Allison Engine Question

[Jack Cook]

Regard the Allisons used in the P-38. I'm assuming that the Allison V1710-111 was the left engine and the V1710-113 was the right
I also under stand the their supposedly easy to switch the rotation (easy being a relative word):?:
But I've also heard that this is actually difficult and the right engine is more popular due to it's ability to be used in othger a/c ie P-40/51A/YAK ect
Over to the experts...........

[The Inspector]

Turned a fair amount of lefties into righties back in the late 60's for unlimited hydroplane racing (OH STOP! They were plentiful and cheap), basically swap the crank and crank girdle end for end (as I remember it took three of us and a stout lifting strap due to the cranks weight and unwieldliness) pretty much everything else stays the same.

Don't recall issues with blower rotation, but the blower guy acted like you were stealing from Ft. Knox if you looked over his shoulder, he was one posessive cat!

[Cking]

Hi Jack (Are we allowed to say that these days?)
I asked the same sort of question a while ago
http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/p ... highlight=
I couldn't think of a more complicated way of doing it!

Rgds Cking

P.S. from your large picture collection. How about a P-38 engine change in the field?

[Jack Cook]

Here's a few....................

P-38F 1st FG Tunisia 1943

#1 P-38L 44th FS Philippines 1945

#2 Lt Dave Boore on right 44th FS Engineering Officer with some of boys with a new Allison.

[Cking]

Great, I knew I could rely on you Jack!
Thanks a lot

Rgds Cking

[Mgawa]

I know that in Yugoslav Kigdom was used left/right rotating engines for bombers. The same engine could be used on single engine plane but only if it is built for this type of rotation engine. In order to compensate gyro totque moment of the engine, single seat planes have vertical surface inclined for few degre on side or have asymetric profile. Simply to say placing of other type of engine would have devastating effect.

This is interesting question about the P-38 and I will look at some engeneering publications about this plane and find out about the type of engines.

Cheers

[bluehawk15]

Jack,

As I recall, and mind you it's been a few years since we had the Scatterbrain Kid II, the -111 was on the right, -113 on the left.

[ww2John]

You just can't look at pictures like this of a/c maintenance "in the field" and not have tremendous respect for the ground crews and their work in such tough conditions, to say nothing of just being in a war zone trying to stay alive.

[sdennison]

You just can't look at pictures like this of a/c maintenance "in the field" and not have tremendous respect for the ground crews and their work in such tough conditions, to say nothing of just being in a war zone trying to stay alive.

No kidding. I have a DVD of the P-47 field assembly process. From the use of every part of the crate in a particular manner and order to the hanging of the wings with 50 stout airmen carrying each wing, it is absolutely facinating. Then the de-cosmolene process...yuk.

How many were assembled this way? Wow, those guys did a heck of a job!

[Jack Cook]

From wixapedia
Another feature of the V-1710 design was its ability to turn the output shaft either clockwise or counter-clockwise by assembling the engine with the crankshaft turned end-for-end, by installing an idler gear in the drive train to the supercharger and accessories and by installing a starter turning the proper direction. So, there was no need to re-arrange the ignition wiring and firing order, nor the oil and Glycol circuits to accommodate the direction of rotation.