Bringin' home the chrome

Radio Control Car Action, Jul 2001 by Chianelli, Chris

I get so many emails that state, "Yo, Chris; my engine is driving me up the wall. I don't understand. It used to run great; now it don't run so great. Know what I mean? What's up with that? I hate it!"

If you have an engine that used to run well but no longer does, the odds are way better than even that it has a worn out piston/sleeve set. Oh, the engine will still run (sort of), but very poorly. I told you guys about running it too lean! If your sick engine happens to be an O.S. .12 CV, LD or CZ-Z, I have a rebuild for you that will not only cost you less than 30 bucks, but it will also upgrade your nickel-plated cylinder engine to true chrome ABC (aluminum, brass, chrome) piston/sleeve technology at the same time!

I love O.S. engines-- always have. They run practically right out of the box, are finely machined and have smooth throttle characteristics. One thing I always wished O.S. engines had, however, was true chrome ABC piston/sleeve technology.

Except for the CV-R, all other .12-size and most other O.S. engines use a nickel-plated cylinder sleeve. Why? Because Japan has exceedingly stringent environmental laws about chroming that make this manufacturing process very expensive. The advantage of chrome is durability. It's a very hard metal-much harder than nickel-and it wears extremely well. If you wonder why the underlying sleeve is made of brass, it's only because brass lends itself very well to the chrome-plating process. The two metals stick to each other readily

If you want your old O.S. engine to run like new again, read on. You'll be upgrading your engine to true chrome ABC technology-and at about half the price of a new stock O.S. nickel-plated piston/sleeve set. Man, I just love to pass on a good deal!

SOURCE GUIDE

DuraTrax; distributed by Great Planes

Model Distributors,

2904 Research Rd.,

P.O. Box 9021,

Champaign, IL 618269021; (800) 682-8948;

fax (217) 398-0008. O.S.; distributed by Great Planes.