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Noon Patrol members are building
our VW 1835 engine short blocks during April and May. Here are
Volkswagen engine cases - prepped, painted and ready.
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The Volkswagen crankshafts were
balanced with the flywheel attached. Now they're ready for
installation. We've marked them so the flywheel can be reattached in
exactly the same position.
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Fifty-Six 92mm Cylinders and
pistons.
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A zillion little engine parts - all
in multiples of 14.
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This is our engine "Bible".
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The bearing are installed in the
rods before the rods are installed on the crank.
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Installing the valves, springs,
etc. into the cylinder heads. A big spring compressor makes it easy.
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A ring compressor is used and the
piston is gently hammered into the cylinder.
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Assembling the rocker arms and
valve adjusters.
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The crankshaft.
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The case half with the crank
installed. The lifters are installed and it's ready for the camshaft.
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Installing the cam.
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An engine case half with the crank
and cam installed.
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Fitting the cases halves together.
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Installing the wrist pin into the
piston as the cylinder and piston are fitted to the case.
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Installing the cylinder and piston.
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Four cylinders installed. Almost
ready for the cylinder heads.
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Trying to keep all the pushrod
tubes in place as we install the head.
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Those damn pushrod tubes are
$#*(&*^%^%#^ hard to keep in place while the head is installed.
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Installing the second cylinder
head.
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Using a dial gauge to check the
cracnkshaft end play.
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Torquing the flywheel bolt on the
crackshaft to about a two hundred and fifty zillon foot pounds.
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Installing the rocker arms.
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Adjusting the valve clearance.
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Fabric is applied to an aileron.
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A bunch of horizontal stabs and
elevators that have been covered.
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The fabic guys leave a mess, but
the results are worth it.
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Laying out an upper wing.
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The Noon Patrol drag cable
tensioner amkes it simple to get the same tension on each cable.
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Each cable is connected at one end,
looped back to the tensioner that pulls them both to the same
setting...
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then the job is finished with the
nicopress tool.
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Attaching the ribs to the upper
wings.
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Examining the aluminum sheet on the
leading edge of the upper wing.
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Looking at the sheet aluminum after
it was bent over the leading edge of the upper wing.
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Contortionist not required, but
desireable.
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All four wings installed and ready
to begin rigging.
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The pneumatic rivet squeezer is
lots easier than the using an impact riveter and a bucking bar.
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Working out the fussy little detail
on the elevator cable rigging. Do not adjust your monitor -- this
fuselage is upside down.
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One of our volunteers heats the
fabric on a horizonal stab.
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Guides under the seat for the
rudder and tailwheel cables.
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Lots of experience demonstarting
how to machine parts.
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Engine number one mounted on the
Noon Patrol test stand.
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It may not be historically
accurate, but the Noon Patrol uses CAD.
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Someone brought a video of a Wings
program about the Lafayette Escadrille...
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and soon all work had stopped while
we watched the story of those American volunteer Aviators in early
World War I.
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Someone had been spending too many
hours with a rivet gun. A "medical beer, stat" was administered for
this condition.
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