Backcountry Pilot • Bearhawk 134RT Build

Bearhawk 134RT Build

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Wed May 25, 2016 1:49 pm

Progress....

Well, here we are!

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Its on its wheels! Wheew - Getting its tailwheel put on

The Interior:
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Gull Doors:
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Behind the Panel:
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Door Sill Stainless plates:
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Where we are going to build our Lycoming O-540 E4B5 powerplant
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Engine stand I modified for assembly:
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Next step is getting the primer system plumbed, the boot cowling installed along with the engine mount and windshield. Then we are going to start cleaning the corrosion protection coatings off of the engine parts and begin to assemble the powerplant. I am really excited about building the engine, I've been reading assembly write-ups including the Lycoming manual. I'm a gearhead by nature, so engines get my interest every time.

Hope we finish this thing soon and get back to flying.... :lol:
Last edited by HawkRT on Thu Jun 16, 2016 10:53 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Thu Jun 16, 2016 9:23 am

Putting Pieces together

We are moving along with our project:

Here is a shot of our seats installed with seat cushions
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Installed the boot cowling and O540 motor mount after completing the vacuum/primer systems, and wiring behind the panel.
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Built a mount for my Aera 500 GPS unit, I may end up moving the position later. I wired the power down through the boot cowling and its hard wired to a separate breaker on the master bar.
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Now we get to the "fun" part, installing a windscreen. Took about 4 times as long as I expected, but it turned out really well once it was complete.
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Wahoo :D
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Thu Jun 16, 2016 11:07 am

Building an engine

We are moving on to building the engine now, we have all the parts ready to go. We are beginning our research into outstanding Service Bulletins and ADs for the Lycoming E4B5 O540 engine, which will take us a while it looks like. What a chore, supersessions etc... But then when we feel partially warm and fuzzy, we will start putting parts together. Big step and I'm excited about motor work.

Also, still contemplating getting our rotating parts professionally balanced prior to assembly. We have some reservations because legally this motor will be a "certified" powerplant when finished if we don't make modifications and could be sold as such, as all parts are either new or yellow tagged.

I think that balancing the engine the "certified" way, ie: washers on the flange end of the motor exterior to it is a lousy way to accomplish this. A balanced rotating assembly with matching weights will make this O540 run fantastic, and why not capitalize on being EXPERIMENTAL! There is a reason we are doing this project after all :D , otherwise we would just buy any old cert plane and be done with it. :roll:
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Thu Jun 16, 2016 12:01 pm

Re: Bearhawk 134RT Build

Balance it! There's no comparison
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Thu Jun 16, 2016 12:35 pm

Re: Bearhawk 134RT Build

We have some reservations because legally this motor will be a "certified" powerplant when finished if we don't make modifications and could be sold as such

It's my understanding that once you hang a certified engine on an experimental airframe, the engine is no longer certified.
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Thu Jun 16, 2016 12:50 pm

Re: Bearhawk 134RT Build

SkySteve wrote:
We have some reservations because legally this motor will be a "certified" powerplant when finished if we don't make modifications and could be sold as such

It's my understanding that once you hang a certified engine on an experimental airframe, the engine is no longer certified.

This is my understanding as well. Once on a EAB aircraft the engine is only good for parts or as a core in the certified world.

I'm not sure how the rotating assembly is balanced on an aircraft engine, it certainly can't be done the same as an automotive engine. What does balancing in the aviation world actually mean?
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Thu Jun 16, 2016 3:41 pm

Re: Bearhawk 134RT Build

I'm curious too... how are engines balanced? I remember when I was helping Graham reassemble his O-470, we weighed the rods and played matchy-matchy to get the weights evenly matched in opposition.

Here's a little snippet I found during a Google search:

PerformanceEngines.com wrote:
What does “blueprinting & balancing” mean?
Every engine and engine part has an optimimum running clearance and weight. This information is available in the original manufacturers engineering blueprint. Due to the manufacturing process and the elevated cost of maintaining these optimums a plus/minus tolerance factor is added by the OEM. On the other hand, at Performance Engines we maintain the tight blueprinted specification. For example, an OEM Stock piston has a weight tolerance of 14 grams differential for opposing bays, our tolerance is 1 gram. We retain the 1 gram rule throughout the building process.

Every moving engine part is either Dynamically balanced or Static Balanced (depending on the part). While an OEM Crank Shaft can be as much as 25 grams off balance dynamically, ours will be less than 1 gram off!

What does flow balancing mean?
Sometimes it is referred to as “Flowing” which is an incorrect term, it is actually Flow Balancing and includes several steps in order to optimize the engines induction and exhaust performance.

Essentially, once the Flow Balancing process is completed all the cylinders on the engine will process the exact same Cubic Feet per Minute (CFM) (within 1%) at each progressive .050” openning of the intake and exhaust valves.

First we port and then polish the entire induction and exhaust tracts. Secondly we perform a three angle valve job on valve seats followed by backcutting valve angles. (This totals a five angle valve job!) This allows a higher volume, to flow with greater effeciency to and from the combustion chamber producing more Horse Power.

What does flow balancing and Blueprinting & Balancing do for me in the real world?
This intricate and very specialized process improves overall fuel efficiency throughout the power curve, offers lower and more even engine temperatures, furthermore it lowers the engines peak EGT due to a more efficient combustion chamber. An engine which has been Flow Balanced and Blueprinted & Balanced will run smoother, will have increased torque and horsepower. These engines have increased reliability and higher TBO’s. Flow Balancing allows a higher volume, to flow with greater efficiency to and from the combustion chamber producing more horsepower.
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Thu Jun 16, 2016 5:17 pm

Re: Bearhawk 134RT Build

whee wrote:
SkySteve wrote:
We have some reservations because legally this motor will be a "certified" powerplant when finished if we don't make modifications and could be sold as such

It's my understanding that once you hang a certified engine on an experimental airframe, the engine is no longer certified.

This is my understanding as well. Once on a EAB aircraft the engine is only good for parts or as a core in the certified world.

I'm not sure how the rotating assembly is balanced on an aircraft engine, it certainly can't be done the same as an automotive engine. What does balancing in the aviation world actually mean?


SkySteve wrote:It's my understanding that once you hang a certified engine on an experimental airframe, the engine is no longer certified.


Hmmm, that is interesting... thanks for the info guys! I'll look more into that. :?: That would make our decision a little easier, for sure. Ha Isn't that crazy, assuming the engine was assembled by a certified A&P with PMA or airworthy yellow tagged parts to cert specs that the motor wouldn't remain cert regardless... ha figures... :roll:

Anyway, balancing an aircraft engine is from my knowledge the same as any other recip engine barring legality. Rods/Pins/Pistons/etc. are weighed to achieve as close to the best group weights, and then material is removed from areas on the parts (Casting remnants, bottom of the piston domes, etc.) to achieve a much lower tolerance between cylinder groups than with mix-and-match alone.

Don't ask me how I know :wink: , but this has been done before with aircraft engines (ie: Continental C90) with striking results - a MUCH smoother running engine. Like set a coffee cup on the panel smooth. :D

There are some Lycomings out there that are not known for their "smoothness" and the cert fix apparently is to use external weights to achieve what should have been done internally.

This is gonna be fun!
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Thu Jun 16, 2016 5:36 pm

Re: Bearhawk 134RT Build

Here is a pretty good video of how a automotive engine it balanced:


Grouping the rod/piston/pin so the assemblies all weigh the same is easy, but time consuming, and the same as automotive engines. It is the balancing of the rotating assembly that I don't know how it is accomplished on a aircraft engine. It is not like we are going to put our cranks in a lathe and start boring holes in the counterweights as is show in the video.

Your project is looking great HawkRT! Makes me a bit envious.
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Thu Jun 16, 2016 5:50 pm

Re: Bearhawk 134RT Build

Where'd you find your E4B5?
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Thu Jun 16, 2016 6:05 pm

Re: Bearhawk 134RT Build

whee wrote:Your project is looking great HawkRT! Makes me a bit envious


Thanks Whee, I've been watching your posts as well :D Keep at it!

Zzz wrote:Where'd you find your E4B5?


My old man bought it from a local friend that was parting out his Cherokee 6, almost 10 years ago now :shock: Time flies when your building a plane ha

(Wikipedia)
PA-32-260 Cherokee Six
Production variant with a 260hp Lycoming O-540-E4B5 engine.

We sent it to an engine shop in the MatSu valley to be checked out, they inspected the Crankcase/Crankshaft/Rods/Camshaft and drilled the backsides of the cam lobes for oiling and corrosion protected the parts. Then we sent the engine hardware off to be re-anodized.

We bought 6 brand new cylinders/pistons since they weren't much more than rebuilt.
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Fri Jun 17, 2016 7:18 am

Re: Bearhawk 134RT Build

Well so far I'm hearing that as long as the engine is assembled by an AP/IA to factory cert specs and maintained by this AP/IA while operated on the experimental airframe, applying all AD's etc. while in service and records are kept indicating such - its up to the AP/IA upon installation on a certified airframe later on to determine its airworthiness... it would/could still be a valid engine later.

If the engine is built substandard to cert specs, the dataplate gets removed and its an experimental engine at that point.

Sounds like another FAA legal quagmire :D

Anyway, I guess worst case if we were in the situation later, we pull the motor apart and stick it back together - walla!

I'm lucky and glad to have such a knowledgeable partner to work with on this project, I'd be sweating bullets on my own.
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Fri Jun 17, 2016 7:54 am

Re: Bearhawk 134RT Build

HawkRT wrote:Well so far I'm hearing that as long as the engine is assembled by an AP/IA to factory cert specs and maintained by this AP/IA while operated on the experimental airframe, applying all AD's etc. while in service and records are kept indicating such - its up to the AP/IA upon installation on a certified airframe later on to determine its airworthiness... it would/could still be a valid engine later.

If the engine is built substandard to cert specs, the dataplate gets removed and its an experimental engine at that point.

That certainly makes sense and was what I thought too. I started looking into this issue a while back but can't remember specifics or references. What I recall was basically once an engine serial number is tied to an EAB aircraft it is no longer eligible for use on a certified plane. I think it was an EAA webinar I got that from. Anyways, if this is a big deal to you then it is worth a call to EAA; I'm sure they know the answer. I decided it didn't matter to me so I didn't bother calling.

It's kinda like the LSA gross weight deal. Build a plane and set the gross weight to 1320 and you can operate under LSA rules. If you up the gross weight above 1320 the plane can never be operated under LSA rules again even if you reduce the gross weight back to 1320. Seems silly and pointless. I hope I'm wrong about the engine deal.
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Sun Jun 26, 2016 2:43 pm

Re: Bearhawk 134RT Build

Wow, well let me say that my first thought during the beginning of the motor build stage - is that this stage is a true PROJECT onto itself! :shock:

Wheew, spent hours going through the current listing of AD's and service bulletins... had a scare on our rods which was remedied by a call to Lycoming (500$ x 6 PLUS 400 for rod bolts!), and are slowly feeling more and more comfortable that our motor will be in the safest/up to date condition possible when we are done building it.

Geeze some of these Lycoming prices are mindblowing! :shock:

I have a greater respect now for A&P mechs and IAs, who in a sense have their ***s on the line building/signing off powerplants, with all the gotchas out there!
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Mon Jun 27, 2016 9:47 pm

Re: Bearhawk 134RT Build

Do you have any option to get experimental parts from a second-hand supplier or refurb shop? I guess it's too late now, if you've already paid. Of course getting the original article from the OEM is always reassuring, which is nice, and hard to put a price on.
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Thu Jul 14, 2016 6:31 pm

Motor Time!

We are starting to build our motor:

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Check out this rod, it has a ding that was Yellow Tagged from the motor shop! Looked sketchy to me...

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Anyway slow progress, I painted the accessory case and adapters... and fixed a couple stud's threads on the cases. Looks like somebody bent one of our motor mount studs and that needs to be replaced. Mic'd the gears and case for the prop governor drive, and checked the endplay. Working on finding a 6th rod that is of the same casting number as the other 5 we have, as it has a bit different weight than the others.

Found that there are at least 2 revisions of Lycoming rods that are found in the O540, and we of course have the earlier ones. We bought our rod bolts (Remember they have to be replaced at overhaul) a few years ago, but they sent the NEWER revision! Wow well that's a 400 woops, but AES came through for us and said they would change them out with proper receipts.... thanks AES!

Also found that we ordered bearings from superior in 2013 and they sent us the old revision main bearings that had been discontinued in 2004 by Lycoming, who recommend replacement with a revised type in all engines at overhaul... thought that was kinda shady... so lesson is: Read Service Bulletins from Lycoming on your particular engine and DON'T BUY PARTS EARLY (for return reasons) :D
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Sun Jul 31, 2016 12:00 am

More Motor Fun

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Its coming together! :D
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Sun Jul 31, 2016 9:49 am

Re: Bearhawk 134RT Build

Who did your machine work on the crank and cam and case?
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Sat Aug 13, 2016 10:06 am

Re: Bearhawk 134RT Build

More motor fun, slowly making progress. We had a bit of a hiccup in the journey that we think we have overcome now...

Out of our core engine, we salvaged 6 rods -

5 with the casting number:
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1 with another casting number (I don't have it handy...) which weighed in at 10 grams lighter than the other rods! In the interest of cost we tried matching it with pistons that varied in weight for a set that worked within a 1-2 gram tolerance. Unfortunately we found when we assembled the set of rods on the crank, that one of the rods had service limit endplay! Guess what, it was the black sheep rod with the strange casting number that was the culprit. Sooo....

We chucked that rod and called around to find a rod with the 71878 casting number and close to the same weight. Only cost us 100 bucks for two new rod bolts and nuts(!!) :shock:

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Also found that our cam gear was unusable and needed a "new" one, used cam gear = 450$. It appears that the cam gear is a 1 thousandths tight fit, so looks like we are going to need to use heat to make it work without damaging anything on assembly.

Zzz - BJs in Palmer, AK did our motorwork
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Fri Oct 07, 2016 9:15 am

Re: Bearhawk 134RT Build

Well, well, well.... after quite an adventure - we have an engine hanging on the airframe!

Big step for us, glad to be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel on the motor assembly portion of this project. We had to track down a few pushrods of the correct length, and find another mag coupling piece as one we had was cracked.

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I fabricated these inner baffles by taking an old worn out one and flattening it with a big hammer for a pattern :D

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Checking the length of the vbelt needed for the alternator.

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There is just enough clearance for the short spin on oil filter to the firewall.

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Found out that the prop governor that was included with our Hartzell was the new style, which uses longer studs than whats in our block. Also the baffling kit locates the cabling provisions in the "legacy" location... SOO looking for a rebuilt legacy governor now...
Last edited by HawkRT on Sat Oct 08, 2016 7:37 am, edited 1 time in total.
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