Need help identifying an engine mount

[retroaviation]

I've been trying for years to find someone to identify this engine mount (even once here on WIX), but I've not been able to have any luck so far. For a while, I thought it was perhaps a mount for a B-36, but after seeing pictures of the Pima bird, it was clear that this is not for the Peacemaker.

Soooooo, I'm going to try, one more time, to get this thing accurately identified. I am thinking of turning it into something else, but don't want to destroy something that could be of potential use to someone. However, with that being said, it's doing nobody any good if nobody knows what the heck it is for.

Unfortunately, I have not found a single part number on this monstrosity. That pretty much excludes it being anything made by Boeing, as they stamp nearly every component they make. So we know it's likely not B-36 and it's likely not a Boeing product. I can tell, however, from the hardware, camlock style receptacles, etc., that it is highly likely that it's from an aircraft built in the U.S.

As you can see in these photos, it is freakin' BIG! It stands around 8ft. tall.........






These are pictures that were taken while standing on the forklift, looking down towards the mount. I can only assume that the large, square pads there are where the engine mounts would go. Oh, and the rounded section, which I used to think was the bottom of the mount, is (I think) actually the top. That may be a clue to what this thing may have come from. Rather than having a "chin" scoop, it looks like the scoop would've been on top..............






These shots are taken back on the ground now. They show the lifting eyes, which I hadn't noticed before. And naturally, they would've been mounted at the top of the mount, which is why I now believe the scoop would've been on the top NOT the bottom.............






Now to throw a wrench in the works (so to speak).......I found this tool on one of the cowling formers. For whatever reason, I'd never seen it there before. Anyway, it has a Wright part number on it, which may or may not mean anything. It may be a tool used for the engine that is supposed to go on this mount, OR this mount may have just been a convenient table for someone working on a Wright engine that was nearby...........






So.......what do y'all think about it? I'm starting to think that maybe this was a mount for an early turboprop airplane of some sort, but since that's the wrong kind of round engine for me, I wouldn't even know where to start as far as guessing what kind of airplane this might be from. Maybe an old firebomber? Larry Kraus, do you have any thoughts on this? Anyone else?

Thanks,
Gary

[hahnej]

The large flying boats (Mars, Marlin, etc.) had the really long nacelles or the engine mount/driveshaft/prop mount off the XB-35....

Not something off the A2D is it? Probably not, too big.

Not something with Dart tp mabye?

[Jerry O'Neill]

I was thinking that it looks like some type of early turboprop engine mount, with a big scoop. Could be something like a P-3 Orion or Tradwinds?
Jerry

[John Dupre]

The R3Y had the airscoop on the bottom. The Orion/Electra has it on the top as does the Convair 580........

[gregv]

C-133?

by this photo it looks like sort-of the right shape:

http://www.kbvp.com/photo/douglas-c-133 ... op-engines

Neptune maybe?

greg v.

Last edited by gregv on Tue Sep 08, 2009 6:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[The Inspector]

Just SWAG (silly wild a$$ed guess), but could that mount be from one of the B-17 5th engine testbed airframes?? It was obviously built to be paneled up so it's not (most likely) a test stand mount, it was designed to fly. Or maybe one of the POGO airframes either the Lockweed XFV or CONVAIR XFY

[WIXerGreg]

Possibly from an exceedingly rare Stratolina/R4360?

[51fixer]

Don't think its P-3. Maybe it takes out the L-188 as well.
Compare to this pic-
http://www.kiwiaircraftimages.com/pages/aodorn6.html
Rich

[retroaviation]

Good stuff here so far, y'all. Keep the info coming!

Thanks!

Gary

[Second Air Force]

I don't think it is C-133. The fairing support has too much curvature on Gary's mount compared to the relatively flat sides of the 133 nacelle. It really does look like it is for a turboprop, though.

[hahnej]

We know the plane survived (mostly), maybe so did the test mount.

Look at the side pic in this link, shows duct on bottom....?

http://www.aerofiles.com/boe-b17turbo.jpg


I wonder if the structural hoop on the mount is not for a duct, but more for protection in a nose-over; the b-17 in the link also has ductwork on the top. The taper and profile look about right as well.

[retroaviation]

Here's a message that was e-mailed to me via former WIXer, Rob Rohr (who's family used to build engine mounts, among other things).........

"Hi Gary,

Well it's not off the P-3/L-188,C-130A or any of the DC stuff. My Dad thinks it might be either off the R3Y or the C-124.

As for the 5th engine B-17 that is being discussed, it's not from them. The one that is now Liberty Bell that NEAM had, came with the 5th engine mount and is still sitting in the back 40 at NEAM. The other 17 that was used by Curtis-Wright to do the R-3350 Test with a L-1049 Rohr Build Engine Mount was returned to Rohr after CW finished with the program and Rohr scrapped that Mount in the mid 70s.

My personal thought it is off the R3Y."


So, my next question is.....Does anyone have any pictures of the engine installation on an R3Y? A tough request, I know, but it might help solve this mystery. (By the way, I tried to search for pictures and drawings on the electric internet, but it kept locking up my computer )

Gary

[gregv]

here's some pics from Wikipedia:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Categ ... _Tradewind


including this small shot of the installation in the XP5Y:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File: ... AN6-50.jpg


here's a flickr pic of the C-124 at the NMUSAF, also not the greatest:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/maunzy/3703262474/sizes/o/


some great cowling shots in this walkaround, but none showing the cowling open:

http://www.cybermodeler.com/aircraft/c- ... walk.shtml

while the C-124 cowling seems to be the right shape, I don't believe that it had an internal framework to support the "petals", rather they formed a self-supporting shell once closed. Could be wrong though.


cheers

greg v.

[retroaviation]

Thanks for the links, Greg.

I just don't know if the C-124 is the right plane though. I've just not seen a radial engine mount on pads like what this engine mount has. Plus, with those lifting eyes being on the same side as the "scoop," it sure makes me think that the 124 setup is upside down compared to what I've got.

Interesting mystery here, huh?

Gary

[gregv]

Gary

any chance this is from some sort of rotary or tilt-wing aircraft?


How's this for a long shot, based on small and grainy images?:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File: ... AN6-53.jpg

from:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Categ ... per_Savage


interesting piece!

gv