McCoy 38 to be restored

ian1954 Sun Feb 08, 2015 3:52 pm

This is one of my restoration projects - a sadly neglected and butchered McCoy 38. I cannot find any reference to this in my engine encyclopedias.

It looks like a Sportsman but there is no 38 mentioned.

This is missing the drive plate - it looks as if it is keyed to fit the crankshaft. Anyone got a photo?

The venturi has been shaved of as well. All this is easily fixable - just need a couple of photos.

crankbndr Sun Feb 08, 2015 4:34 pm

Could that be a 6 instead of 8 on the case?

Brenda Sun Feb 08, 2015 4:42 pm

I agree it looks like a late 1950's .36

ian1954 Sun Feb 08, 2015 5:02 pm

You could be correct but .........

TDbandit Sun Feb 08, 2015 5:05 pm

I agree with both crankbndr and Brenda, It does look more like a 6 than an 8. (Bandit)

(Edit) I took a look and found a drawing i'll see if I can post up a link (Bandit)

Brenda Sun Feb 08, 2015 5:09 pm

The 3 is between the two C's. Matches marks on the .36. Also the .36 is much more sought after as it is just better than the .35 that is marked lower on case.

GallopingGhostler Sun Feb 08, 2015 5:33 pm

Seems to resemble a lot like this one, Ian:

'48 "McCoy Sportsman Jr." .359 glow - black head & case covers, screw in venturi
McCoy 38 to be restored Mccoy36

Scroll about 1/3rd the way down the web page:

http://www.mecoa.com/museum/archive1.html

States the 1948 one was black, but they could be wrong or perhaps your is a latter year. I've never seen one, so can't say. Could be wrong, seems to have been produced into the mid 1950's (but Internet info is not always accurate). You got a rarer McCoy, which I'd think would be more valuable than the Red Head's I've got. I also heard they were decent runners.

roddie Sun Feb 08, 2015 6:10 pm

I read a little bit on McCoy from this site..

http://www.collectair.com/vintageengines.html

I believe that your engine was originally an ignition engine.. and having a serial# indicates that it is pre-1949 at which point s/n's ceased.

Brenda Sun Feb 08, 2015 6:16 pm

roddie wrote:I read a little bit on McCoy from this site..

http://www.collectair.com/vintageengines.html

I believe that your engine was originally an ignition engine.. and having a serial# indicates that it is pre-1949 at which point s/n's ceased.

Wow I missed that. Good eye Roddie.

roddie Sun Feb 08, 2015 6:26 pm

ian1954 wrote:This is one of my restoration projects - a sadly neglected and butchered McCoy 38. I cannot find any reference to this in my engine encyclopedias.

It looks like a Sportsman but there is no 38 mentioned.

This is missing the drive plate - it looks as if it is keyed to fit the crankshaft. Anyone got a photo?

I think what you're missing there is the spark-ignition set-up. When the glow-plug was developed.. you didn't need the breaker-points anymore.

stuntflyr Mon Mar 02, 2015 8:52 pm

My Dad's Staggerwing I built has a '48 glow Sportsman Jr. It's black head and front and back plates indicated a glow engine. The in focus pic is of is with my old camera, engine as found with broken crankshaft at the crank pin. My new camera is not macro capable, unfortunately I got too close with the new camera after I did the resto with a new crankshaft, keyed in front like yours but shorter. They are .36, the casting looks a bit funny there, I agree, but ...

The crank is very short out the front on the glow engine, Ian yours looks like an ignition engine converted. That was very common.
I used playing cards to make the front and rear cover gaskets.
I used hardware store screws and washers.
My plug is a 2V Champion.
If I was to run it I'd use 25% to 29% all castor, 10% nitro max fuel. Never run them lean.
I'd use a wooden prop, 9x5 to break-in, 9x6, 10x5, 8x7 to fly.

I have a McCoy Red Head rear rotor 29 racing engine that I run, with wood 8x8 props, 27% castor, 10% nitro fuel in a Veco Redskin. I don't lean it hard, maybe a fast four cycle then barely breaking to a two stroke and launce. It'll stay in a richer two stroke and flies nicely. The run is steady and loud. The engne has a later black spring type needle valve assembly and is very easy to needle. The venturi on my Red Head is very similar to the Sportsman Jr. I use a Thunderbolt 4 stroke plug like a stunt model.

This engine is of the new glow era from it's genesis, according to what I read it was specifically designed by Dick McCoy to be a glow engine. My dad says that his hero is still Ray Arden, the man that made the glow plug a practical piece for the model airplane engine, it was such a huge difference in not only power but just getting the engine to run, it is probably the one thing that made model airplanes as popular as they were after WWII and into the 70's even to the present day.