Kim's Version of "Frankenmoter" !!!!!!!

I made a funny noise out loud when I saw that first picture on my 21" monitor screen. The black goo in the fuel line really made it complete.

Well Kim.... since this "Rocket" is a runner... it would only be fitting to repair the plane it came on! (I just read of your road trip w/Uncle Wayne... Great story!) Do you know what plane model it is? I'm curious now, and always have been; about 3-line control systems.

roddie wrote:Well Kim.... since this "Rocket" is a runner... it would only be fitting to repair the plane it came on! (I just read of your road trip w/Uncle Wayne... Great story!) Do you know what plane model it is? I'm curious now, and always have been; about 3-line control systems.

Read my Mind Roddie!

I intend to invest as little precious (and it IS precious!) shop time in this poor dog (the plane) as possible !! I'm gonna patch the ancient silkspan, reinstall the Rocket and commit aviation ! I don't have a J. Roberts handle to work the throttle, so the Rocket will be wired wide open. If it DOES fly reasonably, I may sell it to Patrick for 5 bucks, in an attempt to stave off rebuilding his cursed Flight Streak 'till after the first of the year (yet another long story there).

All flights will be videoed, since it was 1969 when I last saw a plane shed it's skim in mid-air...it's a very special moment !!!

I have ascertained, using my advanced Model Airplane C.S.I. skills, that this thing is, or WAS, a Goldberg "Buster"! The very model that I'm restoring for my Uncle Wayne...who I shall now employ as a human shield to deflect any derision for NOT recognizing it in the first place. HE didn't know what it was either, and HE'S the original Old Hand!

COOL!!! Did you try the throttle? Looks like it may have been an early motor design by Fox for "C/L Carrier"?

I have that same E-Z-JUST test stand! I see that yours has some modifications to accept radial mounts! Cool

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P.S.
Sorry, I missed your first post...I didn't try the throttle on this test, but will probably do it on another run tomorrow.  I had a time just getting petrified goo out of the spray bar, and half-expected to see spiders expended from it's exhaust when it finally cranked and stayed running!

It it WAS designed at the Fox plant, they might have been experiencing a drug problem in those days!


Yeah...the E.Z. Just has been with me for a long time.  I felt really "Official" when I first got it, since, in those days, our engines typically used an airplane as their test stand !!!

Just run a third line to a finger tip ring. I've seen others use that setup. I think the ring is tethered to the control handle loosely so it stays with. (never tried CL throttle though, so multiple hand info here)

Looks like a setup fer sure.

Phil

Yeah, it's installation on the plane is very interesting!

Kim wrote:Yeah, it's installation on the plane is very interesting!

You may find a 3-line bell-crank in the wing, when you start patching her up. It would look like the part on this J. Roberts product sheet labeled "plane unit" (center-left side)

Yeah, I'm familiar with them...got a couple from Mr. Brodak waiting to be stuck in something! This one may stay hidden, as I'm gonna just patch up the wing and go for broke !!

Probably gonna try that third wire with ring thing though !!!

Good call Kim...

Throw some tape over the holes in the wing and sling that thing around. If it flies well then finish it out. If not, I believe Rusty's wingover into a dumpster is in order!  

If it's indeed a Buster, I'll give you more than $5 for it. I don't have one yet. Of course not having to rebuild the Streak may be priceless.

Ron

Dude !!! This is not so much a Buster as it's Meth-Addicted, second cousin !!!

I shall post photos as things progress !!!

Kim wrote:Yeah, it's installation on the plane is very interesting!

Good Lord!
I made another funny noise when that picture popped up. Kim, you got me to snort out loud twice in one day in the same thread!

I may try for #3 once I get this place closed up and get myself home!

You might suspect my "taken-a-backness" when I flipped this thing over to behold such an apparatus.

Much like Charlie Brown's Christmas Tree though, "I think it needs me..."

The Fox Rocket is a neat engine in my opinion. It was designed to be competitive in price with the K&B's , Mccoy's, etc. Some can truly be real shakers. The crank I believe was not like the stunt .35 and was more like the combat special which didn't really have enough counterweight. Once the engine was turned up though the harmonics pretty much went away. I'm more impressed that the exhaust slider is still on the engine and the appearance is quite good. That engine would really clean up well. There was many variants of the Rocket. Some had the rocket insignia casted onto the bypass, some came with a red head, while other versions also had a two piece crankcase with needle bearing supported crank. I own the needle bearing version which runs pretty darn good. I think you certainly have a winner there Kim. It's fun to play with this old stuff. It just seems to never die. A real testament to the 50's. Ken

Great info Ken !! I'll run the Rocket again here after the coffee does it's magic. While it may look a little on the rough side, the fellow's mods DO seem well thought-out, on a practical basis.

He did cut a slot in the venturi though, apparently to allow a one-piece butterfly valve to be install upwind of the spray bar. I may eventually remove these mods and try to make the engine an everyday runner.





Also, is there a somewhat definitive book or site on Fox's history? I've got Mr. Dannels' book, and it's helped a lot as far as the time-lines of some of these models, but it'd be neat to get some stories on specific engines as with your note above.