When my F8F Bearcat, Monkee Shines, made a nose-dive into the dirt, breaking the motor mount and snapping the prop shaft, I decided to take the opportunity to upgrade the plane to a brushless setup.
Since the new motor is much smaller and shorter than the original brushed motor and gearbox, I built a new motor mount from machine bolts, plastic spacers, and a square of plywood to move the engine forward to where it belongs.
New motor mount
With the wing removed, you can see inside the battery compartment. I attached two strips of velcro to the firewall to make a ‘seatbelt’ for the battery. I also glued two small foam blocks to the firewall to prevent the battery from sliding ‘up’ during flight.
EZFlite 18A ESC (left). Elevator servo (top)
The cowling was badly crumpled in the crash and completely ruined by my subsequent attempts to fix it. I ultimately patched together a new cowling from the very front of the old cowling and a bit of a 2-liter bottle.
The plane is currently powered by:
- 2410-12D Brushless outrunner from HeadsUp RC
- EZ Flite 18 Amp ESC
- 8 gram EMAX ES08A Servos
- GWS 9050 9″ propellers
The 9050’s don’t really give me the speed I was hoping for. I think I’ll try some GWS 8060s and see if I like them any better.