As the title suggests, I am toying with the idea of doing one.

I got this idea shortly after having been invited to help a power plant mechanic overhaul one sometime in the fall. I have been wanting to own one of those engines, but two things put a stop to this: the size of the engine, and the fact that one of these would set me back $11ty thousand.

I have never built an engine but am fully aware of the complexity, especialky when I consider a 12cyl version. Turn two crankshafts, two cams which drive the injectors, turn 12 cylinders ans 24 pistons... You get the idea. I also considered using some commonly available parts but the purist in me says "make it all".

What I am wondering is if I contact Fairbanks-Morse for the blueprints and tell them my intent to scale down, would they be all for it or would I run into legal issues because technically I would be copying their design, albeit at a smaer size scale.

AC-130U