Quality of a K&B .61 glow engine
10-21-2003, 07:33 PM
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Quality of a K&B .61 glow engine
I found a K&B .61 glow engine for sale at $68.. Anyone aware of the quality of this engine and if this is a fair price? Thanks[sm=confused.gif]
10-21-2003, 07:51 PM
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RE: Quality of a K&B .61 glow engine
I have one of the older ones (not the screw-on head) which I intend to use in control line stunt. I took it apart with the intention of making it better, and after examination, simply put it back together. It is a baffle piston engine and not as powerful as the more modern schurle-ported 60's. However I would expect it to be user friendly and long lived. If it is New in the Box your price is good; however, I wouldn't give that much for a used one.
Jim
Jim
10-22-2003, 02:39 AM
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RE: Quality of a K&B .61 glow engine
Cjac:
Sorry, $68 is a bit high for the ordinary K&B 61 engine. But this is not to say yours is an ordinary K&B 61, I just don't know.
They are excellent engines, given reasonable care they will run forever.
They are a light engine, and make a really good hop up engine in a 40-46 size plane, generally giving unlimited vertical in that size range.
So long as you don't damage the piston it can be rebuilt indefinitely, a set of standard bearings and a new ring will cost you less than $30.
I have more than a dozen of them, that should tell you I'm a little biased.
Any questions about it call me back.
Bill.
Sorry, $68 is a bit high for the ordinary K&B 61 engine. But this is not to say yours is an ordinary K&B 61, I just don't know.
They are excellent engines, given reasonable care they will run forever.
They are a light engine, and make a really good hop up engine in a 40-46 size plane, generally giving unlimited vertical in that size range.
So long as you don't damage the piston it can be rebuilt indefinitely, a set of standard bearings and a new ring will cost you less than $30.
I have more than a dozen of them, that should tell you I'm a little biased.
Any questions about it call me back.
Bill.
10-22-2003, 07:42 AM
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RE: Quality of a K&B .61 glow engine
C, you can get a brand new .61 Twister with a quiet muffler for $79.99 if you have a trade in engine that is in fair condition and complete. The Twister is an awesome engine, it will turn a 12x8 at nearly 13,000 rpm on 5% nitro.
10-24-2003, 03:01 AM
#5
RE: Quality of a K&B .61 glow engine
The older K&B .61 ring engines, #6550, are extremely reliable and durable. For
$ 28.00, you can send to Clarence Lee in Sunland, CA. He will blueprint the engine and machine in PDP porting. I have several and the power will match
the newer more expensive engines on certain props. The K&B has a great deal of torque to swing the bigger props. Max recommended rpm is 13,000 however, so prop accordingly.
There are many out there. Parts are still available from RJL. They are great engines.
Regards,
$ 28.00, you can send to Clarence Lee in Sunland, CA. He will blueprint the engine and machine in PDP porting. I have several and the power will match
the newer more expensive engines on certain props. The K&B has a great deal of torque to swing the bigger props. Max recommended rpm is 13,000 however, so prop accordingly.
There are many out there. Parts are still available from RJL. They are great engines.
Regards,
10-24-2003, 03:19 AM
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RE: Quality of a K&B .61 glow engine
Mike:
Normal service and overhaul parta are available from RJL except the piston. So long as you avoid lean runs and dusty air the engine will run forever.
But Clarence Lee will do his magic only on a new or very near new engine. He no longer offers an overhaul service on them because of the piston supply having dried up.
I have had to take only one 61 out of service, I've modified an old procedure to expand the skirts and bring the clearance back to standard. The one I took out of service had cracked the piston.
If you have a K&B 61 with a loose piston send me the piston and liner, I'll refit it for you. You can do the rest.
Bill.
Normal service and overhaul parta are available from RJL except the piston. So long as you avoid lean runs and dusty air the engine will run forever.
But Clarence Lee will do his magic only on a new or very near new engine. He no longer offers an overhaul service on them because of the piston supply having dried up.
I have had to take only one 61 out of service, I've modified an old procedure to expand the skirts and bring the clearance back to standard. The one I took out of service had cracked the piston.
If you have a K&B 61 with a loose piston send me the piston and liner, I'll refit it for you. You can do the rest.
Bill.
10-25-2003, 01:00 AM
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RE: Quality of a K&B .61 glow engine
Mike:
It's a sort of combination shot peening and knurling, but without the lead shot and no knurl marks.
For the first one I did as an experiment, I fitted a mandrel into the piston, reaching up to the decreased internal diameter, and then beat the pooh out of the skirt on the outside. As the metal thinned it caused the skirt to increase in diameter. Crude, and simple. The test piston was a junk one, cracked above the wrist pin bore.
Later version uses two ball bearings, similar to the crankshaft bearings, they are pressed together, one inside and one outside, and the piston skirt rolled between them. The surface pressures are extreme, the bearings don't last long at all. I'm thinking of going back to the hammer and mandrel, then skimming the outer surface to finish the diameter.
Bill.
It's a sort of combination shot peening and knurling, but without the lead shot and no knurl marks.
For the first one I did as an experiment, I fitted a mandrel into the piston, reaching up to the decreased internal diameter, and then beat the pooh out of the skirt on the outside. As the metal thinned it caused the skirt to increase in diameter. Crude, and simple. The test piston was a junk one, cracked above the wrist pin bore.
Later version uses two ball bearings, similar to the crankshaft bearings, they are pressed together, one inside and one outside, and the piston skirt rolled between them. The surface pressures are extreme, the bearings don't last long at all. I'm thinking of going back to the hammer and mandrel, then skimming the outer surface to finish the diameter.
Bill.
