use yardbird motors in other brass engines

[gregc]

is there any reason not to use a yardbird motor in a brass engine (Gem) other than the ones yardbird motors are intended for (manuta, bowser, ...)?

it seems that several of their kits (e.g. D8216) are fairly standard: right size motor and work gear, and angled motor mounting plate.

 

[Espeefan]

Nothing stopping you, but the hardware & brackets are made for the models referenced and may not work without modification in the brass model. I also wouldn't count on the gear being the right size. This is just about impossible to tell by eye.

 

[RW&C]

From what I've seen with gears, tooth sizes are normally pretty standardized. Either the teeth will fit, or they'll be way off, usually by enough that a trained eye can notice. If the website offer any dimensions you could do a few comparisons and thereby determine if the tooth spacing on the worm is close to the spacing on the worm of your old motor, and if you notice no major discrepancies, there's a good chance they're similar if not the same.

 

[Espeefan]

There was a pretty wide variety of gears used in these early brass models. Some were crudely done. Does the GEM model have a gearbox, or a worm on the motor & worm gear on the driver axle?

If it is open gearing, your best bet would be to replace both worm and worm gear. If the gears aren't the same, it may work for a while, but both gears will wear quickly, especially if both are brass. Best do the job right the first time, or you'll have to do it twice!