It was a Cox kind of day

Yeah guess I hit the send all button more times than I should have. Found in Wichita KS. I have friends in high places...

Really great to have scored the extra glow-head! These are old engines.. aren't they? Obviously the .15 Olympic is.. but the Golden Bee has that "early" silver-gold hue to it's anodizing. Congratulations Ron! It's good to know that they will be well cared for!

Those are beauties! I've always liked the early Golden Bees. I'm still waiting to run across an Olympic some day. Great finds!

Admin wrote:Those are beauties! I've always liked the early Golden Bees. I'm still waiting to run across an Olympic some day. Great finds!

HI Jacob, if you PM me your address I have an Olympic I would like to donate to CEF. I'll mail it to you.

That's just it, not really a collector, though I do have my fair share. Would want to make these runners. I have no Olympics so it makes the .15 set complete for me.

Getting aquainted with LHS's and flying clubs across the US opens doors that are otherwise closed. Ebay and online sniffing around do produce results, but the real deals are word of mouth on the streets. I caught wind of a box full of Cox engines for sale just today, I passed though as they want $675 to let it all go. The seller is an elderly CL pilot.

The Golden bee is immaculate and besides the spinner it's as new.

Roddie, plating, crankcase taper, cylinder shape and in this case glowhead all help to determine age.

Ron

I like the Olympic - they are also very nice runners. I have a few but found on a couple of them (they were used) that the adonising on the venturi was easily marked and it was difficult to match the deep red gloss finish.

After two attempts, I gave up - further attempts would ruin the part. So I stripped the red and the blue - polished the engine and replaced the bearings.

It then looked really vintage but still stood out from the Sportsman. It then did a couple of years in a Sig Akromaster and logged 4hrs flying. It was returned to me a few months ago and is in my "waiting for something to be done to it" box.

It was returned because the young chap could no longer find a head for it but he has sent me three burnt out ones with it.

Heads are still available

http://coxengines.ca/cox-.15-tee-dee-glow-head.html

but depending on HMRC duty - between £15 and £30 for a glow head is a tad expensive in the UK. I will probably dieselise it.

Ian, would you consider selling the Olympic you told about? SInce the Brexit business is not yet in effect, we wouldn't have to worry about customs and such. Not sure if you've ever sold an engine , but if you would, please pm me with a price idea and I'll think.

I still have the .15 ball joint reset tool and also an extra head so it would be an easy project for me. Plus it would most likely be the only one of its kind in Finland

The Cox Olympic is one of my favourite engines until it comes to dismantling one.

Ron's quote is a classic "if it wasn't for someone trying to remove the venturi nut with a hatchet". Anyone simply trying to adjust the NVA position on a pristine Olympic must prepare for the worst.

Normally - adonising hardens aluminium and produces a protective surface that prevents oxidisation.

Two issues occur on the Olympic - no three issues.

1. The aluminium of the venturi is relatively soft.
2. Adonising increases the size

Following this - a normal spanner doesn't fit and you are faced with two choices. You use the correct sized spanner as you would with a Sportsman but that will take the adonising off the flats as you force it on or you find a spanner amongst your collection the is a nice sliding fit and then proceed to take the corners off.

The best approach is to use and adjustable spanner but even these are difficult to set accurately and the jaws are rarely parallel.

Oh yes - the third issue. Even if you use - say leather strips for protection - and maintain what you think is a nice tight fit - The male and shemale threads (Is that PC?) are also swollen by the adonising and after many, many years are bonded tight.

It takes some force to remove the venturi and, even then, the NVA will be rammed on tight.

The backplate is also soft and the adonising thick and pronounced. Even with the correct tools and a very attentive workshop helper - it is difficult not the mar the red finish on an Olympic.

This is typical and looks like it had been done to adjust the NVA



Even when you have the "correct" tools and an attentive workshop helper and an already damaged finish - it is difficult not to apply a few more scratches.



Though needs must if you need to replace the reed!

The Olympic like the Sportsman and the Space Hopper - with the rear needle and venturi are all first flick starters once primed.

Could be that in those days Cox used softer alloy. I was trying to clean up  the spinner of my early Tee Dee .15, and with just a couple of seconds of rubbing it got an almost "too shiny" finish. Soft alloy polished easily.  

Also the venturi of this same engine was difficult to get loose without messing up the flats more than they already were. The carb body was split and glued, that held the venturi pretty tight but still it should have taken a little bit more than that to almost mangle it. Fortunately it is natural colour so I could hide most of the damage.

EDIT: Nice finds, both of them, Ron!

Thanks Kari, I'll keep my eye open for a new venturi nut.