mccoy red head

I've given my input on these engines in the past. The quality of these engines are all over the map. Why are they so popular, they were quite attractive in terms of looks. In terms of engine run, they were excellent. The problem was they're longevity. These engines sold at one time for less than $5 in a blister package and most pilots would by several and by the end of the weekend you flew it until it no longer worked and purchased another. The pistons were sintered iron and would quickly fail due to heat and use. Some however worked exceptionally well. You have so many different versions of this engine. Early versions so I'm told were poor. These just so happen to be my best and longest runners so my opinions are based on my experiences.

The steel liner came in two different styles, open liner and gated liner. My open liner versions work extremely well and the gated liner was used for a piston with rings but the red head Mccoy didn't use a ring on it's piston. What I've managed to do is use a ringed piston from the Testors blackhead Mccoy series .21 piston which used a Dyke's ring and now I have a hybrid long lasting Mccoy.

If your looking for a running example, Ebay wouldn't be my choice for purchasing this engine. They were made by the thousands, they're not rare, and they're generally wore out. These engines need high castor oil fuel to prevent them from wearing out. I've had Mccoy .19's wear out in one flight. This happened to me more with the .19's than with the .35's. The .29's are also good examples and they generally run quite fast which means you really need to be careful to avoid a lean run which will result in the engine coming down with the redhead looking maroon and the engine smoked.

If you do decide to purchase this engine, I can offer some terrific advice on how to reinstall some new life back into these engines. Ken