Black Widow?

That looks like a gold anodized backplate, to me. I've seen other BW's with gold backplates. I don't see the "hump" next to the needle that you mentioned.

Can the red plastic starter piece be taken off, and replaced with a new a starter spring?

Thanks for the quick reply!

AT1984 wrote:That looks like a gold anodized backplate, to me. I've seen other BW's with gold backplates. I don't see the "hump" next to the needle that you mentioned.

Can the red plastic starter piece be taken off, and replaced with a new a starter spring?

Thanks for the quick reply!

Yes, you can remove that starter and use your own.

Thanks for the reply. I'm not collecting...I'm flyin'.

These are pictures of regular wear and patina on a cox metal backplate hope this helps!

.

Zacattack,

The one in the auction is exactly like your pictures...slit exhaust ports, gold backplate.

Thanks for the reply.

AT1984 wrote:

Can the red plastic starter piece be taken off, and replaced with a new a starter spring?

As I look at it, I'm inclined to think that this may be a parts engine. The backplate is metal and you can see some wear on the backs of a couple of the mounting lugs. There is also some wear on the edges of the backplate where the plating is worn thru. However, the spinner and prop screw are in a near pristine condition.

The dual slit cylinder and ratchet starter point to a later model, but the black aluminum stunt tank is early.

I'm holding a NIB BW with single slit SPI cylinder, plastic backplate, silver spinner and case, black plastic tank and gray ratchet starter --- which is a later version, but still in the single slit era.

To answer the starter question, the red ratchet plate simply pops off to reveal a hex thrust plate. You can use the standard no-drag spring, but it can be difficult to work over the hex portion of the thrust plate. Option 2 is to remove the thrust plate, chuck it in a drill press with a closely fitting pilot screw and use a file to dress off the hex portion. Option 3 would be to get a new round thrust plate from either EX Model Engines or COX International and replace.

Even with the questions about the pedigree of the engine, it may be a good buy and good runner if the price stays low.

Thanks, Andrew. I appreciate the info!

Actually, this is a very late 70s (like end of '79) early-mid 1980s Black Widow from around the Leisure Dynamics era. The driveplate is a small dia brass round driveplate and the red snap starter cam is just placed on with the prop. The backplate is metal and original. The cylinder is also original.







pictures from various sites /not mine

As the one in the box has the snap starter like the one being discussed, I would say early to mid 80s.

http://www.mh-aerotools.de/airfoils/documents/cox_test_black_widow_aeromodeller_august_1974.pdf

From my understanding and short research...the early blackwidow engine did not have slits in the cylinder they had 2 large openings openiings not slits...the red snap starter did not come in till the later years of production and a red rubber nose piece was standard with early blackwidow engines. There is a 1970's PDF enclosed in this link!

Regarding "the hump" on the backplate next
to the needle: I've seen that before and it
looks like a casting mold may have been altered.
Probably one for the plate with the fill
nipple next to the vent hole. Cox may have used
up their stunt backplate molds and it would have been
cheaper just to adapt one made for a standard backplate.
Is mold the right term, or is it cast?
Bob

AT1984 wrote:Zacattack,

The one in the auction is exactly like your pictures...slit exhaust ports, gold backplate.

Thanks for the reply.

No it's not....I changed that cyinder head..it came with the wide ports in which I still posses.

ebay engine looks good. I'll take metal baclplate over plastic trash anyday.

I was reading that the metal back plates where replaced with plastic ones due to cost effective renovations at Cox. The retooling of dyes were costing a lot of money....old dyes where scrapped...new dyes came in producing plastic parts that had 5 times the longevity as the metal producing dyes...Thus was the doom of those metal back plates. A crying shame I say!!

I posted a pic in my Gallery...Can anyone tell if it is an "Estes" era engine? (Black tank, Silver crankcase, Silver spinner, boxed)

Thanks!

AT1984 wrote:I posted a pic in my Gallery...Can anyone tell if it is an "Estes" era engine? (Black tank, Silver crankcase, Silver spinner, boxed)

Thanks!

Yeah thats pre 2000 estes, it has a plastic non stunt tank. Black widows, babe bees, texacos... came in those plastic folding packages after 2000

That's what I was thinking. I'm going to pass on this one...