Corvair College Links

Since I fully intend going to at least one of these Corvair Colleges, hopefully later in 2010, I thought I'd better start collecting some information about them so that I can be better prepared for when I do. So here are some links:

A slide show of Corvair College #17 onYou Tube by Rick Lindstrom. Click to follow link:

Two videos of Carrol Jernigan's engine being started and run on the test bed, also by Rick. Incidentally, he has other Corvair videos on his YouTube site.

• Video one
• Video two

What to take to a Corvair College

John Pitkin posted the following advice on the CorvairListServe of what to bring with you to a Corvair College.

The list of things you need depends on whether you will arrive with fully prepped parts ready for assembly or if you will tear an engine down and attempt to clean, inspect, prep and assemble. Realistically, I don’t think you can tear down an engine and do all the things necessary to assemble it in three days. There is too much pressure on getting it done and you might not do as good a job with a deadline hanging over the engine. Some builders were able to do it, but I don’t recommend it.

It is best to have your engine completely disassembled. It should be cleaned and inspected with all the oil passageways rodded and free of debris. All threaded holes should be chased with a tap and free of swarf. All parts should be prepped and painted.

Go through the assembly in your mind and make note of the tools you will need.

• Besides the usual assortment of wrenches, sockets, screw drivers, rubber mallet, torque wrench, etc. Consider some of the following:
• Comfortable shoes. You will be standing for hours.
• A bar stool. So you won’t have to stand for hours. They seem to be at a premium at CC’s. You might also bring a comfortable folding chair for coffee breaks or hangar flying.
• Those dang oil galley plugs. You must put them in prior to the cam. Once the cam is in you can't install them and won't see they are missing.
• Hex wrench for the dang plugs.
• Hand cleaner- the smooth type so you don’t have to rinse off pumice grit.
• You don't want volcanic ash anywhere near your engine. Cleanliness is next to mandatory in aircraft engines.
• Rags, paper towels. These were in short supply... especially clean cloth rags.
• Denatured Alcohol
• Permatex copper coat sealer, Hondabond sealer etc..
• Anti seize compound
• Oil can with 50/50 mix of oil and STP for assembly lube.
• Cam lube
• Grease for main and rod bearings.
• 6 Qts. Non detergent oil
• Paint, if you haven’t prepped all your parts.
• Masking tape
• Eye protection
• Shop apron. Easier than changing shirts
• Ring compressor
• A thin wall socket to fit the rod bolts (limited clearance) with extension and adapter to fit your torque wrench. Pre-grind one to fit if necessary.
• Feeler gage
• Dental pick
• Power screwdriver to prime the engine. One that plugs in the wall. It takes more time than a battery drill will last.
• Ignition crimpers. Recommend you make up the ignition wires in advance.
• Extra screws, bolts, nuts. Many nuts get damaged during tear down. Make sure you have rocker studs , new rocker nut, valve cover clamps and new head nuts.
• Taps to clean out holes if you haven’t prepped your case.
• Ohmmeter to set the timing. Timing light to check it once it’s running.
• Camera to take pictures of all your new friends.