Amusement Park Expansion Program (CURRENT PROJECT NEWS)

3/08 Shawn and I built this FRANKENMOTOR just to see if we could. Yes, megaphones would work better for this combustion chamber but they're too loud. This is an Art Motor anyway. Ported it nicely, machined a billet filler block, etc. Look....IT'S ALIVE!!!!

Well, another youtube link.

Giant Nephews helped get me to finish the new electric start 44 (since I'm getting less tolerant of roping D motors). So we lit it off finally (check out the cool flames) :o) This has one of the really light weight aluminum flywheels we've made, that preserves the ring gear for the starter motor.

Marvel at the difference in sound between the 44 (which all know and respect) and the 800 Hubbell further below.....

11/1/07 HUBBELL 800 MILESTONE – youtube link

Check out Uncle Wayne flinch when he zaps the throttle. :o)

During the hours spent trying to get this to run, we learned several things about the 800, and about setting it up to run backwards to accommodate the Hubble unit which has the propshaft gear in front of the driveshaft pinion.

It starts best with the butterflys closed!!! Yup. The little holes in the butterfly upstream of the three small fuel ports in the side of the carb throat will dump the fuel only if the butterflys are closed. Squirt the reed cage full of fuel, close the butterflys, tap the starter, and it’ll light. I bet it lights in ¼ of a rev, it’s that quick. If the butterflys are open, no deal. That solved the no fuel problem.

Second, couldn’t get it started initially since the timing light was reacting to adjacent plug wires as well as the #1 cyl wire, so after going through all that carefully by starting the whole process over with Uncle Wayne, we got the timing and the plug wires correctly set up. Provides really crisp response as it should, based on Wayne’s considerable experience with SST120 motors and what I’ve seen with motors set at max advance. Timing is set at 18 degrees BTDC (running backwards – counter clockwise). This Thunderbolt breakerless magneto runs better forwards than backwards, but it sure runs fine backwards! Tested it on the mill CCW at up to several thou rpm and it’s fine. Started and ran fine here. ANOTHER TRICK…..this is the first one of these mags I’ve dealt with, and we learned to use the 0.077” surface gap plugs since the large gap provides a HUGE spark relative to a standard config spark plug. Yeah, I think it should work fine on a standard plug, but the ignition was designed for surface gap, and it POPPPS KAPOW with a surface gap plug, so we changed over to surface gap. Weird. Those of you who know these ignitions were aware of that already I’m sure……this is my first, so I struggle.

The light flywheel and small rotating mass of the drive train makes this thing grab revs RIGHT NOW when we crack the throttle. Hoo dahh !!!!

Now it’s time to bug DeWald for some props to try. What do you think? 5200-5500 rpm motor? 25% Hubbell overdrive = propshaft speed a little under 7000 rpm. The 65hp art motor gets low 60s on the F hydro, so this 800 might go, what, 70? I doubt 75, but it might.

EARLIER NEWS (Wayne's unit, our joint project) Setting up the lower unit involved having the tapered propshaft welded and ground to a cylinder in the prop area to fit 11/16” w/1/4 shear pin props we'll get from DeWald. Lower unit rebuilding was a wonderful exercise in hidden snap rings and obscure bearings. :o) Yikes! But as of 2/13/04, it's now done! Worse than building double-pinion SST120 units Wayne sez.... 25% overdrive 90degree model is that built for use on runabouts according to those we spoke with a DePue Ntls in 7/03...apparently the early 1960s OMC Starflight hydro kilo record units were 96 degree or something like that. If you need help understanding how to rebuild your Hubbell overdrive, Wayne is now DaMan!

Merc 800 'lectric start powerhead is used on this unit, and is similar to the 650 art motor, 'cept MORE CUBES! This looks tall 'cause of the height of the Hubbell, the position of the moter mounts on the F hydro relative to the bottom of the boat, and the need for at least SOME driveshaft length (mebbe 4"?). Believe me, if we chould have made it shorter, we would have!! We've rebuilt the SST120 starter which we need to start the motor to run backwards.

DISCLAIMERS – The merc clamps are merely used for ease of storage and handling. The motor actually mounts using the 1” shaft that bolts to brackets on the transom, just as we do with Mr. Konig and the 650 art motor. And the exhaust – no point in expansion chambers cause they’re waaaayyy too loud for most places, and if we want to go fast enough to be scary, we have the Dmod stuff, the B runabout, and Mr. Konig which we’re still afraid of. No reasonable way to run the exhaust out of a tower housing to muffle since, well, the tower housing isn’t… :o) So this farm tractor approach is used. We could always stick a glass pack on it, but I’ll tell ya this sounds VERY COOL in this config and not unreasonably loud, so we’ll leave it.

UNCONVERTED 20H PROJECT: 12/31/04 Added proof that the 5x20H program is progressing. Got five case/crank assys mostly done during the 2004 xmas/NewYrs break in the house on the coast. Lotsa rain so it was easy to stay indoors, enjoy the view, and wrench on the kitchen countertop with the help of certain lubricants in the background. :o) Two with 20H cranks, one with a Merc200 (I think) crank...same config as 20H except larger dia center main + steel reed cage/outer center main race. Cranks are all set to the correct height for the respective blocks.Still need to machine two reed cages for the Mk25 cranks. Got the parts needed to build, oh, I dunno, FIVE of these to supplement the one original I have? Most of the lower units are built, and the rest are in progress - need to convert three C driveshafts to B still. Towers are all beadblasted and ready to paint. Rewind housings and cowlings are beadblasted and ready for paint. Need to move the hole in the front cowl emblem to match 20H.Flywheels in hand. Rings have been fit to the cyl blocks and we have all the pistons (one 030 over new bore new pistons, three 015 over and one std bore).Blocks all look good to go.Gasket sets in hand.Mag parts in hand and the plates are all beadblasted ready to go. Gawwwddd this is a lotta work....:o)

YAMAHA RZ350 BANSHEE PROJECT: This is stalled at the moment. We've sawed off the transmission leaving the crankcase and cylinders. Pipes are in hand. We're arguing about carbs and ignition systems still, so I'll just finish the tower/saddle while Doktor Kahrl cogitates on this further. We've been quoted impossible HP number ranges for Banshee motors, but there are a zillion out there in off-road service, so this is mature technology well understood by many builders and aftermaket wizards.Over 100 HP should be well within reach.100hp on the F Pugh ought to be OK. :o)

75H PAIR PROJECT: We were planning to learn to cast up additional towers since I need one more (so I can build two) and others will need one as well, but I've backed away for the moment...too scary. I'm too dumb? Whatever. Still planning to port a mk75 to match 20H specs which we understand we're supposed to do, and then assembling with mk78 large opening case front! And a second Mk75 powerhead. More later.