More Prop Rod

Your guesses would be better than mine CB, but I do know I bought 2 Space Bug Jr's in 1952/53. After that it was all first gen Babe Bees.

From the Cox Engines site:

Thimble Drome Prop Rod
Manufactured approx. in 1957
The hot Prop Rod was a unique design, which was adapted over the years to lead via an all-plastic Prop Rod finally to the R/C Shrike.

The very first Prop Rod models came with the Space Bug Jr. The sample shown here was the first version of the Prop Rod with the new Babe Bee engine. It still has the cast aluminum bottom pan. Similar to the Thimble Drome Special, the wheel rims were turned from aluminum. The Prop Rod featured a detailed cockpit with gauges and a steering wheel. It could be run free or tethered around a center post.

Length: 310 mm
Width: 160 mm

And your right, these things do not seem to be stable and should flip rather easy taking out the needle or the cylinder, depending.  Maybe what happened to the one I pictured above.  I do have a replacement thin wall for it, but I'm going to use that blue tanked SB Jr.  Seller said that it was spotted with paint.  Some Easy-Off on a Q-tip should remove it without dousing the whole car.

Thanks for reposting @Crankbndr 's original Prop Rod instructions, Bob. This is the first time that I have seen it.

I find it interesting that even the instructions permitted any engine head orientation (upright, inverted, pancake left or right) accorded the user. Also the way it is written, looks like there may have been a possibility (although I don't know if this is true) for a boxed prop rod that came without the engine, allowing the buyer to select what engine they wanted from the dealer.

It is just too bad that the Cox Medallion / Tee Dee external red tank mount didn't have the same bolt pattern as the Bees. (Although, one could use a Norvel external tank mount as it has the same bolt pattern, but now we are stepping outside the nostalgic era of the Prop Rod. With Norvel's extended tank, one could possibly allow the extension to protrude into the Prop Rod mount pod.)

NV Engines: Fuel tank mount 04-06 (1oz) - RC



With this mount, a Medallion .049 would be even hotter than the Space Bug, but with a Tee Dee or Norvel, that Prop Rod would really sing!


My rebuild of Sterling Minnie Mambo with Norvel .061 Big Mig and Norvel Extended Tank Mount

Nostalgic Deviant Rant:

I miss those old hobby shops, they were more utilitarian with shelves stocked resembling an auto parts store than pretty with just about everything imaginable. One didn't even need to resort to mail order because the shop had everything, even the military base stores done then by the Services squadron (instead of AAFES / NEX).

Back around the early 1970's, the military base hobby shops were taken over by the Exchanges, then shortly folded thereafter. Problem wasn't store merchandise marketing. The arise of cheaper mail order catalogs helped spell their death knells, as a number of neighborhood hobby stores folded too. But I think an even larger contributor was the changes in government regulations being harsher on small businesses, giving birth to larger chains and mail order to maintain a profit. Anyway, more potential food for the off-topic yet dreaded
Red Neck Zone.

George said:

I find it interesting that even the instructions permitted any engine head orientation (upright, inverted, pancake left or right) accorded the user.

Here's another one on this blue/red Prop Rod.  Ya have to look close and hope that it's not raining when you run it. PO had it installed this way.



Digging into this one today.  Engine missing the cylinder, glow head, and needle.  No problem, I'll hit up Bernie or Matt (again.) What!  Neither has cylinders???????  Had to go to ebay and found five used. $16.00 for the lot and happy to get them. Maybe be worn out or twisted.  Play you cards and take your chances. One is trash anyway.




Cleaned up what I had and used one of Fred's matched set cylinders temporarily.  I did not have to use my last treasured NIP Cox needle that I have had since I don't know when.  Matt  (my last order went to Bernie) had them, plus a bunch of other stuff that I needed.  



I'm not opposed to saving a gasket when the ears are intact.




Best way to clean reed cradle.



Pan's interior would not clean up with a Simple Green soak so I media blasted it.





Wear/use indicator.  Red/Blue shows little use.  Rear tires still have the middle rib.

Both my prop rods have the cylinder facing down as from the factory. Only thing is that when I go to start it, I have to be careful to just put a tiny drop of fuel onto the cylinder port for priming. If I use too much, it could ( and has ) lock up the cylinder and get the glow element wet where it won't want to turn over. Have to blow into the port a few times to get everything going again. My two Shrikes are side mounted cylinders and it's not as sensitive to over priming. It's also easier to attach the glow clip.

Why not just invert the car when starting? It seems simple enough, am I missing something?

Ron

CB I ordered that canopy from the Classic Tin Toy Company, going to need it for this little jewel won on ebay a few moments ago.





$20 and I was the only bidder. No surprise on that.

Probably all the interior posts are broken and PO just drilled four holes in the body and bolted it on the pan. After they are filled it will need a paint job. Pod is a mess, more mounting mods as I did on the other one. Actually the new canopy will go on the better one. This one gets the castoff.

Onward and downward.