I would not be so quick to jump to conclusions. There are many things that could have played a part in this and no one will know without running a complete analysis on the damage. And, then, we may still never know. The front bearing is a definite improvement and I would not fly a Corvair engine without one, at least on a high performance plane. As for the flywheel, does the 14# harmonic balancer combined with a prop count for anything toward a flywheel? I don't know.
Someone suggested that someone out there should start making cranks. Well, someone did. Brady at Magnificent Machine produced some and I think at least one is currently in use. They also eliminated the harmonic balancer. I was talking to Joe at Revmaster one day about the new engine he was designing. He told me that he was getting a crank custom made for his new engine and that the investment would end up being around a million dollars. Any takers? VW cranks used to break until they did the same things that the Corvair builders are now doing. I have flown VWs with no extra bearing and with the so called front bearing like the Force One hub on the Great Plains. I never had a crank break. I wonder how many hours PF Beck has on his Corvair powered Piet with no front bearing and no broken cranks? See N64KR at http://KRBuilder.org - Then click on the pics See you at the 2012 - KR Gathering in Mt. Vernon, Il MVN 40th Anniversary There is a time for building and it is almost over. Daniel R. Heath - Lexington, SC -----Original Message----- Based on the experiences of those who've been there, it seems the big fifth bearing now being implemented by Corvair builders moderates but doesn't completely eliminate the effect of the crank bending forces imposed by the prop
