Engines

JE PERFORMANCE is an agent for the DaL FS-436 model engine

DAL FS-436 engine


We are happy to tell you that we have become the agent in USA of this fantastic engine. Designed and hand-built by the Swedish master mechanic Sten Dal, this is a piece of art and an engine for the true enthusiast. There will be only about 30 of them on the market.

DAL fig

FIGURE 1

The new DAL FS-436 (here shown “upside-down”)

This engine is a development of the flat-twin DAMO FS-218 that appeared in 1977 and is built to the same high standards of workmanship. At that time the engine was made by the company “DAMO Fine-Mechanics Company”, which was owned and run by Sten Dal and Lars Mohlin. The name DAMO was made up of the first two letters of their family names, but it was Sten who had designed their engine. The new flat-four is also Sten’s design. This time he is the sole manufacturer and as he no longer has any connection with the DAMO company, this new engine is called “DAL”.

No effort has been spared to make this new DAL FS-436 an outstanding engine. The materials have been carefully chosen, the parts have been machined to very tight tolerances with a fine surface finish, and given a proper heat treatment where needed. The fits are “just right”. In order to reduce the friction, the total number of rolling element bearings in the engine is 21! A built-in starter motor with a planetary gear reduction, a drive shaft with two flexible couplings and a true Bendix arrangement for the final gear engagement is provided. The electronic ignition system is automatically adjusting the firing point from a few hundred RPM up to around 10,000. Fuel is gasoline with a little two-stroke oil, preferably of the outboard type for added safety against corrosion. The Perry carburetor has been modified for better mid-range control and an air bleed screw has been added for a lower and safer idling speed. (The prototype shown above had another carburetor.)

The old flat-twin DAMO with glow plugs, running on methanol and nitro had one weakness: the needle bearings at the big end of the connecting rods did not like methanol’s ability to absorb water, and corrosion developed too often in those parts, if not properly cleaned after running. Here, with gasoline as a fuel, there is no risk for anything of that nature. The connecting rods have also been beefed up. Each piston has two rings for improved sealing and heat dissipation ability. The push rods and the rockers are enclosed for better lubrication and longer periods between valve clearance adjustments. The crankcase has three breather outlets, to make sure that the engine is well ventilated. The recommended oil content in the fuel is 1 to 2%. This low value helps greatly in keeping the model clean.

The DAL FS-436 looks pretty much like a real Continental engine, and that makes this new engine very desirable for the scale modeler. It looks like the real thing, and it sounds like one also – at least when it is idling. It has now been well tested in the air, as well on the ground. For instance, the model airplane below has more than 200 flights, and the engine something like 50 hours of running time without any detectable wear.

See a video of the engine running here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDT9s-fvOm8)

DALcube

FIGURE 2

With the DAL FS-436 up front, a model looks very much like the real thing!


DALiCube

FIGURE 3

The DAL FS-436 in the nose of the CUB L4J.

The starter motor has a planetary reduction gearbox with steel gears and is engaging the engine by means of a true Bendix gear arrangement. A drive shaft with couplings makes installation easy. The electronic spark ignition system comes from Becker in Germany. It is using two ignition modules, each serving two cylinders. Triggering is by means of a Hall-effect sensor. The electronic spark advance/retard system is complemented by a mechanical device in order to obtain a super low idling speed.


DATA:

Displacement: 36 cc

Stroke: 20 mm

Bore: 24 mm

Max. power: 3 HP (estimated)

Max. recommended speed: 8,000 RPM

Idling speed (approx.): 600 RPM

Suitable propellers: 20” x 10” or 21” x 12”

Ball bearings, crankshaft: 12 x 21 x 5 mm (8 pieces)

Needle bearings, con-rod: 6 x 9 x 9 mm (8 pieces in total)

Needle bearings, camshaft: 8 x 12 x 10 mm (3 pieces)

Ball bearing, starter drive: 5 x 11 x 5 mm

Needle bearing, starter dr.: 10 x 14 x 10 mm

Cylinders: Aluminum alloy with hardened steel liners

Crankshaft: Hardened steel, built up in situ

Ignition system: Capacity discharge type, with automatic advance, from Becker (Germany)

Fuel: Gasoline with 1-2% oil

Fuel lines: Viton

Starting system: Electric motor with planetary reduction, drive shaft, couplings and Bendix gears

Engine mount: Stainless steel

Weight (approx.): 1,600 grams or 56 oz. (Including exhaust pipes and engine mount, but without starter motor, ignition system and batteries)


The engine comes complete with all the parts mentioned above. Four extra pieces of the exhaust system are supplied to facilitate customized installations. The drive shaft between the starter motor and the Bendix gear is extra long in order to accommodate different positions of the motor. An installation drawing is provided, together with a drill template for the screw holes in the bulkhead. Metric tools for the socket head screws are also included. Not supplied are batteries for ignition and the starter motor. Each engine has been bench run for at least 20 minutes and carburetor and ignition have been adjusted to insure an easy start. (Settings to be finalized after the engine has been fully run in.)

Sten Dal has a pretty good supply of parts. He can also make repairs, if that would become necessary. The warranty is “flexible”. Sten stands behind his product, but would like to judge each case separately.

The price for the DAL FS-436 is 50,000.00 Swedish Crowns (SEK). (Due to the variation in the exchange rate US$/SEK, the price has to be given in this way.) Added to this will be the cost of shipment and insurance from Sweden. (Around SEK 800:-)

JE Performance will answer questions, take orders and arrange the shipment from Sten Dal to the customer. Payment shall be made to Sten Dal.