Magnificent! 1200hp restrained by a couple of straps and some rods hammered into the ground! All you need now is an airframe to match this wonderful beast.
When i heard those birds chirping and saw the quality of the workmanship it became certain this was either an aussie or a kiwi restoration. Didn't even need to hear your voices for confirmation! Job's a good 'un.
I wish more of the younger generation would get off there f***ing video games and join a restoration club or something to learn something else beside trying to kill each other online. I would have LOVED to do this type of thing as a kid! My Dad and I had an old 1941 "Ferguson Ford" 9N tractor and it was fun to keep that old thing going and actually being able to use it to make money on the weekends. Thanks for doing this awesome build and video!
That was absolutely spectacular, I loved every second of the video! Very good job done, worth every bit of time and effort. Thank you for the thrilling finish!
Great presentation! I flew Super DC-3's in Canada on the west coast and Arctic with the Wright Cyclone 1820-92's for 4 years in the 90's. Loved the engine, loved flying the a/c. Fun days!
Yes. There were many many variants with different power ratings as the engine design developed. The R-1820-97 powered the B-17G, with a turbo supercharger. The data plate should tell which sub-version this is, and from there one can research which A/C it powered. Note: during WWII many 1820 were build for B-17s under license by Studebaker.
Wow Brian O'Neill, when did you work there? What did you do? How long has it been since you got to hear a fresh startup of one of these?? Very good job, guys!
Impresive all those hours of hard work paid off big time, allow me to congratulate each and everyone that one way or another made it possible to bring it to us, most kind of you for taking your time and shear it with us, outstanding, I wish that I had the oportunity to be there with you guys working side by side to bring that piece of history back to life, well done guys, congratulations to all of you.
I love how radials start, it's like "no,no,no,no,maybe,no,no,no, definitely not,maybe,maybe,ok, now!". Everybody can start a jet engine, you just throw a switch, but starting a radial, is a form of art!
I am amazing at the engineering that was accomplished back in WW2 era. Simply amazing! It’s also amazing at the amount of power those old radial engines produced.
I really enjoyed the proof of the optimism of the restoration. Beneath all the crud and surface corrosion are beautifully made parts, that are so happy they met you! I mean, if they weren't just objects made of metal, with no actual feelings... ... I guess that's true...
Ba ha ha only a few will understand If you want to see rusty look at the 1340 and cheetah ix Videos I took my avon to a machinery show 12 hrs south of me last weekend ,it pulled quite a crowd , not something you see at a show usually
Superb and highly skilled restoration of a great engine! Note the cam ring (one for intake, one for exhaust) only has four lobes. Strangely (to me anyway) it rotates in the opposite direction of the crankshaft, at only one-fourth engine speed. Some really clever engineers designed this engine. Firing order is 1-3-5-7-9-2-4-6-8. At least it is on the Pratt & Whitney R2800 so I assume is the same for the Cyclone. Fascinating engineering.
While in the US Navy I worked on aircraft that used these engines and they were the T-28, S-2 Tracker and the C-1 Trader. This type powered a lot of notable aircraft types during WW2 and for many years after including today.
The sound of a big radial starting harks back to the glory days of aviation and stirs my emotions. A gas turbine on the other hand just reminds me of work.
Wow that was an outstanding rebuild, you sir need to have a good sit down with a beer and rev that monster....but i bet your the type to not even sit around long enough to finish the beer. One of the very few to have the motivation and balls to finish a project of that magnitude, thanks for bringing the past alive again
For me a great educational video. Thank you. So many parts! So much machining and design! then to get it timed-up and running- etc. Runs beautifully too with huge thrust, even with a cut down propeller, on 'tick-over. Genius.
The Wright Cyclone is an unsung hero of the second world war, it powered duds like the Brewster Buffalo and the Curtis-Wright CW-21 Demon, that's true but the ratio in which it powered legends is MUCH greater. Among the legends are: - The Grumman F4F Wildcat - The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress - The Douglas DC-1, DC-2 and early versions of the DC-3 (which also came with P&W Twin Wasps) - The Douglas SBD Dauntless - The North American AT-6 Texan / Noorduyn Harvard - The Sikorsky H-34.
I also watched them rebuild these at the Naval aviation Depot in Norfolk, Virginia, USA as I walked to my hangar every morning. I would say hello and ask someone different every morning as what they were doing. They did those from 1938 to 1972 I believe. Where was I going every morning ? I went to work in a squadron that had the last Navy EC-121K with 4 R-3350's.
I've read and heard plenty about starting these.....you're doing about everything right...! In the movies, it's always crank over 1-2 times and they start...no oiling/fouling of the dual spark plugs...
Wow. Found 4 of these in one of my grandfather's hay barns. Don't know how they got there, when or why. Took a picture of the spec plate just started the history today. Hope to find this guy or someone like him, to answer what I should do with these cool engines.
When i heard that aussie accent, the crows and the unmistakable bush sounds, i was genuinely surprised. I thought you would be a Yank. Hah. Great build, clean, who wouldnt want a radial to fire up every now and then.
