Old CL Gee Bee

You’re probably right Roddie about staying with a 6” prop just to get around that cowl…. Will need to be near three point take off’s to not have a ground strike ….. Pinning the fin is a good idea…. What was left of the original fin had the grain running horizontally…. Not good, Probably why it broke off….. Drawing it up and making patterns…. Helps with ideas for the missing parts….

Nice!…. Would probably make a good 1/2-A plane with a little beefing up….Love the box art…. Will be helpful in shaping the canopy and fin….

roddie wrote:My Robert.... I would stay with a 6"d. propeller. Reducing the diameter by even a half inch with a cowling that big.. might not provide enough thrust.

Nah, won't make any difference. We flew electric RC with 6" props on 3-5/8" cowls in the late 90's, 30-32" span, 16-20oz, brush motors and NiCd. It's not draggin lines around, but it's not a small model for a Black Widow power equivalent. My Ryan Aircraft Bearcat sat on the shelf for 20 years with minor crash damage. I fixed most of it last year, but decided in needs new tail feathers. Brushless setup will make 6 to 10 times the power it had back in the day and probably weigh less. I'd like to build another for 1/2A power. http://ryanaircraft.net/f8f.htm

A couple of tricks that might help - - Build l i g h t and bevel the cowl back a bit more. Perhaps a Cox Golden Bee or Black Widow with a 5cc tank.

It might be fun to build two, one slightly larger and hang an Enya 10 on the front.

Waiting for decals and two balsa blocks from Hobby Lobby





Decals will have to be scanned, resized and transfered to water slide decal paper.

No remote tank here on the .049, I'm to lazy to make the effort. Either a tanked Ok Cub or a Cox.

Nice start with materials and engines Bob….. I see yellow and silver paint in the background…. Are you going to replicate the color on the original?….Mine will get a remote tank but I hate the idea of burying it forever and not being able to maintain it…. Still thinking thru for what to do…

I finished drawing the parts…. They’re just photos but there’s a scale there to help size it correctly… The drawings are on 8-1/2 x 11 paper…The canopy and fin were missing on the model so it’s only my best guess for an outline of those….

Bob has mentioned the cowl on the model not so well defined….. There’s a faint line to suggest where the separation point should be …..visible in some of the photos…..I think the original builder may have just omitted that step…..I traced one more drawing with that line carved down a bit just to see what it looks like….Will probably do this on mine…
Looks a little more Gee Bee-ish….


.

If you are building a completely new model, I think it might be a good idea to make a detachable belly pan. Maybe from the cowl back, and under the wings and stabilizer? Or follow the colour line to hide the join better? Wings, engine, bellcrank etc would be mounted to the top part, so the belly pan and its mounts would not be structural.

I saw a plan of a team racer, where the top part and belly were attached together using two lengths of bicycle spoke. The spoke was cut to a suitable length, bent to form a hook on the cut-off length (non-threaded end) and mounted to one part of the airplane. The nipple of the spoke was used as a nut. A bicycle spoke nipple is rather aerodynamic, and has a slot for a screwdriver.

With such a large pan as on the Gee Bee, some dowels and holes might be in order to secure the front and the edges.

Thanks Robert, I envy your ability to draw a curved line.

I found some Gee Bee decals in a 1/32 scale kit that might work better. I think the W/S is 13" or there abouts on both. Cheap kit, $14.



And, while looking for decals on ebay I discovered this kit for $20. Jumped on it, hardware is worth more than that.

Kari wrote:

If you are building a completely new model, I think it might be a good idea to make a detachable belly pan. Maybe from the cowl back, and under the wings and stabilizer? Or follow the colour line to hide the join better? Wings, engine, bellcrank etc would be mounted to the top part, so the belly pan and its mounts would not be structural.

I saw a plan of a team racer, where the top part and belly were attached together using two lengths of bicycle spoke. The spoke was cut to a suitable length, bent to form a hook on the cut-off length (non-threaded end) and mounted to one part of the airplane. The nipple of the spoke was used as a nut. A bicycle spoke nipple is rather aerodynamic, and has a slot for a screwdriver.

But why not make a detachable top?  Probably same thing except attach the wing to the bottom half and enclose the bell crank within the fuselage.  So much cleaner than having the bell crank sitting out on the wing

That’s right Bob, detachable top would work as well. The model I stole the idea from, had a detachable top. Wish I could remember the name and find the plan. A nice looking proto speed or team racer if I remember correctly, with a hardwood bottom pan and balsa top.

The bellcrank should definitely go inside in a Gee Bee, so much room there. It would look cleaner and reduce drag too, it’s a racer after all! I was thinking about routing the lead-outs under the wing, and then the bellcrank would also be below the wing, making the bottom hatch more practical

Looking forward to see the progress!

Those kits will make great references Bob,  … Hopefully also some usable decals…..All the pieces of info will help to create your own unique version:)….. Love the bicycle spoke retainer idea Kari!…. And removable top unit Bob!…. I think I’ll do that on the original version’…. Not too intrusive on the model and will allow maintenance on the inside….. I already had some in stock, Just didn’t know they were model airplane parts

Thanks Roddie!….. Lots of options for an already built, To be rebuilt model!…. Yes, The elevator joiner is a wood dowel, Already loose on one side…. I like your wire joiner in the photo….. Control horn was completely missing, Will need to make a new one…. Sized to not have much control throw…..Working on the engine before going much further on the plane….Did not disassemble other than the backplate and plug and gave it a good internal washout and an external cleanup…. Was a pretty rusty between the fins….Hope the inside is OK….. Re-lubed and hope to do a test run soon….

RDW,
Great job on the clean-up. I bet it sings once fully warmed/lubed/loosened-up.

If the engine is any indicator, this one is going to be knocked out of the park!

Hi rdw777,
Thanks for this post !
The 'wing area' is ~the same as a Cox Baby Bee .049 CL 'Mouse Racers' we raced...
Very fast and fun.
The landing gear proved impossible to land on.
Double cartwheel every time, every landing. Even worse over pavement.
We went on to hand launch over grass.
And got almost got 3 up at at one time.
Any chance of of doing a 'fake landing gear' ???,
You could retract before launch ?
I almost think it will/might fly...
And,
The first Gee Bee with " retracts " to fly too ?...
That original 'patina' will be hard to match.
Getting the original engine going even better...
Thanks for sharing this project with us..
Take care,
Have fun
Dave

Nice cleanup of a really crispy engine Robert.  

Looks like you buffered it and put it in a vice.  What is the metal piece in the fins for? Support maybe.

Thanks Jim, Sometimes these older engines are cantankerous enough to really make one appreciate Cox!

Those are some great thoughts Dave…. As short coupled as Gee Bee is one gets the impression it wants to tumble end over end…. Minimally really pitch sensitive….Food for thought, Thanks….

That’s a metal fingernail file in the fins Bob…. Too crusty to get it good with a wire brush…. I made a set of wood blocks to buffer parts in the vice…. They have magnets imbedded in them for quick connect/disconnect….

RSV Bob,
What is the wingspan on your plastic kit? Will you have a scale on your decal scans? Hint, hint, hint...

944_Jim wrote:RSV Bob,
What is the wingspan on your plastic kit? Will you have a scale on your decal scans? Hint, hint, hint...

It's confusing Jim, I couldn't find measurements on the box but the seller says the length is 13". Wheather he means fuselage or wing spread is a toss up. Yes, I always scan decals for waterslide or other transfers. If you need a set just PM me.

Bob

Two more pieces of the puzzle showed up Robert at my back door just now. Yea.......UPS found my house...........

Hobby Lobby, not cheap at $10 each + shipping. I'm not going to fool around carving the inside or outside, rather I will use my table router and a guide. Quick and easy and may save a sliced finger.



A long way from engine selection, but I could use the larger red tanked OK .099. I know that it runs. Take some wing area, weight, drag coefficient, prop and engine displacement and run it past AI............

Or, I may just toss the BW in there......