Warbird Information Exchange

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Don't touch my junk!!

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

-David

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"

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Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-

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

Gary

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

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

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

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A-7D, the Short Little Ugly "Flyer" and A-10A Warthog, weren't called an ATTACK plane for nothing. Remember for a little relief on the ground, call your local Air Force to "Go Ugly Early"!

Wright R-3350 vs P&W R-4360

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Don't touch my junk!!

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

Chrylser...nothing like em.

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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.

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

Steve

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"Any excuse is good enough if you're willing to use it!"

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.

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?

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"Any excuse is good enough if you're willing to use it!"