Wright 3350 Radial Engine

[@gregwddriver]

Amazing how those little frame pipes hold all that torque in check.

[@masovik4942]

It's wonderful how stable and vibrationless it is.Throughout all the different revs we saw.

[@jfan4reva]

Love the 'random clatter' of a big radial engine idling! The only thing better is when it's throttled up and turns into that beautiful smooth roar!

[@monkfry]

man, i could listen to radials all day. one of the best looking engines ever made. thanks for the close up.

[@alexhsu190]

Found my new desk fan!

[@fernando13e]

+Alex Hsu Nope, this is Chuck Norris' desk fan, set on low power.

[@zhiqiandu3110]

Too powerful for a desk fan, better to be ceiling fan probably.

[@anonimoculto]

Muito legal o batimento entre a rotação do motor e a varredura da câmera. A hélice simplesmente pára!

[@NipkowDisk]

LOVE those round engines! They always seem to get the job done in spite of the fact that they sound like they're going to blow up in any second!

[@Helyzz82]

The sound! It still gives me chickenbumps! Radial engines make the most beautiful sound, especially when running rich

[@Dav123xyz]

Great set up on your lorry to show people!!

[@StonyRC]

That is awesome - made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. it must have been incredible to see it for real! Thanks for the post.

[@hovanti]

I wish I could park this truck at my place so all my neighbors could enjoy it, too

[@feduncan]

That's one of the best sounding engines I've ever heard!

[@smspitler]

A wonderfully visceral sound. I ride a Harley because it has the same wonderful cadence. Even though I fly Gulfstreams for a living, I can't help but stop when I hear a round engine fire up. Thanks to those that keep them running.....

[@mwp62]

Thank you, very interesting, that means this engine was in use continually from the early '40's through at least (in the A-1 Skyraider) the early '70's.

[@DUKDRVR]

@TheAnimeDogfighter I think that the 3350 was equiped with a "power recovery turbine" which was a bladed wheel that was geared to the engine's crankshaft. All of the exhaust gasses were collected and directed to the blades and turned the wheel which boosted the hp by helping to turn turn the crankshaft. This may have been only on the 3350 used in the B-29.

[@hoss1947]

I was an aircraft mechanic in the Navy from 1967-1973, I worked on P2V Neptunes with the Wright 3350, they were equipped with 3 turbos. I loved to taxi them out, which meant I was there for the start up. Nothing sounded better then that choppy, raggedy idle.

[@davelowets]

I think the P&W R-4360's had a better sounding idle, but that's just me.

[@davidmcpherson7451]

That’s a thing of beauty, the sound of music!

[@michaelwuchitech7598]

My Father's best friend was the superintendent of Dodge Chicago where some of the R3350's were built. The stories he had.

[@FiveCentsPlease]

@TheCraftedMine It's a test rig, which was commonly used to test the engine after overhaul or repair and before it's installed. Inside the truck cab there is a full set of controls to operate the engine.

[@noacronym]

When you think of the earthly metal called steel, maybe another planet somewhere has other elements we can't imagine. We have steel here (iron/carbon, whatever). And ain't steel some pretty incredible stuff? How in the world does it take that?--it's just a miracle. This machine is a majestic, miraculous thing.

[@ouate24]

I love radial sound This is so beautiful the sound is a work of art !!!!

[@Rocket9k]

Man that thing sounds good idling. A big V8 with a lumpy cam is great but nothing beats the sound of a good old radial.

[@noacronym]

I know about engines, timing, etc. like I said. But something takes time to happen, anything. And pistons move so fast there has to be a point where nothing can ignite at all, before it's over. These engines are magic.

[@horizonflyer9]

some people say that the sound of small streams or the ocean is very calming to them. for me, the sound of an 18 cylinder radial engine is beautiful to me

[@joefacc]

That would be a great demo engine for car and aircraft shows. Bet the neighbors would love the noise.

[@JamieKugelmann]

I could listen to that start up again and again and again.

[@motokid032]

That first cold start is the best sound on earth..I would love to smell that exhaust.

[@kc5hgv]

That is a great platform to run up a classic engine to speed. Not like those guys that do that on those trailers. I like to see a Wasp R4360 on that mount like the 3350.

[@FiveCentsPlease]

+kc5hgv This is different from a trailer for a hobbyist to run the engine for a few minutes. The military and civilian overhaul shops used dedicated trucks with a full testing cab to actually test and exercise the engine in all power settings after repairs or overhaul. In wartime the engines usually got about 6 hours or so of running in a test chamber before leaving the factory.

[@hogey74]

nice vid thanks! I recently watched a beautifully restored red Staggerwing start, warm up and then take off from YBAF - lots of people all round that AP were watching and listening too. And a friend asked me weeks later if I knew anything about a cool-sounding red biplane he watching flying over his house that same day..... hmmmm radials.

[@horizonflyer9]

my grandma built these in WWII, my grandpa flew these in WWII! man these things are freaking awesome!

[@klesmer]

They did in W W II. B 29's were turbo charged. All the big radials were internally supercharged, many with multispeed blowers but with our high altitude bombers like the'29,'17 and the '24 had turbochargers added to enhance high altitude performance. The B-29's turbos made them run hot on the ground, caused alot of fires, but they were fast at altitide, well over 300knts.

[@FiveCentsPlease]

@TheAnimeDogfighter The Meredith Effect is a thrust effect applied to aircraft radiators where the radiator housing slows down the cool inlet air, allowing it to remove heat, and then be accelerated outward producing thrust benefit to the aircraft. This was applied effectively on the P-51 where the radiator doghouse under the aircraft produced added thrust. This is not the same as turbocharging or supercharging which increases the engine intake boost pressure for more horsepower.

[@BarneySaysHi]

He's talking about that beast on the truck man. And yes it does sound great!

[@FiveCentsPlease]

@kidel3 The truck is actually a test rig, with instruments and controls in the cab. (See the guy standing backwards in the truck.) Similar test rigs like these were used in the military as well. In this case, the engine is likely being tested after a rebuild.

[@paul0367]

Wow what a sound, radial music to the ears

[@MuerteQuerida]

I can't imagine this sound in a Lockheed Constellation... Ir roars like a wounded beast, it's beautiful

[@oisiaa]

A true engineering marvel.

[@FiveCentsPlease]

@DUKDRVR The Turbo-Compound 3350s were post-war and mostly built in the 1950s. They were installed on Constellations/C-121s, P2V, DC-7s, C-119s and a few others. I don't think they were used on the B-29s.

[@grizz474]

The human mind, amazing what it can come up with, what a motor.

[@AgentJayZ]

Maybe, but I know for sure the C-119 also used the P&W R4360.

[@DUKDRVR]

@TheAnimeDogfighter Yes, normally the exhaust gasses turn another turbine attached to the other end of the same shaft. This turbine forces air into the engine, which ads more horsepower, especailly at high altitudes. It is a little more efficient since, otherwise, the hot exhaust gasses and their energy would be lost out the exhaust pipes.

[@Flies2FLL]

There is nothing quite like the sound of a radial engine.

[@wright45591]

God, it's good to have a last name like Wright, kind of makes me all fuzzy on the outside to just hear it start.

[@JeroenLondon]

i have no idea what it's for, but that is probably the most bad ass thing i've ever seen,

[@aussiepaul44]

@kaysandesses - B29's used the R3350-23 and 23A engine. The B50 used Pratt & Whitney R-4360-35 Wasp Major engines.

[@SlimPickems]

Best thing about this truck, it can hover over traffic.

[@Admiral45-10]

Fun fact: In 2003, on 100th anniversary of Wright brothers' flight, group of passionates made a replica of their plane, but weren't allowed to fly it, as FAA considered it as too dangerous.

[@kaysandesses]

@SirDeanosity I'm thinking the whole rig came from a Douglas Skyraider. Most of the B-29's used P&W R4360 engines. Either way, it's a cool setup!

[@suesman]

I got a bit of a woody when it fired up.

[@rham4900]

I'll second that.

[@trainedwarrior502]

Third, but this one is as strong as steel... What should I name it?

[@twillison8824]

@@trainedwarrior502 the cyclone

[@mr48chevy1]

@SiemensSchuckert B-29. The T-bolt used the P&W R2800. Both are 18 cyl. twin-row radials, the Wright is just bigger and more powerful.

[@scopex2749]

WOW thats gotta be the fastest truck on the strip!!!

[@form109]

that engine is certainly a piece of work... 3000 HP....Wow!

[@jerrychase4177]

The Torque number is much larger than 3000

[@charlesmar]

@kidel3 Traffic jams - either blow all the cars away, or rotate 90 degrees and take off vertically.

[@madeljacky]

I remember watching that documentry on T.V and could hardley believe it when the aircraft started to burn after all that they had been through as it was taxing out to line up on the runway. I couldnt remember who the guy was so thanks for the comment .

[@kenns9]

you notice the outrunners on the truck body, and the pitch of the prop can be controlled, thus preventing 'take off' ;)

[@yamahonkawazuki]

most definately, id prefer 4 though. IDK why, just love these thigns, and the sound. OMG the sound

[@lilbHEMI]

i like how are radial engines starting....

[@FiveCentsPlease]

@singletrackmatt Today they run on modern 100LL avgas, except for Reno racing that uses a custom fuel for more power that duplicates the high-octane fuel from wartime. The smoke is common for all round engines since oil seeps into the lower cylinders and burns in the exhaust when the engine starts.

[@russg1801]

Thousands of these engines were built by Chrysler for the B-29's. Later they were used on the A-1 Skyraider ground attack plane as well as numerous civilian transports. By then they had some of the bugs worked out.

[@balletfan162]

Great sound from this old engine.

[@jenniesgarage]

Nice old engine.

[@Team-fabulous]

A great job for clearing the leaves off the drive..

[@Paiste402]

its beautiful that these motors need no transmissions to be useful. the prop is connected to the crank so very little power is wasted. lol just think, we are amazied looking at the size of this thing and how loud it is and we have been around motors for 100 years... just think what people thought when it first came out!

[@initialb5009]

I'm in the anorak part of youtube, its pretty cool in here

[@trainedwarrior502]

That's just all of the air being pushed around by props. It is awe-inspiring though.

[@NoTaboos]

Haven't they ever used it to power the truck?

[@FiveCentsPlease]

If you have a digital camera, the image is probably scanned one pixel row at a time, unlike the exposure of the old-school shutter and film. This can produce wavy effects with fast moving objects like a propeller. See rolling shutter effect for more info.

[@TheAnimeDogfighter]

@DUKDRVR Yes I do have a rough idea of how the Meredith Effect works; however, what I would like to know is if the Meredith Effect boosted the total hp output from the B-29 2,000hp Wright engine to 3,000hp.

[@mikemcgonegal1616]

I was kinda hoping to see him rev it up and move that truck right along!

[@rcdufffy]

@TheCraftedMine It is being used as an engine test stand, you can't really test them in a hanger. You really can't mount them ona F-150. Hope this clears up the mystery. I was a mechanic on the A1 Skyraider a long time ago.

[@minibikegarage1577]

That sounds so radical

[@diegomayan]

3000 hp ?!? I didn't know that there was a 3350 version so powerful... great!

[@spencnaz]

This engine was NOT used in the Spruce Goose. Hughes plane was powered by 8 Pratt & Whitney R4360 engines.

[@YTM021807]

@Zoidberg227 No, just to see if they could be used in other areas of interest. I bet there are many radials not being used in 2011 !!

[@mrmoparrr]

What a great toy to have, would love to have it in the backyard to drive the neighbors nuts!

[@GooglFascists]

Yeah fire that sucker up at 5 AM on a Sunday morning so the old lady next door rolls out of bed and breaks a hip.

[@FiveCentsPlease]

@GMisurdaddy You are confusing commonly used turbo-supercharging with power recovery turbines that were developed later. The first Turbo-Compound 3350 TC18 series engines entered production in March 1950, and the dash numbers were 30W, 30WA, 32, 32W, 34, 36W, 38, 85, 89, and 91.

[@4thstooge]

That must ba bad ass truck when he pulls up the outriggers & takes off down the highway...lol

[@FiveCentsPlease]

@05fordgtx1 Think of these big piston aircraft engines as truck engines with a lot of torque. The max RPM for the 3350 is 2800 RPM. Turning these big engines at higher RPMs will start throwing parts because of the mass of the rotating assembly.

[@omyajt]

Very Cool! Wish i was actually there to hear that.

[@Tremolux59]

Not this particular one. DC7 and Super Connies used the turbo-compound versions. This one is not a turbo compound. This one likely came from either a 749 Connie, a Douglas Skyraider or something like that.

[@tubedude54]

Love the look and sound of the radial engine. Never researched it as far as how it functions though. My main question is how are the cylinders and other moving parts lubricated? Is there an oil spray going on inside the crank housing? Does oil collect in the bottom cylinders when it's shut down?

[@rrknl5187]

+tubedude54 The DC7s that I flew in the early 80s had these engines. They were rated for 3400 HP for takeoff and 2900 continuous @ 2800 RPM. Since they have 2 rows of cylinders (9 each row) there were 3 oil pumps. The suction of the main lube pump was connected to a 50 (or so, can't remember......lol) oil tank right behind the firewall. It lubricated the engine very much like an automotive engine oil pump. There were also 2 scavenger pumps, one at the bottom of each row of cylinders. The discharge of these pumps went back to the oil tank. Since some of the cylinders are pointed downward, they would occasionally (rarely) fill up with oil. This is why a radial engine is always cranked a bit before it starts. If a cylinder is full of oil, it'll stop the engine instantly. If this happens during cranking, it just stops. If it happens after the engine has fired, it'll bust stuff. Like knock the cylinder right off the block.......lol.

[@FiveCentsPlease]

Most aircraft engines are dry-sump and pressure lubricated, with oil returning to a large oil tank. Scavenge pumps in the engine will pump the oil back to the tank. And residual amounts of oil in the engine after shutting it off can collect in the lower cylinders past the rings and this can also be pumped out from drains in the rocker covers. For smaller radials, mechanics can also remove plugs to drain any oil that collected in the lower cylinders. Pulling the prop through by hand is a standard procedure to check that the lower cylinders are empty, since fluid inside will not compress and the engine will be severely damaged if you attempt to start it without checking first.

[@vector6977]

@broski1993 optical illusion. its the camera's shutter rate is alot slower that what the blades are actually turning. In person you would just see the bur and the yellow/white of the painted tips.

[@Crazy4diesels]

What a sound!! I like the mobile test stand - An Autocar, yes?

[@travisstewart3470]

The B-29 used this engine as well if I’m not mistaken

[@peteacher52]

I'd love to see it at night with flames spurting from the red-hot exhaust ports! Great to see one of these engines "undressed" and running at power. Nice one.

[@frankbing1]

Nice, would love to hear that going in my back yard.

[@corvette6698512]

Its an effect caused by the camera. The camera can only capture a certain amount of frames a second, so all the pictures its catching cant keep up with the prop making it look like its changing directions

[@Bigfurry1975]

Say Horizonflyer, I imagine you are quite proud of your grandparents. Grandma built'em and Grandpa flew'em, sweet!!! RADIALS ROCK!!!

[@dhymers]

awesome, just awesome. For shiggles he should reverse the prop-pitch and see if he can push his truck around :) I think it miiiight just work :D

[@jonthedoors]

That's one hell of a reverse gear, right there.

[@barthoedemaker]

Ow man the sound of old piston engine, the sound of fuel guzzling !

[@TheAnimeDogfighter]

@DUKDRVR A sort of "Meredith Effect" that boosted the speed of the aircraft by exhaust gasses?

[@StewartGartland]

The sound really is something else, all those short little headers. The German's may never have even heard our bombers in WW2 if they'd only put mufflers on em!

[@SuperAviatar]

Wouldn't it be easier to get another gearbox for the truck that has a reverse gear fitted? Just remembered the R101 airship, that had one engine going along for the ride, only used to give reverse thrust! 3 tons for five minutes a flight?????

[@christhesnaildriver]

Wow - imagine the carnage if you backed that truck up into a crowd of people! great way to control riots haha! What a lovely bit of engineering though - sounds great.

[@MegaMouseSEC]

Its wild how at certian speeds it looks like the prop isn't even moving.

[@robsonangra]

umbelivable.....verry cool, congratulations.

[@xKmotx]

Awesome! I used to work at Aero-Engines in L.A. years ago and ran the test stand truck for them but it was small compared to your rig! Is that a test club or a flying prop? I can't tell it looks like a flyer. Take some video from inside the cab, showing your control panel and flow gauges, etc. :)

[@TheAnimeDogfighter]

Early B-29's Wright engines were rated at 2,200 hp, was this 3,000 hp engines ever installed in the B-29 before the end of the Pacific War or later during the Korean War?

[@zubr9471]

We are making new radial engines of construction based on WWII engines. Nine cylinders, 30 liters capacity and 1000 horsepower.Company is located in Poland and I am an engineer in it.

[@FiveCentsPlease]

@MrRICCOSANCHEZ About 2,600+ lbs for the engine, plus the weight of the propeller (probably close to another 400 lbs.) I think that's an Aero Products prop and I can't find a weight for it.