65 hp Franklin - need OVHL gasget set

[TomLatos]

I am working on a '39 BF-65 T-craft. Engine needs tear-down and inspection. Can anyone recommend a source for a major OVHL gasket set. The Franklin is a 4AC176-B2.

Thanks in advance.

[VictorBravo]

Re: 65 hp Franklin - need OVHL gasget set

There is a Franklin Engines company in Colorado, who sell the new Polish PZL 6 cylinder Franklins for use on Cessnas. Although it is a completely different engine, they might know where you can get the gaskets, or maybe they have the patterns that you can use to cut your own.

To be honest, you can have them made fairly easily, with the new laser cutting technology. You could make a paper pattern from your old gaskets or even use the old ones, have them computer scanned and turned into CAD graphic files, then laser cut from whatever material you specify. Old fashioned paper gaskets, new silicone ones, whatever. This would easily qualify for "owner produced parts" and will allow you to rebuild your engine if there are no existing gasket sets.

EAA in Oshkosh maintains a list of the experts and knowledgable companies for most antique stuff. I called them once to ask who worked on the old Lycoming 65 engines, and they immediately gave me a name and phone number of the top guy for that engine.

Find a fellow named Al Ball at Santa Paula airport here in California. I think his business is called "Antique Aero Engines". Anyone on the airport will know him. He rebuilds and repairs the strange and rare airplane engines that nobody knows still exist. He surely will know where to find those gaskets. Tread lightly, he's one of those tough cranky old !(#$* guys with little patience some days. But he knows his stuff cold.

For whatever it's worth, way back in the old days they taught people to make their own gaskets using gasket paper and a tiny ball peen hammer. Although quite time consuming, if all else fails it will allow you to rebuild the engine properly, and in a manner completely appropriate for an antique engine.

Good luck with your rebuild,

Bill Berle

[Len Petterson]

Re: 65 hp Franklin - need OVHL gasget set

Knocking out gaskets?
Be carefull not to dammage the part you using as pattern.
A sharp edge may not be to sharp if hit with a hard hammer, a brass or copper hammer may be god or carefull tapping. Some dubble sided tape to hold the gasket material in place may also come in handy.
Practice makes perfect! For circular gaskets there are good gasket cutter avelable in industrial supply stores, or borrow one from a machine shop.
Have fun, and carfully select your gasket material as to what was there before, type of fluid. heat level. Thicknes can be critical as gaskets
sometime add to clearanses. to thick or to thin? Consider compressed thickness?
Len

[TomLatos]

Re: 65 hp Franklin - need OVHL gasget set

It looks like there is no ready outlet for parts. I have phoned and E-mailed Franklin Engines - no reply. Are small Franklin engine parts harder to come by then Warner parts?

Thanks for the encourangement. I have made gaskets before using stamp pad ink applied to the part and then setting the part on the gasket material. This leaves a very nice outline. Gasket thickness is always a tough decision. Are Franklin engine prints available?

I have the windshield out of the project and am ready to begin engine tear-down- inspection. Ship left the factory what looks like "Cruiser Orange" color paint. Trim color is still TBD. Somewhere along the line the 3-piece windshield was replaced with a 1-piece. Is it worth tracking down the parts to make it original?

Thanks.

[TomLatos]

Re: 65 hp Franklin Taylor-Young Project

Last nite before the EAA meeting, I removed the Eiseman AM4 mags and opened them up to get a look at points, rotor, distributor, etc. Points look ok, rotors servicable, but one coil leaking badly, and one cracked distributer cap. So I'm off to the races looking for parts. Hope to score some at the Fly market.

Any leads on Franklin parts are appreciated.

Good news is that the engine in free and a quick peek seems encouraging.


Thanks

[Mark Julicher]

Re: 65 hp Franklin - need OVHL gasget set

All things Franklin!

Susan Prall - Owner
A-1 Service
300 PR 5881-A
Jewett, Texas 75846
Phone (903) 626-5115
Fax (903) 626-6658

Susan had a booth at the Southwest Regional Fly In this year. She knows the engines inside and out and overhauls them for lots of people. I would try her first for any Franklin part. He website is not functioning, but hey, she is an A&P not a computer geek. No offense intended to computer geeks.