ICM I-16 Type 24 - exhaust pipe positions?

[Anders_Isaksson]

I really like this kit but must say that the instruction leave me with a few questions regarding the exhaust pipe arrangement.

 

I have been looking in my (limited) book references and on the web but finding good photos of how the exhaust pipes should go is difficult.

Should the two lowest pipes on each side come out together through the same opening?
Looking at photos have me somewhat confused...

 

Thanks in advance for any advice!  

Edited October 13, 2020 by Anders_Isaksson

[Anders_Isaksson]

Link to photo of instruction

 

So, should parts C15 and C17 go through the same opening in the lower fuselage?

Edited October 13, 2020 by Anders_Isaksson

[Dennis7423]

This is a weak part of the kit instructions, absolutely. I was able to find a few resources that helped me out when I built mine.

 

The lower cowling (attached to the wing) has two pipes that come out of each hole. there is one upper hole, on the port side, that also has two pipes. All the others have one.

 

HTH

 

- Dennis S.

  Thornton, CO USA

[Rick Griewski]

No kidding!  I can email you a few photos.  More below if you are interested. 
 

The pairing of exhausts depends on the type. To cope during my build of the kit I left the pipe sprue number tab on the pipes until the last moment.  The engine was glued to it’s frame so it could be  placed in and out of its position.  I taped the engine panels in position with one piece of tape so I could open and close each panel as I attached the exhausts. A one point the cowl was taped on to ensure the other panels were in alignment. I then glued each exhaust in position with a small amount of thin cement then attached the panel to help me align the exhaust exit with the hole.  Note that the exhausts are keyed for position at each location on the engine.  The instruction diagram is good.  I started with the lower exhaust(s) and or with the exhaust pipes that are paired.   I added more glue if the position was correct and set it aside to firm up.  I compared the engine with the instructions before I allowed the glue to dry.  In applied CA glue to each after I was happy with the alignment of all the exhaust pipes. 

[Anders_Isaksson]

Thanks Dennis and Rick!
Very much appreciated info. Rick I may send you a message with my email for any photos you can share.

In my references I have noticed that there indeed seem to be confusion as to which type has paired exhausts or not.

For example, the Mushroom publication containing just drawings have missed that the Type 24 has the paired exhausts also on the lower fuselage.

I just now tried to make both of the lower pipes (C15+C17) fit in their opening but it was tight so I figure some enlargement of the hole needs to be done.

Rick, the method you used was the one I have been pondering. But I may go for a simpler route where I just glue each pipe to the inside of its corresponding panel (using some scrap plastic spacers). That way I figure I can adjust each pipe before installing the engine and the nose panels.

Sounds easy enough in theory... but time will tell what works and not.
 

Thanks again both of you! 

[pvanroy]

The arrangement of the exhausts on the I-16 indeed depends on the Type - different Types used different engines (M-22, M-25A, M-25V, M-62 and, finally, M-63). For the Type 24 (M-63 engine) specifically, both lower exhaust openings have two pipes coming out, and the upper exhaust opening on the left also takes two. The three other openings just take a single pipe.

[Anders_Isaksson]

2 minutes ago, pvanroy said:

...

For the Type 24 (M-63 engine) specifically, both lower exhaust openings have two pipes coming out, and the upper exhaust opening on the left also takes two. The three other openings just take a single pipe.

 

Ah, the pipes are paired on the upper left side only.
That may account for my confusion when looking at photos and drawings.

Thanks!

[pvanroy]

Indeed. All I-16 from the Type 5 onward had paired exhaust pipes in the upper left opening. In earlier models up to the Type 10, all other openings had a single pipe. This was possible because these aircraft had an additional pair of openings in the lower cowling. However, starting from the Type 17, the aircraft was adapted to allow the wheels to be swapped out for skis. Because the retracted skis would cover the two lowermost exhaust openings, these openings were deleted, and the exhausts of cylinders 5 and 6 were re-routed to share the openings with the exhausts of cylinders 4 and 7 respectively. In addition, IIRC, some Type 10 may also have been modified accordingly, to allow them to fit skis too.