I recently read the Converting Auto Engines for Experimental Aircraft. I was wondering who is the leader in the field today? What more material can I read that is current (less than 5 years old) Is anyone doing things with Nissan engines? Where should I roam at Airventure to see auto conversions?
Thanks for the info.
The biggest conversion effort that I am aware of for engines that are fairly modern production is lots of people are using the Subaru flat fours.
There are people doing other things like converting Corvette LS1 engines, etc...
You might find Contact! magazine to your interests: http://www.contactmagazine.com
The "leader" by engine brand is Volkswagen flat four air cooled engines by a large factor. The limiting factor is horsepower, getting reliable power above ~50 hp is questionable. Respecting the limits, it's probably the best bang for the buck.
There are some other conversions that look interesting. Would be nice to see some data-Conversion cost, operating numbers and reliability but the latter is somewhat elusive. It simply takes a long time for a hobbyist to rack up 3-400 operating hrs.
There are a couple that have displays at Oshkosh, typically. Over the last few years, there has a been a Corvair conversion and a Honda conversion vendor over in the North Aircraft Display. I haven't seen any others recently. Last time I saw DeltaHawk was, what, six years ago (although not a conversion). Great Plains (VW) is usually in one of the ABCD hangars, if I recall. Otherwise, not too much. Perhaps AutoPSRUs (GM) will be there this year. I don't remember seeing Belted Air Power the past few years, but I might have missed them.
Christopher Owens (EAA #808438, VAA #723276)
Germantown, WI
Bearhawk Plans #991, Bearhawk Patrol Plans #P313
Ol' Richard Finch's book is pretty dated, and he never ever did get an auto engine in the air. He worked for FEW in Santa Paula until they realized he was full of hot air and sent him packing. He bought a Grumman Yankee as a test bed for his Buick-Rover engine, then spent all his time on making the airframe pretty, while the engine block sat untouched, on its stand. He offered to help a fellow EAA Chapter member convert a V-6 for his lancair 235, then abandoned him when the job required some thought. Richard is a very nice man, but he's not what you would call a man of action, so take everything in his book as him just wondering out loud, as very little of it has been proven with actual flight testing.
Unfortunately, Richard isn't the only dreamer involved in auro engine conversions, so due diligence is key in deciding who and what to believe and...who to pay money to. Over the years, there's been lots of chatter about a Subaru conversion expert who took money and didn't deliver. There was a Suzuki expert claiming horsepower figures that seemed fanciful to others, which led to a debate about how horsepower is measured and the role of torque in the equasion.
The only Nissan conversion I've ever heard of was in the Pond Racer, set up to burn alcohol, which disolved the fuel tanks...oh, well, Burt Rutan is a designer, not a chemist! If you want to convert your own Nissan engine, and run it off its ECU, and bolt a PSRU to it, get Jerron's Raven Redrive books, for about $100, where he explains converting the wiring harness and all the other systems for Geo Metro engines. A lot of the info in those books will apply to your Nssan. You may find similar info online, and I wish you well in your quest.
Also, as FlyingRon suggests: contact Pat Panzera at Contact! magazine. He has his ever-moving finger on the pulse of the state of the art in auto engine conversions for aircraft.
Originally Posted by martymayes
There are those running turbo's on VW and having good luck. One such person, I believe he is a member here by the name of Jeff. He flies a really nice Sonerai that is VW powered with a turbo. I am sure that makes over 50 hp.
You really can not call the VW an auto conversion for it started its life as an aviation engine, then was adapted to auto use.
Tony
If interested in conversions you might check out HomeBuiltAirplanes.com and look at the section on auto conversions. There is a lot of info on LS engines and currently there is a thread by TxFlyGuy on building an LS powered warbird replica. Also look on the internet for Ben Haas and his Ford powered Zenith. http://www.zenith.aero/profile/Ben
Personally Id like to see something like a Merc 9.0 litre tuned to deliver around 900 HP and stripped down weight wise. At least it is one of the few engines designed for a similiar duty cycle as an aircraft engine, and would probably be a much better package than an over stressed automotive engine. Should be more than competitive with a falconer V12 and a heck of a lot more reliable due to a better valvetrain for the speeds they run.
http://www.mercuryracing.com/sterndr...ngines/1100-2/
There appears to be a pretty active Corvair flat-six conversion community here - http://flycorvair.net/.
You've asked who the leader is in the field of auto engine conversions, when really it's not any one group or person. It's by type.
For example if one is going to use a VW engine the answers are Great Plains, Valley Engineering, and Aerovee. And it goes on from there by type and subtype.
The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.
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