Wen-mac 049

It was the engine on my first plane, a heavy plastic dive bomber. It flew perhaps half a circle before it crashed and died. I now have a couple of wen-macs in fair condition but with broken needle valves. I also have plans for a 1/2A that is designed for this engine. From previous threads, I understand how to get the remaining piece of the needle out of the body.
Where should I look for a replacement? Is there a substitute? Or is it easier and less expensive to find a complete engine on ebay?

BLACK HAWK
Testors took over Wen-Mac and their needle valves may be easier to find also buy up any glow heads that you find. Larry

LAST EDITED ON Oct-02-04 AT 09:31 AM (CDT)
 
I've used the needle and spray bar assy from the Cox product engine plastic backplate. It doesnt have the nice flexible handle on it - but it fits the hole and works, plus they are pretty easy to find.

Just my opinion, but the Wen-Mac .049 was probably responsible for preventing a lot of people from getting into the hobby in the first place.

It was a worthless engine, and made Cox famous.

Tom,

I agree! I had a Wen Mac powered Corsair, which never even flew at all. I got it for Christmas when I was maybe eleven years old, and did not try again until I was twenty eight! It was really a demoraizing experience.

Paul Smith

My next-door neighbor, Dick Fosdick, was Number One in his class at Catholic Central. He was a mechanical and electronic genius.

Fosdick actually got a Wen-mac 049 to RUN and fly a control line airplane. I swear this is true. I know this is hard to believe.

by any act, error, or omission, I have, intentionally or
unintentionally, displayed any breedist, disciplinist, sexist, racist,
culturalist, nationalist, regionalist, localist, ageist, lookist, ableist,
sizeist, speciesist, intellectualist, socioeconomicist, ethnocentrist,
phallocentrist, heteropatriarchalist, or other violation of the rules of
political correctness, known or unknown, I am not sorry and I encourage you
to get over it.

We used to run Wen Macs. They had the nickname of Whens it going to run mac.
Thet really needed the hottest plug and most important a really fresh battery to get them going. The factory props were like soft spaghetti and put out no thrust at all, The motor would not rev at all on any 6 inch prop.
But that said we did fly a few of them, and one friend had the car and boat. Never did get the outboard motor to run. Shame that he dosn't know what happened to it as that motor would be worth a pretty penny now.
Dennis

If you really want a needle valve for your Wen-mac I have one I will let go for $3.00 plus cost of mailing which shouldn't be over 50 cents. So make it $3.50 and it is yours. It is used but in fine shape.

Tom Elston

972-938-3823

wen will I get some respect mac

LAST EDITED ON Oct-02-04 AT 09:21 PM (CDT)
 
>We used to run Wen Macs. They had the nickname of Whens it
>going to run mac.
>Thet really needed the hottest plug and most important a
>really fresh battery to get them going. The factory props
>were like soft spaghetti and put out no thrust at all, The
>motor would not rev at all on any 6 inch prop.
>But that said we did fly a few of them, and one friend had
>the car and boat.

The heyday (if you can call it that) of the Wen-Mac was a little before my time, but I got them to run. Some were tolerably good, others were, well, not so good. I agree, the RTF props were absolute junk. A good prop made a big difference. Cox Racing fuel made a big difference as well. If I was going to run one now, I'd try to mix up some 40% nitro/20 propylene oxide fuel. But I don't really miss those nostalgic hours in the hot sun flipping.

Interesting historical tidbit - the episode of "My Three Sons" that featured control-line flying (and an amazing hobby shop set) used Wen-Mac as a techincal advisor. They got them to run and fly.

Ok, well maybe "interesting" was a bit of a stretch.

>Never did get the outboard motor to run.
>Shame that he dosn't know what happened to it as that motor
>would be worth a pretty penny now.

Those were really cool. A guy I knew had one, but he couldn't ever get it to run, either.

That Fosdick really was a genious if he managed to fly a WenMac!

I have two or three or four of the older WenMacs my wife got for a song at a general auction. I sold several for $5 each. The ones I have run all start easily. They are variable in power and I don't think I would build a CL airplane for even the best one. I do intend to use them on some sport free flights one of these days. Don't care to have to walk to far to retrieve them.

I was the only person on my block to get my Wen-Mac to run. The plastic RTF it came in had disintegrated by that time, and the pull cord starter wore out the cord. But I got it started and running ONE time. An OK Cub glow plug, Top Flite Plasticote 7-3 for flywheel effect on flipping, and Fox Blast (40% nitro)fuel fed from a Walker baloon tank. Ran real loud and steady. Never ran again.

Mine had a rotomatic starter, which promptly broke. It did soon introduce me to prop cut fingers though.

LAST EDITED ON Oct-04-04 AT 07:31 PM (CDT)
 
My 2nd control line plane was a Testors Cosmic Wind, all chrome and shiny. I tried to hide the disapointment from my dad, I really wanted a Cox PT-19 like my friends had. He had given me a Cox P-51 for my 1st plane, it lasted 1/2 a lap. The Cosmic Wind was bigger and supposed to be a trainer, so he thought it might be a good choice.

We did get it to run, and with a Cox 5x3 prop it would fly high enough and fast enough to finally smash the fuselage too badly to repair. It was actually a much better plane than the Testors "Fly-em" series that came out later. Those were real "Rock on a string" types.

Attached is a pic of my beat up Zero and F8F scaled from the .15 size plans from Flying Models. Both have Wen-Mac / Testors .049 with Cox needle assy. Flew OK, the flaps on the Bearcat didn't add anything to the flight performance.

JEC, I just got two Wen-Macs off E-Bay and both had broken needles in them. One has a glow head, and the other a glow plug that screws into the head. So if you go there, be sure that the items that you want are servicable. ie good needles.
Bigiron
Got them with a big bunch of stuff (7 engines)

Hi Guys; I got a Wen Mac in a bunch of old engines a fellow flyer gave me, and built a Dakota Bipe free flight for it. It is the one with the conventional plug that screws into the head. This motor would start in 2 or 3 flips every time. The first flight on the Dakota it just took off and started looping and gaining altitude until the engine quit. THen went into a very flat glide. Sooo! I put on a larger prop, added an extra glo plug gasket, and fueled her up with fox super fuel. Now she climbes out in a nice spiral until the motor quits, and goes in to a nice flat glide. This motor with the mods and Super Fuel is still one of the easiest to start engines I own.

No arguements from me Jim. I have always found those engines very user friendly. The old plastic planes that they put them on left a LOT to be desired. I usually took the engines out of the plastics and built balsa trainers for them and for that, they were wonderful.

Bigiron

PS They were NOT prone to run backwards. (as some other types were)

B

I have a lot of recent experience with Wen Macs, since I use them on certain Musciano Meet Hollow Logs that I campaign every year. So here are some thoughts...

1. There are almost endless variations of these things under the Wen Mac name, up to Mark XIII. These have conventional glow plugs, and, yes, they are difficult to start and keep running. And when they do, there is little power available. Brett Buck is correct in stating that these engines need a ton on nitro to run...at all. But hot fuel covers up a lot of ills.

2. Late in the game, Testors McCoy took over this line of Wen Mac motors, and applied a glow head, with the rest of the engine essentially the same, with perhaps a touch better QC. These last engines are much, much better. They start and run well, something like a one port Babe Bee Cox, and sometimes even better.

3. Another key issue, mentioned earlier, is prop size. Do not overload these little engines. They like a 5-3, by the way. My best Testors McCoy tached last month at 17.5K with a 5.25-3 plastic prop, 15% nitro.

4. I have bought a ton of these motors, starting with the Wen Mac glow plug ones (not any more), and finishing with the Testors McCoy glow head versions, mixing, matching, trying to find good ones. People give them to you, or you can find them on ebay for a song ("First prize, one Wen Mac, second prize, two of 'em").

5. There is a guy I know who competes with Testors McCoy engines in Vintage Free Flight events, where engine choice is restricted. Using cylinder shims and other tricks, he has gotten Cox Medallion + performance out of them. I have not done this, since the factory (apparently) did not shim, and the Musciano rules require stock engines. But they do pretty well stock.

6. The angled NVA's are a pain, since you can't reverse them, at least not from a practical sense. The pickup is on the inborne side, so you have to wrap the fuel line around to the inside, leaving a longer line than you would normally like.

So: If you want to run one from a nostalgic sake, get one with a glow head, and feed it hot fuel. But don't be afraid to give them a try.

Oh yes...the outboards by WM. Never tried to run one, but I have hawked a few on Good Old Ebay. They bring Two Bills.