Whitcomb starting

Here is video of the whitcomb starting.

Sad news

The radiator core on the Whitcomb needs to be replaced. That's water running down the front of the radiator on the whole right side.
I put 4 buckets of water in to see how the patch on the bottom was doing. There was a place in the rear of the core where 4 tubes are leaking badly. I decided to fill it up and see if there were other leaks. I connected all the radiator hoses and filled up the radiator. The whole top header of the core is leaking badly. Water poured over the front of the radiator.
Replacing the radiator is a big deal. It needs to be removed with a crane and put on a flat bed truck. It is too big for a pickup truck. The tanks need removed and taken to a shop and welded up. A new core needs to be custom made ($$$). The top and bottom tanks need bolted on. Then the radiator and hood need replaced using a crane.

First start up

Well here’s the good news. After nearly 3 years of work the 200 hp LeRoi engine started. I put gas in the spark plug holes and cranked it over and it started up, didn’t stay running, but it started. The single carriage battery turns it over. It had great oil pressure. and the air compressor pumped air. There are many adjustments to make and the radiator is still leaking, but the engine is running.
Wed July 29 I sealed off the bottom radiator hose and put some water in the radiator. It leaked a little.
Thur July 30 I cranked it over with a tire iron in the ring gear and saw the timing was off. The impulse on the magneto was happening too soon. I unbolted and slid the water pump, distributor and magneto out from the timing gears and rotated the gear 1 tooth clockwise (retarded). This was an improvement but it needed more. I moved it 2 more teeth. Almost correct now I moved it one more tooth.
Friday July 31 I filled the torque converter with hydraulic oil.
Saturday Aug 1 My nephew, who repairs machinery in the steel mill in Pittsburgh, came to visit. He was a good heavy machinery mechanic would be a good one to help me on the first firing. We put gas in the spark plug holes and put the plugs back. It started right up but wouldn’t stay running. It wasn’t getting gas. The fuel drum was set up right and the fuel pump wouldn’t pull the fuel up the 3/8 pipe. We tried to prime the pump but the engine wouldn’t stay running.
Sun Aug 2 We ran a single 3/8 copper line from the fuel pump in to the drum. The engine started but the fuel pump wouldn’t hold the prime.
Mon Aug 3 I made a rack or stand and turned the fuel drum on its side. Gas now ran gravity flow to the fuel pump. The engine started and ran but fuel pored out the front carburator. The float valve was stuck open.
Wed Aug 5th I took the bottom plate off the radiator and put water in it. I saw where the leaks were. I bought more epoxy and spread it over the leaks. I disassembled the front carburator and adjusted the float valve. I will grind notches in the radiator plate to fit better.

Bottom radiator tank

I was previously unable to get fuel to flow from the gas tank to the carburators, so I decided to install an electric fuel pump. The fuel pump was installed and gas was brought to the carbs.
I had meant to epoxy around the piece that was broken out of the bottom of the radiator. The broken piece was in the shape of a flap. When I squeezed the flap up into the radiator it didn’t fit the hole. When I tried to straighten it so that it would fit it broke out. It turns out that was a good thing. With the piece out, there was a 5 by 10 inch hole in the bottom of the radiator. I was able to get my whole arm up in the hole and pull out handfuls of rust and a huge mouse nest. I spent quite a bit of time cleaning out rust and debris, most of it came down on me crouched under the frame between the radiator and the greasy motor. I mixed up a big can of PC7 epoxy and spread it on both the hole and the piece. I put the piece back in the hole and blocked it up to cure. I plan to sand the joint and put another light coat of epoxy on it. The new steel plate pictured above with a rubber gasket will strengthen the weak bottom.

Jun 24,25,26

The Whitcomb has 2 Zenith carburetors and 2 governor bodies The governor linkage did not fit up well so I decided that the governors were facing the wrong way. So I had to take them off make new gaskets and put them back on with the linkage facing in. I wired the coil, voltage regulator, and magneto. The cotter pins in the air compressor connecting rod were not through the castle nuts. I tried some different things and ended up putting lock washer under the nuts to bring them down far enough for the cotter pins to be effective. I crawled under the back axle to connect the clutch linkage. I found I had to loosen the clutch air cylinder to get the pin in the linkage. I did find the grease fittings for the axles. They are hard to get to without getting under the axles between the wheels.

June 17,18,19

Hank and I went up to the museum to work on the Whitcomb. It rained all 3 days. Ray and Steve spiked down rail into some new ties, getting ready for a CSX engine to come for a fire exercise. Hank ground off the bolts on the radiator grill because they were too rusty to be unbolted. We also had to grind off some of the 16 bolts in the bottom tank. We bolted in 'C' channel brackets which will connect to the 1/4 plate we are putting on the bottom of the radiator to seal the ice crack. We laid the new steel plate in and measured for the bolt pattern. I mounted the governors, the 2 carburetors and the magneto. Hank made gaskets for the valve covers. We got soaked through to our underwear.

June 2,3,4

I put the reconditioned valves back in the air compressor. I took a passenger car battery which was new, to bulldog battery in Cleveland. They put battery acid in it and I took it back. Cyd helped me get it in the Whitcomb. I bought a 30 gallon drum to replace the gas tank. I put a 3/8 ball valve on it. I thought we might be able to close the split in the bottom of the radiator with a steel plate. I measured and drew plans for the fix. I bought 2 pieces of “C” channel and a piece of ¼ plate. Hank drilled it to match the bolt pattern on the bottom radiator tank.