On Thu, 18 Sep 2003 09:23:15 -0500, Barnyard BOb --
wrote:

No one is accusing anyone of having their head in the sand,
but given the millions of hours Lycoming and Continental have
been flown and tracked over the years, any backyard data base
by a couple of conversion enthusiasts is insignificant and quite
suspect in the scheme of things. The FAA and the AD system
far exceeds anything you or Bruce can begin to track regarding
auto conversion world faux pas.

My sincere apologies if I implied that you accused anyone of having
their heads in the sand. That was intended as my reference to myself
and anyone else who would rather charge ahead with a project without
first ascertaining what, if anything, has gone before and where the
failure modes are. That just seemed logical to me.

Further...
The Ford engine is but one conversion and not a popular one.
Whatever its record is, or can be... it ain't good enough for the
majority of folks interested in converting auto engines today.
As far as I'm concerned, you Ford guys are riding a dead horse
and the Chevy boyz fall out of the sky with alarming alacrity.

It isn't dead to me. The parts are still available and the only
reason I'm using it is because so many are flying. The concept that
we're "riding a dead horse" is interesting. If that's the case then
what does that say about the Lycoming/Continentals?

I'd rather be using a Chevy, only because there are more aftermarket
parts available for it, but it's heavier than the Ford, unless you buy
an aluminum block. And then the cost is prohibitive and it may still
be heavier.


Feel all warm and fuzzy with your minuscule knowledge/data base,
if you must. Your Ford defense is a hoot.... and moot.

Barnyard BOb -- 51 years of flight.

The Database is small compared to Lycosaurs, no question about that.
But the database for them (Lycosaurs) was exceedingly small at one
time too, back when they were first introduced.

There isn't anything inherently wrong with the concept of using an
auto conversion. An engine is an engine as long is it's run within
it's design parameters. But you can't just bolt a prop to Mom's
salvaged grocery shuttle V-6 and expect it to work like an IO-360-L2A.


The devil is in the details. That's why the subject keeps being
discussed, that's why Bruce and others persist in printing
newsletters, a thankless task by the way. People need to know the
latest information.

Corky Scott