Clunkmeister

But like they say, Mopar don’t go far…..

That’s one serious collection of automotive art. Those bad by Mopars are something else!

Peter, the gear will be moved BACK to take weight off the tail wheel. That was an early, and successful mod to tame it a bit on the ground. plus, as most of them were built with an O-320 and a short mount for aesthetics, they’d end up tail heavy as well, making for some interesting stall/spin characteristics. The key is to unload the tail wheel, lengthen the main gear, and use a heavy engine. I’m really liking the sound of an IO-470. It’s heavy, it’s powerful, they’re cheap and plentiful, and reliable. Plus, it’s injected, so no carb ice. I looked at two: one off a 182, and the other off a 310. The 310 one comes with a constant speed prop,.. that’s fully feathering. Feather the prop on a draggy wire braced biplane and lengthen your glide by what? 10 inches per 1000 ft?

Just gotta find a decent Warner without breaking the bank. IO-470s are everywhere and cheap. Warners, not so much. You need an engine that weighs about 450-500 lbs with prop to keep the engine back close to the firewall and avoid the anteater look

We’re actively looking for a Warner 165 hp Super Scarab. We have a mount for an injected 6 cyl IO-470 if needed.

The Starduster Too has always had a reputation for being either a bit sporty ranging up to an ungodly terror on rollout if on pavement. It likes to swap ends, but much of that is due to pilots having little tail wheel time. It’s no worse than, say, a Luscombe or a Howard DGA, but definitely more than a Cub or N3N on wheels. Half the issue seems to be the lack of forward visibility in 3 point attitude. Guys have no clue what peripheral view mean. I’ve been told the rear (pilot’s) seat has the same view as the rear seat of a Scout or Citabria, and I have plenty of PIC time from the rear seat of those, so no biggie. the other thing is that in the 3 point attitude, the wing is still flying, not stalled, so any kind of firm arrival means a guaranteed bounce. The fix is to either wheel it on, or better yet, extend the mains by a few inches, which was done on this one, guaranteeing a stalled wing at 3 point stance.

The fabrication looks to have been factory performed, which is impossible, of course. The fuselage frame was blasted and refinished in epoxy, so it’s good. I’ll be checking the wings closely. They’re getting the metal parts removed and refinished, and all the wood is being revarnished. resourcinol was used as a glue, and it’s as good as it gets.

It’s cool how changing the engine, slickly modifying the interplane struts from I to N, and paint can give a whole new look. The other thing is using three piece windscreens instead of simple curved plexiglass.

The guys who started these project and never finished them are all passing on, and nobody’s interested anymore. They all want “right now”, not “in a few years”. Projects like this are simply too often junked. I had it thoroughly inspected, and the workmanship is second to none, and it’s one of the most popular sport biplanes ever designed, so it’s very straightforward. There are 4 based within 20 miles of me to use as a reference.

The design is timeless, and with a Warner radial, if you cover the front pit, they look like a Boeing F4B. With a flat 6, they look a little more civilized, but right out of the 1930s.

So I ended up doing some horse trading with a friend, and he took some 55-56 Ford parts, and I brought this home. A very large scale, as in 1:1 project. For those unaware, it’s a Stolp Starduster Too, a 2 seat plans built biplane from the late 1960s. They are generally considered to be one of the most beautiful and nicest flying biplanes ever designed, and are an incredibly capable machines. They are decent performers, capable of sport aerobatics, and have been powered by anything from a 4 cylinder Lycoming of 150 hp, to a big ol’ Jacob’s radial. One of the best engines for it is a Warner Super Scarab of 160 hp. I’ll be on the lookout for one, otherwise, we’ll stay with the Continental flat 6 out of a Cessna 310. It’s one of the most popular homebuilt aircraft ever designed, with over 1000 completed and flying. They’ve been around so long that some are actually being restored. This one was never completed, and is of amazing workmanship. She’s set up for a Continental IO-470U 6 cylinder engine of 230 hp. I’ve got a couple or three years of semi steady weekends ahead of me to complete her, but there is no rush. We’ll see.

I’d be open to it. Something that includes armor would be smart.

Mike, I keep looking in on this, and am hoping you get this one situated and whipped into shape! What a glorious model!

By Martens definition, I am a genuine archaeological relic

A “wet nurse” is bottle feeding a calf. Get your minds out of the sewers and back into the gutters where they belong! The people I hang out with! Sheesh! I’m shocked I tell you, SHOCKED!

Run my mouth you mean?

I prefer a wet nurse, but hey, I’m a bit of a rancher, so calves and all…

I’m open to doing both at one table. Many here do belong to both, and as long as we all receive equal billing, I think it can only benefit us in general. Those builds are awesome! You see two quality vac builds in one place, I sit up and notice.

I missed the Nats this year. why? Because I thought it would be a cool idea to stick a screwdriver in my ass. I said IN my ass, not UP my ass, an unfortunate oversight also missed by the ER nurse and attending physician, both of whom started laughing uncontrollably. But after I caught on, I turned around, presented them the screwdriver handle sticking out of my left cheek and said “see it’s a screwdriver IN my ass, not GI Joe or Ken AND Barbie UP my ass, they piped down. so I spent a few days laying on my anterior side, popping pills. Sorry I missed yall, I heard it was one hell of a show!

Yes but you can expect heavy rain at anytime. Much like our storms. We don’t get the English Fog, but we do get summer temperatures of about 1800 degrees. 😁

There is an equipment barn just down from us. Steel building. It literally exploded from inner overpressure. The funnel passed right over it and the instant low pressure popped it like a balloon. Crazy stuff.

Now look at this. A regular wood fence with metal posts. Not a thing wrong with the fence, except it looks like it was pushed by a giant, which, of course, it was.

Notice how one house is literally rubble, nd one beside it is all but untouched.

I’m on it, sir

Yes. Tim talked to me and he set it up