Wayne 100 Corvair boat engine question

[Jack L]

been looking on the net for pics of the oil system but no luck . The engine is set up vertical with a oil sump on the front [flywheel side] of the crank and the flywheel and fan on the pulley side witch would be the top. So how did the oil system work.  

[Ace-Garageguy]

The short answer is that a cast alloy sump bolted to the original flywheel-end of the engine cases supplies an oil pump driven by the end of the cam.

The new flywheel/ring gear, starter, fan, and oil filter adaptor are mounted on the original rear (pulley end) of the engine, on top.

The new sump, main engine mount, steering gear, and power takeoff to the prop are on the bottom, the original "front" of the engine (the original flywheel end).

The new oil pump housing is internally ported to direct oil into the same oil galleries in the case halves as the engine uses in horizontal applications, delivering oil to crank and cam bearings, lifters, and valve rockers just as in a standard installation. Used oil finds its way back to the sump via gravity, with a few deflectors and guides made specially for the vertical orientation.

Mounting flat six engines vertically is not particularly unusual (as in several helicopter designs), but the marine installation including hydraulic steering and power transmission to the prop is unique.

http://www.corvairs.org/Corvairsation/01May.pdf      (there are some photos that are a little hard to decipher due to copying limitations, but with the other info on the web, you should be able to piece together a reasonable representation)

Edited November 8, 2024 by Ace-Garageguy

[Jack L]

thanks Bill is the oil pump run off the cam gear. I have that pic . Still  looking for more.

[Ace-Garageguy]

1 hour ago, Jack L said:

thanks Bill is the oil pump run off the cam gear. I have that pic . Still  looking for more.

To the best of my understanding, the pump isn't driven by the cam gear, but directly by the end of the cam on the gear end.

My assumption is that the cam end gets a slot milled in it, and a tabbed "puck" that engages the slot drives the pump directly...though I could be mistaken.

The apparent offset between the crank centerline and what appears to be the oil pump looks to me as though this is the case.

But again, without clearer photos, I could be mistaken.

Just FYI, a slot in the old VW bug cams drives the oil pumps directly via a tab on one oil pump shaft that engages the slot.

EDIT: The more I think about it, the less likely it seems that Horning would have disassembled the engines to mill slots in the end of all the cams.

It's possible to mill a slot in the end of a Corvair cam while it's installed in the engine, especially as both the bellhousing and the timing cover would be removed to do the marine conversion, and the engines don't weigh too much to go on something like a Bridgeport mill...but I just don't know.

But if the cam gear drives the pump. there's the problem of driving a small gear (for an oil pump) with a much larger gear (the cam gear), which will spin the smaller gear much faster. Oil pumps I'm familiar with rotate at or close to camshaft RPM.

Horning was a competent and creative engineer, and it would be very interesting to see good photos of how he solved all these interrelated problems.

 

Edited November 8, 2024 by Ace-Garageguy

[Jack L]

Thanks, a slot in the end of cam would be easy with a end mill

[Mark]

I'm surprised nobody has built a rat rod with one of those vertical engine setups...

[Ace-Garageguy]

11 hours ago, Jack L said:

Thanks, a slot in the end of cam would be easy with a end mill

Yup, but the kinda tricky bit would be doing it with the engine assembled, keeping debris and chips out of the engine, to avoid having to disassemble it.

Just for grins I measured the vertical travel of the table on my Bridgeport clone, and a Corvair engine will fit vertically to do it with an end mill.

Alternatively, it could be done with a slotting cutter, with the engine mounted horizontally on the table.

Sure would be cool if somebody could find a manual on that engine that covers all the mods and special castings Horning made.

 

[Jack L]

I would like to see all the conversion parts and what was done .