I recently bought a flying Kitfox IV XL and am considering changing out the Rotax 503 for a Great Plains 2300cc (76-80hp) direct drive VW engine. Would anyone who has had experience with a VW engine in a Kitfox please tell me if this is a good idea or not. I'm concerned how I will address any CG problems, and any other problems I might not have thought of.......Great Plains mekes a firwall forward kit including engine mount and a new cowling. I've only owned my airplane for 6 months and really feel a need for more horsepower. The 503 is just 50hp. I am also brand new to this site having had Debra McBean direct me here. Looking for all the help I can get!
Im curious if you ever put the vw in your kitfox I have a aerovee & I am going to put it in my kitfox but I am unable to find a moter mount mabe greatplanes moter mount will work any info would be apreciated
Bob
Bob,
You may want to give the folks at Sonex a call and ask them. I'm willing to bet that this wouldn't be the first time this has come up.
If your feeling industrious, you can always weld up your own. Here's a link to a short video showing how to make a simple jig for welding up a VW engine mount:
I have a Kitfox-IV with a GP 2180 VW engine on it. When I bought the airplane kit from Skystar in the early 90's my intent was to use a VW or Subaru powerplant. I built a 2180 VW Great Plains engine from their kit and got the cowlings from a company in North Carolina that was at the time Mosler. The engine mount that came with Mosler's firewall forward kit would not work with the GP accessory case so I had to weld my own engine mount.
The mount was a bit of a challenge but I was able to build a jig and welded up a couple of mounts before I got the one I wanted to use on the Fox. I still have the jig and the drawings I used and will be happy to share the drawings with anyone wanting to weld their own mount to fit the GP Diehl accessory housing. I also still have the engine mount for the Mosler engine which I think uses the Lycoming layout for the accessory case/engine bolts. I'm not sure but the mount may work with the AeroVee since the ones I have seen appear to look like the pattern Mosler used on their engines.
The smart money would probably be to get the firewall forward kit including the cowlings and engine mount from Steve Bennett at Great Plains. The standard Kitfox cowlings will not work with the VW engine setup. My experience with Steve has been outstanding through the years.
Great Plains 2300cc VW in a Kitfox IV
Re: Great Plains 2300cc VW in a Kitfox IV
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