2 little Indians

Klippy, I'm thinking about converting a glow engine to diesel.

What material would be best for the contra-piston???

Since it doesn't move (very much) you could even make it out of aluminium. I've seen very successful conversions where the glow plug has been replaced with solid plug, screwed in.

Well, she runs! Not well but it's a major step forward. Compression is good but the mixture seems to be very variable.
First the new rod.


On the left is an old rod that failed when the piston was slightly tight in the upper cylinder (TDC) The new one is 4mm thick at the big end and 5.7mm wide. The taper is roughly 10^o and the neck under the small end is 2.7mm. This size is 4.5mm under the small end to clear the piston skirt. The new small end is 3.5mm thick and 4mm wide. Bearing centres are 19.5mm apart.








As you can see there's not a lot of room.

The piston seems to travel rather far past the exhaust ports at bottom dead centre so now I have a bench mark I'm making a conrod with 20.5mm between bearing centres.

Such patience

New one any better Klip?

The new conrod was a little better but I'm now in the situation where I don't think the very small amount of fuel I have is any good. I don't have any ether to make new and any new supply is at least 4 weeks away. However both engines can now be considered as runners so I made the unilateral decision to send them back to Box otherwise we'd be waiting for another 2 months! When I was packing them up I noted that they were posted to me on the 12/12/2016. What with the awful postal service in this country and the fact that I can only afford to go to town once a month, anything I do has a very long turn around time! I have videoed the run and will post it on the tube as soon as I can remember my login name!
This blog is one of the reasons why I don't normally post anything unless it's all 'in the can', I find it all too embarrassing.

Well done Klip Re Ether you are lucky to be able to buy it Over here it is astronomically dear and only on the net . However I just got 6, 400 ml cans of engine starter for about a fiver on Flea Bay When mixing add an extra 5/10 % to the mix to allow for the oil content of the starter.Reduce the oil content by the same amount. If using diesel instead of paraffin/kerosene the oil content may be reduced a bit more Suggest 45% kero 35%starter fluid/ether 20% oil ( reduce if exhaust too oily )Can be as low as12% if Castor oil with diesel used. share the difference between the other two. If you can get Amyl Nitrate add 5%/ Amyl Nitrite 10% A cetane improver can be used too but unsure of % to use. I think some info can be found on line re mixing fuel. As an aside I once added some ether to glow fuel with excellent results. Easier starting and smoother running.Try it sometime. I meant to ask you before now but did you have to pay duty on my Atoms as the postmaster put £ 50 on documents but I put£ 5 on box.My Mrs took them to be posted but hasn't a clue. In addition she probably went without her specs anyway. LOL Let me know please. John

I'm surprised you have difficulty buying ether OT. I saw it on sale a month or so back on the Model Technics stand at the last Old Warden Model Meeting. The price also seemed reasonable when compared to the price of the fuel.

Andy Sephton wrote: I'm surprised you have difficulty buying ether OT. I saw it on sale a month or so back on the Model Technics stand at the last Old Warden Model Meeting. The price also seemed reasonable when compared to the price of the fuel.

Thanks Andy but you forget I'm housebound and Tesco etc don't stock it .The prices I've seen on line are damned dear and assuming that the supplier will ship in the first place as lot of couriers will only carry it at premium rates. I wish we lived in France where it is available I believe in supermarkets and handyman's stores.I've been offered 2 ltrs FOC but I can't go to Blackburn for it and there seem to be no slopers coming down to the Orme that could pick it up for me I have bought 6 400ml cans of engine starter for under a fiver and will use that for now .Once I can get about again .My doctor said he is going to get on my case with the hospital so it may not be long now god or whoever willing. I want both hips done together but I think they intend to do one at a time but even that should get me about a bit more. I can barely shuffle across the room at present I may order some fuel once I get better as it seems to be cheaper to buy ready mixed fuel than separate components.I will however check Model Technics price for Ether so thanks for the heads up..

Time to put this to bed, Box has contacted me to say he's received his engines but due to a family bereavement him won't be able to do anything with them for a while.


The project was a qualified success, one motor runs well, the other is not so good. The one with the clean tank starts and runs nicely, the other one runs, but not well. I think it's a problem in the tank, needle valve assembly. I was reluctant to do anything about it since the bowl is only held on with tabs and I see they've been opened before and I didn't want to be the one to break them!
My other problem is fuel, I can't buy good fuel in this country and I ran out of Ether.

Well done Klippy. Will you be doing a thread on the Atom soon ? Or maybe no thread .