Miniature IC engines
 

Hi Guys,

I have noticed on this forum and the many and various 'Youtube' clips of the wonderful models being produced that they are all powered by electric motors which I presume are connected to battery power. I have no experience with these kind of RC models so wondered if anybody had actually built or is building a scale truck powered by it's own IC engine. It would present an interesting challenge. To start with the scale of the model would have to be considered in relation to the available power output from the IC unit.
I see that many miniature engines have been built in various straight and vee form configurations but nearly all or most of them only run on stands for demonstration purposes and do not actually drive anything mobile. I would guess that putting a model engine under load to actually drive something mobile would neccesitate at least a solid crankshaft and maybe a few other considerations not least of which would be camshaft design. OOOOOH Boy!! :cool: I am floating the subject among the brains trust -you guys- because at some stage I am going to have to build one for my 'Limaron' project which is to 1/8 scale. I would be most interested to hear if anybody has tackled the subject of miniature IC powered scale model trucks.

Re: Miniature IC engines
 

There are a few videos of a Cobra running a IC engine. Somewhere on the web you can buy a raw casting kit of a V8.

Joe

Re: Miniature IC engines
 

I keep hinting at Cabin Fever to Mr. Sadler from the Rough and Tumble Modelers ,the he needs to let me have his 3cyl. Fairbanks Morse engine he's been working on to power my dragline. It really should be a 6 or 8 cyl.diesel but who's counting. I wonder how much work a model engine could do. I think cooling would play a big role in one that works as hard as my dragline.
Look on youtube and there's a guy in Italy who took a Cole's Holt engine and built a Caterpillar 60 that drives around. I've seen other people use that motor in a Holt 75 and another Cat 60.
That McBeth engine that's at Cabin Fever would fit perfectly in my dragline too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-qda...eature=related

Re: Miniature IC engines
 

There are some 1:6 and 1:4 scale RC Tanks with gas and glow engines running around too. The ones with the 4 stroke gasoline engines are cool but the glow motors are obnoxious to listen too since there revved flatout most of the time this way.

Re: Miniature IC engines
 

also you have to think about mating a transmision to a custom built engine we all understand the concept and the parts needed but trying to make those parts are another story to make........i would love to have a 1/4 scale 671 detroit too... but then i would have to build a 3 forword and 3 reverse speed allison transmision then you have rear diff.s and various parts be awsome if they were readily available

Re: Miniature IC engines
 

25 year's ago there was a scale r/c Cat D10 available with a gas v-12 engine and 3 speed fwd & rev. It had a high price tag. Electric motor's do have there plus's!
Cheer's, Neil.

Re: Miniature IC engines
 

Theres the guy in Germany IIRC that built the Ferrari with scale engine and trans, full 12 cyl to get the right sound and could drive it with the pedals. was a little bit larger scale though like maybe 1/4

Re: Miniature IC engines
 

The D10 was a hoax and the guy who took alot of peoples money are very upset with him for not producing them. There has been discussion of this on the ACMOC board a few years ago.
I did a job for a guy who owned a foundry in TN. around 1994 who was supposed to pour the castings but the whole project fell through. I thought I would be able to get my hands on some of those unfinished castings back then and possibly build my own.

Re: Miniature IC engines
 

I was wondering what happened to them :mad: I look high and low for 1 :o for years when bizz was good . I thought they were putting a weedeater engine in them :confused:

Re: Miniature IC engines
 

Is this what you speak of Steve?

http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/spinoff1996/44.html

Re: Miniature IC engines
 

exactly . If memory serves me , they only made 3000 of them . I think my dad and brother would've helped to chip in to get 1 if we didn't go through our 1st down turn then . We actually would've used it as a labor saver :D

Re: Miniature IC engines
 

I thought there was another one in 1985 or so? Joe is the link you put up, another version? HMMMMM, I've stirred the cobweb's up now:eek::eek:
Cheer's, Neil.

Re: Miniature IC engines
 

Neil, the 1 Joe posted up was fetured in a circular that my cat dealer sends out around the time we got 1 of the first 416 backhoes in our area ( I think 2nd ) . I've been looking for 1 ever since then :( I think late "80's" early "90's"

Re: Miniature IC engines
 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=BUS8d5LVorc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juYC8vHpfR0

This one sounds sooo good:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-faIk...eature=related

Re: Miniature IC engines
 

Well, it's clear this engine is no good for this discussion but it sounds "sooo goood".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8TXM...eature=related
But this site gives an in-depth view of how this V-8 engine was built-
http://www.weberprecision.com/
Lots of good info here.

Re: Miniature IC engines
 

Wasn't classic construction model's invloved with selling the rc D10? Been a long time ago!
Cheer's, Neil.

Re: Miniature IC engines
 

As far as I know they (IMC) only did the 2 machines shown in the video. Had one machine on order ( it was 1990) but never got a delivery. Amazing since it was a CAT certified product!

The engine in the model was a V-4, 4-cycle gas 3hp.There was a option of "Turbo exhaust sound" . Price tag was from $2.950 plus options. Full price with everything was almost $4000, scale was 1/8 (prototype machine built in 1/9 scale).

They had big plans (toooooo BIG) to make also a 992C and a 789 dump.

Dan

Re: Miniature IC engines
 

Hi Modelman,

Two very interesting links. Building a four cylinder straight is going to be bad enough. A V8 looks like a headache:confused:

Cheers

Geoff

Re: Miniature IC engines
 

Hi Geoff-I knew this engine would be of no use to you but I felt the cam and crankshaft construction would be something to look at. Any progress on the "Limaron"?

Re: Miniature IC engines
 

Hi Tom,

How you doing. There has been some progress albeit a bit slow. The latest things I have been working on is the hook roller bogies and swing/propel clutch assemblies together with their gear blanks. I am also altering the boom feet spacing because they did not look right. As soon as there are more pics available I'll post them. The weather is a bit cold and clammy at the moment so I can't spend as much time in the workshop, :(

Geoff