Why Gary Doesn't Like Those Old B-29 Engines

Sun Mar 30, 2008 6:34 pm

Last edited by Jack Cook on Mon Mar 31, 2008 1:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Sun Mar 30, 2008 6:45 pm

It looks like Godzilla took a chomp out of that one!

-David

Sun Mar 30, 2008 9:20 pm

Isn't it a fact that Chrylser, by getting a contract to build R-3350's actually saved the engine by essentially redesigning it from spinner to lord mount lugs?
And, if that is the case it seems like it would make a pretty good story "How Chrysler took the 3350 from a fire trap handgrenade to a reliable powerplant"

Mon Mar 31, 2008 9:47 am

Dodge built nearly all of the B-29 engines, including the junk that's on FIFI now.

Gary

Mon Mar 31, 2008 11:21 am

Gary- If they are still the old engines(no one answered my question on another post asking if she'd had her engine change) then that "junk" as you called it certainly exceeded their life expectancy!

Robbie

Mon Mar 31, 2008 12:57 pm

I hear ya', Robbie, but FIFI was kept in the air all of these years due to lots of spares and lots of incredibly hard work by some very dedicated and busy volunteers. The original firewall forward on the B-29 is without a doubt the sorriest setup I've ever worked on. Is that a reflection on Dodge? No. It's amazing that Dodge was able to produce the engines they did in the short amount of time they did.

It's just that the B-29 engines were pushed into production well before the bugs had been worked out.

Gary

Mon Mar 31, 2008 1:48 pm

How much difference is there in your new engine configuration and that of the B-50 which was a remodeled B-29 with bigger engines I thought. I don't know what they had on either model, so I am just asking?

Kurt

Mon Mar 31, 2008 2:13 pm

Wright R-3350 vs P&W R-4360

Mon Mar 31, 2008 2:14 pm

The B-50 used R-4360's. We will stick with the 3350. These later versions of the R-3350 are a much better engine, in my opinion anyway. Certainly a better power to weight ratio, if nothing else.

Sorry to have hijacked your thread, Jack. Thanks for posting that picture! Do you have any further details on it?
Gary

Mon Mar 31, 2008 2:55 pm

Chrylser...nothing like em. :lol:

Mon Mar 31, 2008 3:17 pm

I'm curious about the story behind this photo as well. At first inspection you'd think engine explosion of some kind, but the damage is towards the engine, not out. My second thought was flak burst, but there is no evidence of shrapnel in the surrounding areas. So maybe it was hit by debris from another aircraft, or a pseudo-successful ramming attack??? Although I don't see how another aircraft could get that close without hitting the prop.

At any rate, great pic as usual!

cheers

greg v.

Mon Mar 31, 2008 6:46 pm

Was it the P.R.T. that came apart? Looks like the location of a P.R.T.

Steve

Mon Mar 31, 2008 6:49 pm

Look carefully at the prop blade on the far left, it appears to be damaged. It does look like something hit the engine. If some thing did hit the engine, it must have been moving very fast as only one blade appears to be damaged.

Mon Mar 31, 2008 6:53 pm

planeoldsteve wrote:Was it the P.R.T. that came apart? Looks like the location of a P.R.T.

Steve

The B-29 didn't have PRTs. I don't think anything used them in WWII.

Mon Mar 31, 2008 7:02 pm

b29flteng wrote:
planeoldsteve wrote:Was it the P.R.T. that came apart? Looks like the location of a P.R.T.

Steve

The B-29 didn't have PRTs. I don't think anything used them in WWII.

Will the new engines for FIFI have them? It was my understanding that they are a cross of a C-119 and Skyraider ? Do they have P.R.T. on there 3350's?