.45 Firefighter rigger set up

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Duane Weathersby

Active Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2009
Messages
39
Hey guys I was wondering if anyone could help me with my .45 rigger Im building. I am gonna run a picco .45 and either a tuned pipe or a quiet silent pipe??? it looks like a mini baseball bat with a tiny stinger out the end. Im am gonna try both pipes but was curious if anyone had any advice on center of plug to center of pipe measurement to start out with. I havent seen much on this. Also not sure where to measure to on the quiet pipe. I am also lost on hardware Im confused on what strut/rudder set up or brand to get heck I dont even know how to order the correct size other than its 3/16th cable and shaft but not sure what the cone is called I need for the front of the strut but I need one along with whatever guts or bushings belong inside the strut. Im sorry I have been in rc for years but am brand new to this and feel like an idiot when it comes to marine termonology. Im real excited about how my builds going so far but have come to the reality that im real close to having to order these parts and am gonna sound even more like a moron when ording or get the wrong stuff. Please if you dont mind help me out here. Thanks so much, Duaner
 
for the hardware id recommend speedmaster. www.rossisales.com

strut small round bottom Item #VM1

rudder would be the .21 hydro mini rudder

then use the brass on brass bushing system Item #113-187

use the quiet pipe for sure. someone else would likely be better at giving a recommended length. what pipe is it?
 
Thanks Tom that helps so much I was just unsure of the terms for all this stuff. As far as the brand of pipe I don't know it was on a cracker box I bought off ebay and was behind an ops 45. I think its about 18 in long seems real long to me it hasn't been cut and I'm scared to cut it because I have no idea of a ball park length to start with.

for the hardware id recommend speedmaster. www.rossisales.com
strut small round bottom Item #VM1

rudder would be the .21 hydro mini rudder

then use the brass on brass bushing system Item #113-187

use the quiet pipe for sure. someone else would likely be better at giving a recommended length. what pipe is it?
 
Can you take a photo of the pipe and engine and post it up for us? The length would greatly depend on what type of pipe it is.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Well I took two photos of it and uploaded them if this doesnt work please help me figure out how to post pics. Thanks for ya'lls patients.

pipe.jpg

pipe..jpg
 
Man I really haven't a clue I just hate to start hacking on it without a ballpark it may be a junk pipe I just have no idea. I do know 19 inches is absolutly too long correct?
 
Well it was behind an ops 45 when i bought it and pulled it out of the cracker box i bought so I think your on the right track. Widest section measured on the micrometer id 1.65 I guess thats right converted to a holding my micrometer to a regular tape it reads 1in and 3/4's. Hope that helps. If its junk dont hesitate to say it you wont hurt my feelings I have a picco 45 im gonna run if i can keep it from dieing if its dead im gonna run the ops 45. I know its not the best engine from what ive heard but i would imagine anything in one of Toms riggers will scoot and be a blast untill I can afford an mac or cmb 45. I also have a regular tuned pipe with a pretty decent 1in and a half mid section i could opt to run if this pipe isnt of fair quality. Thank you guys so much for helping me out and not shunning me to the side im kinda learning as i go here. I hope to return the favor one day., Duane
 
Looks a lot like an OPS muffled 45 pipe to me. I'm not experienced with that particular pipe but I'd dare say you could start off at about 10 1/4" from centre of glow plug to the weld line right near the pressure fitting, and then shorten from there if needed. Easier to cut some off than it is to add some back on!
 
Thats kinda how im leaning..lol...Thanks for the guestimate on length. Guess I could start there and leave a large gap in the coupling then draw it in to see if there is a performance increase then go shorter ect.ect.ect.....am i on the right track there?
 
You can do it that way, but a better way is to make the pipe and header pipe "telescope" over each other, with a silicone coupler over the top. By doing it this way you get less movement, and are less likely to have couplers fail.
 
Ok so to do this I'd cut the pipe down from the coupler where the pipe begins to increase in diameter then cut back on the shorter section of pipe so that it will slide into the larger section of pipe then seal it with a coupler? Am I getting this correct? There isn't much of a header pipe on the ops 45 with its water cooling just enough for the coupler to fit on. So if I opened up the pipe at that point to slide over the header telescoping would almost be null an void. That's why I'm guessing you mean make the pipe itself telescope? Just want to be clear. Can post a pic of engine and pipe together if need be. Thanks
 
If you are using a Picco engine you should be using a 10 degree exhaust header that attaches to the exhaust stub on the crankcase. This header pipe can then telescope inside the pipe entry so that they overlap. The length of the header is longer than the stub on the OPS, and therefore allows more movement. This is one of those cases where a pic tells a thousand words, but I don't have anything handy. Anyone able to post something up?
 
Your right a pic would be golden. I do understand the concept but I have two questions. Both pipes and headers are the same diameter so they won't slide or telescope over eachother. So do I order a smaller header that fits inside the pipe if they make one? Or do I cut the pipe back untill it will slide over the header? Also I am gonna have to headers either way because the two I have are about an inch in length which doesn't give me hardly any movement or telescoping effect. So ho long do I cut the new headers because in my twisted head they must be cut or you have a couple of inches of pipe left inside the pipe which would trap air rather than get it back to the engine. Can you make it clear as mud for me? Lol Thanks
 
The telescoping is more of a benefit than a requirement. It does improve reliability and life of your couplers though. If your header is only 1" long then you will need a new one for sure if you want to telescope.
 
Thanks Tom am I correct in assuming that the new longer header will be the same diameter as the ones I have now? If so to get it to telescope I would have to cut the pipe back to accomidate the longer header wich would hopefully be enough down the pipe where it opens up enough to slide over the new longer header? Is this right? Thanks,Duane
 
One more thing Tom if I just measure the OD of the tubes on the plans that should be the correct tube size for my sponson tubes correct? Dumb I know just wanna be sure b4 I drill holes in my tub sides. Do reccomend making these telescope or is your set up on the nats behind? Thanks again.
 
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