RGX IV

December 14, 2021

The Akin Brothers Locomotive Works has been busy rebuilding the engine and transmission for RGX IV. All of the December 2021 updates will be posted here.

I can't express enough my gratitude for the expertise the guys are giving. Their skills are at a level I will likely never attain. Their expertise will ensure that RGX-IV runs for decades and is passed down to my boys someday.

From Casey:

Engine is completely disassembled, with the exceptions of the crank bearings and the cam bearings. All parts look fairly well, and no major wear detected. A couple bearing sets and some new gaskets for the internals, and rebuild, replace parts for the fuel pump, carburetor, and spark control.

I will have to clean the crank and see if any machining is needed. Also probably hone the block and adjust all able tolerances. Otherwise, most of the issues are cosmetic!!!

From Cody:

Fairmont transmission case hit the paint shop today! The case is going back to “aluminum” and the bolt-ons will be black. The white paint is an aluminum primer, while the red is for steel/ iron.

The bearings are starting to show up in the mail, so I’m hoping to have the transmission back together this week. The, motor, however, is a much more complex process, so it’ll take a bit longer.

From Cody:

First of all, IT’S NOT BLOOD!!

Some of the chips on the transmission gear teeth edges were pretty gnarly, so I dressed them up a little bit. The red you see is used as a guide to highlight the low spots when filing. This thing will hopefully just fall right into gear!

The downside is that you are removing gear material, which is less than ideal, but this should keep the gears from trying to grab each other.
I guess, for a minimum wage track gang, the clutch was optional. The good news, on the other hand, is that your clutch looks brand new!