Cox Pee Wee 020 age identification

I've seen pictures of these plain cardboard boxes before- seems many were sold that way in the UK. Interestingly, the picture on the box shows a red tank but the engine has none, although it has a red prop driver, plus the picture shows a stepped cylinder and the engine has a thin walled. Looks like the engine doesen't match the box/instructions.

It is strange , the engine is not stamped cox on the back plate as well no markings, has a copper reed and a metal reed retainer spring with no crossbar, just the edge bar

According to the Cox Handbook, the backplate *without* the Cox logo was used before 1968.


Can you take a picture of the reed retainer?

Took a bit of time to get a pic as had put engine onto a model but needed to take off today as grass seed in the engine
It is difficult to get a clear picture with the phone of the clip...but its very hard spring steel, wavy as you look at the side view like a crinkle washer i think its 20g or similar wire size
Maybe its home made but looks very well bent o the side view even if a bit wonky from the top view..the wire is very very hard so looks made like this, could be hand made but would have thought not worth the hassle as to buy would have been so low cost to buy.

I would think the clip is home made but I also think it wouldn't work without a cross-bar. The reed would just get sucked right out because the soft copper could bend too much without any centre support.
I could imagine that before the internet Cox parts were probably pretty hard to locate in the UK following their "boom" years, necessitating making replacement parts where possible.

Rod

Engine does run fine, doesn't fall out surprisingly

Admin wrote:According to the Cox Handbook, the backplate *without* the Cox logo was used before 1968.


Can you take a picture of the reed retainer?

A very, very reputable source, told me about '64 for the lettering on backplate.

Oldenginerod wrote:I've seen pictures of these plain cardboard boxes before- seems many were sold that way in the UK.  Interestingly, the picture on the box shows a red tank but the engine has none, although it has a red prop driver, plus the picture shows a stepped cylinder and the engine has a thin walled.  Looks like the engine doesn't match the box/instructions.

Rod, I think you're on to it, this version was sold in the UK under licences from Cox. I wouldn't be surprised if parts got swapped around a little the last 50 years. We know the stepped cylinder came out about '70 and '70 is written on instruction sheet, i'd guess and say about that time frame and also venture to guess its not 100% original.

Very interesting reed retainer. It is possible that someone made it, being an engine sold/used across the pond, perhaps replacement parts were not as readily available as they were in Hobby Shops in the US.

Mark Boesen wrote:

but that's a Babe Bee...does the same apply for the Pee Wee?

yep, pretty much.

Mark Boesen wrote:

Thanks Mark THIS TIME I saved and copied that picture!!!!!!

Do you know when they used the Pee Wee backplate with the screen but no "Cox" logo?



It's not exactly clear in the Handbook, it appears to also be dated 1968. I have at least one Pee Wee with this backplate.

Check if a LITHO mark is printed on the footer of the Instruction sheet. That mark usually has a year indicazion meaning the engine cannot be older than tje Litho year.

My only PeeWee is one with a "cherry red" tank with no text and an aluminum colour drive plate. The cylinder is the step-style one. The tank has the "typical" screw driver marks, not pretty I managed to source a NIB tank and an anodized drive plate, but these are both more like a "candy apple" red The tank also has the text on it.

I guess the candy apple parts would look out of place with the step style cylinder... Or has there been such a combination?

The other alternative to "prettify" the engine would be using a non-anodized tank that I have, but I do like the red one. Maybe I'll just leave it as it is and save the spare parts, just in case I run into a very early PeeWee in need of restoration.

What would y'all do in this case?