RV-6 with Chevy 4.3 performance?

[Steve RV6]

I have an RV-6 with a Beltedair drive on a Chevy 4.3 vortec engine. I recently installed a warp drive 3-blade prop. I would be interested in hearing from someone else with this set up to hear about performance, pitch settings, etc. Thanks!

[arue333]

how is the 4.3 doing? Any over heating issues?

[dlomheim]

Do you have some numbers you can post such as total empty weight, nose gear and main gear weights, various speeds, etc.

Thanks.

Doug Lomheim
RV-9A, Mazda 13B, FWF

[NDrv8r]

I do not have any experience with the chevy, but I have a friend who built a beautiful RV6 with a ford v6. He never did get the heating issue solved even though he ran this big duct all the way under the fuselage to the rear of the baggage compt.

The power seemed to be quite low as well.

In addition his empty weight was 1395.

When I decided to get an RV I looked at that plane, but after considering everything, I decided to start from scratch with a RV7A and am real close to flying. I think Vans advice to stick with the aircraft engine is valid. My $.02.

[pierre smith]

Originally Posted by Steve RV6

I have an RV-6 with a Beltedair drive on a Chevy 4.3 vortec engine. I recently installed a warp drive 3-blade prop. I would be interested in hearing from someone else with this set up to hear about performance, pitch settings, etc. Thanks!

Have you contacted Jess Myers at Beltedair yet? IIRC, there are a couple hundred airplanes or more, using his setup, including RV's.

Best,

[Steve RV6]

Pierre:
Thanks, I have been in contact with BeltedAir since I purchased the plane. I added many of the items he offers or suggests to improve the plane including an aluminum manifold (saved almost 26 pounds), aluminum flywheel, waterpump and his exhaust system (sounds great)! I also installed the Warp Drive prop (saved almost 24 pounds). I've improved/upgraded the plane in a number of other areas too including the Screaming Eagle tailwheel.
This particular 4.3 has approx 250 HP and seems to have plenty of power with cruise at about 170mph and I have set the prop on the pitch BeltedAir recommends for best cruise...I decided to leave it at more of a climb setting with the very hot summer we're having.
Over heating was a problem in the beginning, as well as vapor lock. I insulated all of the fuel lines and fuel pump and installed a cowling flap (there wasn't one). The cowling flap made a big difference.
I'm very happy with the setup, I just started this thread hoping to communicate with someone else that has this setup.
thanks,
Steve

[wilddog]

Steve,
What does your airplane weigh?

[pierre smith]

Steve, I've given a lot of transition training in my -6A and showed many students how well an RV climbs at speeds as high as 160+ MPH.

We're also in a very hot summer with 98-100 deg temps, so I've raised my RV-10 climbs to 150+ MPH, mainly for cooling considerations. It's the one area that you have full control over and I can still climb near 1,000 FPM doing so. Gladly give up a little climb for cooler temps/longevity.

Best,

[fducharme]

Hi, I own an RV-7A powered by a Vortec 4.3 from Belted Air Power. I also have a warpdrive propeller. I too would like to know what pitch to use because I feel like my current settings are not good. For example, during my runnup if I go beyond 2500 rpm the propeller begins to make a loud noise that does not sound good at all. The climb performance is marginal (1900 fpm solo) and the cruise speed is bad (145-150 mph).

I also found out that when doing steep climb, the fuel would leak from the carburator vent. The carburator itself is fine, it is simply not designed to perform with unusual attitude. I'm replacing that carburator with a TBI from Rotec as we speak. I'm also replacing the oil pan with a bigger one that is longer. This engine is installed backward in an airplane because is was originally design to propel a boat prop and the bigger part of the oil pan is at the back (with becomes the front is an airplane). Once again, during steep climb the engine could starve on oil.

I also had some trouble with vapor lock witch resulted in an aborted takeof and a landing with no engine at all. Hopefully, my flight instructor was piloting the airplane both time and nothing bad happened. Since then, I redesigned the fuel system, add insulation, add a fuel pressure regulator and a fuel return line.

Finally, I recently discovered that coolant was leaking into the oil. Some gaskets were not leak proof anymore. The oil itself was splilling everywhere for no apparent reason too. So I took out the engine for a complete inspection. Here's what my mechanic had to do :
-Replace every seal and gaskets with filpro one
-Refactor cylinder heads
-Replace all intake valves
-Replace cylinder rings

Did I tell you that my engine has 250 hours since new? I did not fly this summer, instead I "invested" my time and money in an engine that I'm not quite sure will perform at least as good as a classic Lycoming. My Vortec engine typically burns 7-8gph witch is better than most Lycoming and yes it is happy with premium mogas, but how much time will it take to get my money back?

Seriously, I really hope to solve my many problems and get that engine running, but if you have the choice, stick with traditional engine. They are not perfect, but they are reliable. I currently have to deal with 3 different mechanics : one the knows everything about airplane but nothing about Vortec engine, one that knows everything about Mercruiser boat engine witch are almost the same as a Vortec, and one that knows everything about racing cars and performance engine parts.

[pierre smith]

Thanks for your insight into your engine.

We don't often get honest posts like yours from an owner.

Best,