Attached are some pictures of the “Vintage” stirling cycle engine I recently completed from your excellent plans. I really enjoyed building the engine and found it actually more challenging than the Miser. I suspect it is likely due to the greater number of parts soldering some of them together and the added machining of the cooling system and associated pluming.
As you can see I made a few changes but basically stuck with all the dimensions on the plans.
The main differences are:
Made the main frame from ½ inch aluminum because I had some.
Modified the main frame to extend at the rear to allow the mounting of the water pump.
Mounted the water pump on the frame and used a friction drive to turn it.
Cross drilled the pump to get the water flowing the right direction due to the reversed rotation.
Mounted the crankshaft bearing holder to the mainframe with 6 2-56 screws.
Eliminated the outboard frame.
Added a standpipe (as mentioned in the plans) on the base to so water can be added to the cooling system and the air removed, it also makes it easy to monitor water flow.
Streamlined the water fittings on the cooler body just for the look of it.
Attached the power cylinder head using 6 0-80 screws.
I am very pleased with the design and the modifications I made with the exception of the water pump drive.
I am planning on replacing it with a gear drive as soon as I figure out the whole gear thing. I’ll send you a picture when done.
Thanks for the great plans and support, the miser runs great on the heating ring. What to build next…
Best regards,
Tom Bak
