a couple of days ago.

Fueled it with Traxx 10% with added castor, flipped and it backfired spinning the prop nut nearly off.  I had the needle out about four turns primed only with finger over intake.  Too rich I thought, in a turn and got several nice pops.  This thing is going to run I'm thinking but I never did find the needles sweet spot.  With sweat running off my forehead I gave up.  

Plenty of fire, lot's of compression, a rotation or two. It will run, just have to keep at it.  Leather glove, no spinner, no electric starter.  

Silly question maybe, but are you sure the piston is assembled the correct way around? Cylinder not 180º out? Ports all lining up correctly?

Thanks Eddy, I will give that needle setting a try. I have some SIG 5% but it's a sealed bottle that I have been protecting.  Might have to break it out.

And Rod, I never got the cylinder off, previous owner maybe?  But the baffle is opposite the exhaust port and the ports are aligned correctly.   It wants to run. It has a nicely stamped 35 on the front of the cylinder head, an extra touch on these engines.  I think McCoy did it too.  

Bob

Ah, can't hurt to check. You can never rely on the last guy to have assembled it correctly. There are stories from people on this and other forums who have been given or purchased an engine cheaply because it wouldn't run, only to find that a strip down and correct assembly pays dividends 'cos the last guy got it wrong.

Ken got me all excited about running an O&R engine, so I took my .29 out to the garage to do so.

Found the K&B as I had left it, so decided to try that one first. Reset the needle to Eddy's spec's, lit the fire, primed it and after a couple of flips it just took off. Yeah, LOUD, but running fine with no further NV adjustment. Strong and steady until the fuel supply ran out. Happy.

Then tried to fit the O&R in the Tatone mount, wouldn't fit, tried the other mount with the same result, case on the O&R way to deep. Got to build a mount that fits.

Found the K&B as I had left it, so decided to try that one first. Reset the needle to Eddy's spec's, lit the fire, primed it and after a couple of flips it just took off. Yeah, LOUD, but running fine with no further NV adjustment. Strong and steady until the fuel supply ran out. Happy. wrote:

rsv- Great you have it running, I always have a soft spot for these Green Head engines. The cheaper Stallions of the day, I never owned, as some corners were cut to bring the price of the Stallion to the McCoy neighborhood. For some reason the Stallion I seen run, lost a con rod due to the crank pin coming out, as they were a press in pin I believe. Eddy

Great job on that old Torpedo Green head .35, I'm building a California quicker, and the plans have it being used with a Torpedo Green head .35, i was wondering if you what it weighs? I'm going to be using a os .25 on it and wanted to compare.
thanks.

Had to find it. Still had the old Top Flight 9/5 on it. Good to hear from you again.

If anyone is wrecking one of these, I'm still in the market for a needle valve and spray bar assembly.

Thanks for the weigh in, appreciate it. The torpedo is heavier than the OS .25. .25 with the Rc carb on it. weighs 6.9.

Oldenginerod wrote:If anyone is wrecking one of these, I'm still in the market for a needle valve and spray bar assembly.

I think Mecoa is offering a generic variant: https://www.mecoa.biz/shopexd.asp?id=4996

ChrisM
'ffkiwi'

Seeing as the Ohlsson got a brief mention in passing in this K&B thread-does anyone know of a source for the venturi restrictors-I have 6 Ohlssons-and three of them are missing the intake restrictors. Likewise the needle valve clicker-the spring tensioner-is a bit fragile and often snapped off on second hand examples. Any suggestions welcome...the Ohlssons due to their design do not lend themselves to turning up a restrictor on the lathe-like you'd do for most other makes, faced with the same problem. both the restrictor and the needle valve spring are stamped components-not easily replicated.

ChrisM
'ffkiwi'

ffkiwi wrote:

Oldenginerod wrote:If anyone is wrecking one of these, I'm still in the market for a needle valve and spray bar assembly.

I think Mecoa is offering a generic variant:  https://www.mecoa.biz/shopexd.asp?id=4996

ChrisM
'ffkiwi'

Thanks Chris, I had seen that one but price, particularly with MECOA's shipping policy, puts the NVA far beyond the value of the engine.  Just keeping an eye on any junk lots on eBay that might have something I can use.
Got a couple of NIP Enya .09 NVAs recently in a parts lot for good $$$ but way too small for this example.  Just gotta keep watch.

Understood Rod-it does look to be a very close replica of the original generic Torpedo unit fitted to the 29, 35 and 45 GH models though-other than the ability to adjust the centreing (a really good idea IMO)... Yes Mecoa is expensive unless you're doing a large order or clubbing together with others on a joint order.

ChrisM

The original Supertiger is ."157" in diameter. I firmly believe that the K&B needle valve is the same. K&B offered the K&B universal needle valve which was the standard in the 80's. That needle assembly is still offered by Mecoa. It really isn't a good needle, better than a Fox but it does have some issues. The knob is staked and it can slide on the needle shaft. I have used that assembly on Fox.35's. The Fox is turned down in the center but the case diameter hole is the same. Therefore, purchase a Enya needle valve assembly for half of what Mecoa sells for. It's a better needle valve anyway not too mention they offer shims if needed. Supertiger copies use plastic nylon shims. RSM sells those. STAY AWAY from those, they leak like a strainer. The best spacers I always found were the red fiber washers from a Perfect bellcrank.

Hi Ken. I have no experience with the Supertiger needle valves as you seem to have. But I have used the K & B #2918 universal needle valve assembly in my K & B .35's for years now, I have had good luck with them as I still have two new in package assemblies left, they fit the .19 to the .35 engines. My valve measures just a tad smaller at .145 and the needle is a very snug .063 with no leakage what so ever, as to the Foxes. With that said, I have none of the present day Mecoa versions to measure against the originals that the writer is looking for. Any one with .19 to .35 Torpedo's with needle's intact should work, they are getting scarce at swap meets. Eddy