The Corvair 3.3L Stroker Engine has come to life! We test ran the prototype engine on Monday the 14th of July, 2015 and it ran and sounded great! We are now headed to EAA Airventure 2015 and will be displaying the engine on Paul Salter’s airframe (display only…see below for more detail).
The background:
Dan developed the 3.0L Corvair years ago for his own personal interest and it worked very well. This configuration was a 3000cc (190 cubic inches) powerplant. The Corvair 3.0L has been a popular power plant for various airframes like the Sonex, Zenith and of course our Panther prototype.
The reasoning behind the 3.3L Stroker Project:
The thrust of the 3.3L Stroker project was to make similar output of power at a lower RPM to make more efficient use of propellers. This configuration uses our custom USA made billet stroker crankshaft, custom pistons and connecting rods and a machine clearanced case. It also has our 2nd generation 5th bearing, reconditioned cylinder heads and our rear alternator option.
Plus:
Dan is a gear-head. He loves to fly and he loves engines – always has and always will. And bigger is better, bottom end torque is great. Getting off the ground faster is definitely better.
Will it Produce?:
All of the engineering and math says it will. After Oshkosh we will continue to test the engine on the test stand, then move to Dynamometer testing by an independent 3rd party. With the long proven Corvair conversion and supporting parts fro
m William Wynne from FlyCorvair.com we have a good track record. Our plan is to take the 3.0L Corvair engine off of the Panther prototype N515XP and Dyno it, then the 3.3L Stroker. If all testing goes well we will install the 3.3L Stroker on N515XP and flight test it. This will be an easy “engine swap” as all of the outside components and dimensions will stay exactly the same.
Once we have the testing information we will publish the numbers and start taking orders. If you are going to be at Oshkosh stop by booth N615 to take a look at the engine and add yourself to the “interested list”. Based on testing we expect to be taking deposits this fall.
