Working on Toledo model.Does anyone know if the full size Precious Metal P51 had its wingtips clipped?????? Also, any good pics appreciated!

Mark[COLOR=royalblue]

Mark - let me dig in my Reno Racer book and see what I can come up with. I should have some pictures for you tomarrow or Tuesday.

Rob

Some quick info - all pics are in B&W

Precious Metal made it's debut in 1975 Reno. It did have the Horner clipped wing tips and stock fin/rudder. It carried race# 81 and Pruitt's home furnishings as it's sponsor. I have a good side view pic.

In 1976 Reno it had a taller fin, carried race#09, and had General R-V sponsorship on the tail and Don&Bill Whittington on it's side. I also have a side pic.

In 1977 it had the World Record Holder info under Don& Bill Whittington. I have a very clear pic of this showing all sponsors names on the tail.

In 1980 it has Advance on the tail as sponsor and still carried the World Record stenciling on the side. Fuzzy pic - can't make out much.

1983 - Valvoline as sponsor behind race # and still carrying World Record stenciling. Looks like a slightly cut down canopy from the previous years. Good side view pic.

Unfortunately I don't have any close - ups of the nose art figure, or any real detail shots. These are good side views that could be used for general placement and configuration. These pictures are in John Tegler's "Gentleman, You Have A Race" book. If you want I can scan them in high resolution and E-Mail them to you.

Rob

Even Better - Go to www.warbirdaeropress.com - photo galleries gallery 2 - good color photos. I knew I had that link somewhere.

Good luck Mark - one of these days I'll get around to building one of your designs.

THANKS!
Thats a lot of help.
I have SOME pics,and I looked on Pylon1.com but there were not many pics...
I'm looking for some of the modern version with the green wings and the counterrotating merlin. Some pics list it as Precious Metal, and some list it as World Jet.

Mark

Precious Metal was pretty much written off in a crash, I think. Whittington then created World Jet out of the wreck.
Pylon 1 air racing archive has a good 5 view of the new plane. Yahoo search for World Jet Mustang gives some good links.

Rob

I found that site, and the pics are great.
I also found that everything I need to go with true counter-rotating props on the model I can get from HL. I scaled my 42" P51 to 30", then cut the tips a bit to scale.Redrew the fuse to PM specs.2" spinner needed! Lucky I do have a metal lathe at my diposal. I see HL has 8-4 left hand prop, and 8-5/8-6 right hand,so thats cool.Two s400 geared 2.3:1,8 cells, 30 amp esc.....this one will be coming together for real....even if the performance isnt outstanding, it'll be really neat to see in the air with the props like that.
Even Monokote has the right Limegreen color for the wings.....

Mark

Matt-
Have you done a google image search? Found some great pics including a nice one of the Precious Metal nose art. Not too many of World Jet, but a few.

Please be sure to post video of those props spinning.

Check out this site for a good documentary of recent changes (2001) on Precious Metal.

Didn't know someone had put a counter rotating Griffon in a Mustang. Gotta believe they have a cg problem with the bigger engine, gearbox and extra prop up front.

Incidently I buillt a nice looking and performing counter rotating speed 400 setup using 2 Graupner boat drives. I built it for an overly ambitious project, a TU-95 Bear. Gave up on that. Didn't want to invest 1000 hours of building in something I would crash on the first flight.

Uses 7.2v 400s with 2-1 ratio driving 2 4 bladed 9x6 Zingers I made from 2 2 blade props. Pulls 22 oz of thrust at 22 amps from 7 cells. Weighs 10 oz with props and 8 oz without props. I'll post a pix in a couple of days. Don't have a digital camera.

Good luck with your project.

www.aado.com/racing/2001/race38/

Corky Boyd
Recently from Michigan
Now from Florida

Woops

Correct website is:http://aafo.com/racing/2001/race38/

Corky Boyd

There are lots of counter rotating Griffon engined planes. Seafire 47, Red Baron P-51 World Jet P-51 etc...

Mark - I want to see how you come up with a workable counter rotating unit. That would be GREAT!!!!!! I have a few designs bouncing around my head for a practible one.

Rob

RMason,

Thanks for that link! I have been looking for some color schemes for my new python, thos pictures are awesome.

The picture I have in the Reno Air Race program for 2002 shows a turned up winglet looking tip. Also it appears to have a P-51H vertical tail.

As for other Griffon powered Mustangs, don't forget Miss AshleyII.

Steve

I'm going to use a Mini olympus 2.33 gearbox for the rear prop.I'll machine a new hollow driveshaft for the box.The front prop will be spun by a 1700 series Graupner 2.33 box through the olympus box.All the collet prop mounting stuff will be from the catalog. I want to do it with as much off the shelf stuff as I can.That way, someone else might be able to do it also
Just wondering what to turn the new shaft from...it has to have minimal friction.I was thinking about hard nylon stock.Maybe steel, but then I would need bearings and things get really tight.....I'll know more when I pick up the drives.

Mark

Mark

Here is a pix of the Speed 400 counter rotating system I made up about 5 or 6 years ago. Still plan to put in something, possibly a Macchi-Castoldi MC-72.

Using the Graupner boat drives, there was very little machine work to do. I had to fab the hub which rests on the torque tube (2-5x10mm ball bearings). The drive gear for the rear prop had to be drilled out and mounted on the hub and the torque tube itself had to trued to 5mm on one end to allow the hub bearings to be slipped on. The torque tube had expanded 1 or 2 thousandths when they pressed in the bushings. The thrust of the front prop is taken by a flanged ball bearing (can't remember size). The way Graupner makes the gear hubs works out perfectly. There is a slight protrusion of the gear hub that rests on the inner race, while the outer race flange rests on the black plastic.

The standard boat drive comes with a 2-1 ratio. There are gearsets available in 2.5 and 3 to 1, but the delivery time was 6-8 weeks and I didn't want to wait that long. Once built you can't change the ratio easily.

If you are interested in using this concept, I can give you more detailed measurements.

Corky Boyd

Mark

Here's another shot.

Corky Boyd