“Before reassembling it, I balanced everything
myself. I mixed and matched parts, removing a little
metal where needed, as per my tutor’s instructions, and
got everything within half a gram of perfect balance, and
I’m glad I did. For a four-cylinder, this engine is super
smooth.
“I took everything back to new limits and epoxy
painted the case and went with cast aluminum rocker
arm covers and stainless steel induction tubes. It looks as
good as it runs. Or vice versa.”
When it was all finished, the plane weighed in at 645 pounds
empty, which is fairly good for an Ace, he said. With a 950-
pound gross, it leaves plenty of room for payload.
Budd Davisson is an aeronautical engineer, has flown 300 different types, and
has published four books and more than 4,000 articles. He is editor-in-chief of
Flight Journal magazine and a flight instructor primarily in Pitts/tailwheel aircraft. Visit
him on www.AirBum.com. Look for a photo gallery in the October Experimenter, EAA's
free monthly e-newsletter dedicated to sharing knowledge and building experiences.
