Nov 05, 2021     Firewall penetration fire seal - (1 hour) Category: Firewall Forward

Sealed both firewall penetrations as described in plans.

  Oct 07, 2021     Cowl Pin Covers - (4 hours)       Category: Firewall Forward

Modified cowlings for the Aerosport pin covers.

  Jul 24, 2021     Ignition Light - (1 hour)       Category: Firewall Forward

Installed red LED ignition light on panel to confirm starter engage/disengage from flywheel during start-up. The light is connected to the 'I' terminal on the starter solenoid.

  Jul 24, 2021     Tach Cap - (1 hour)       Category: Firewall Forward

Installed and safety wired tack cap to reach or engine.

  Jul 10, 2021     Sniffle Line - (2 hours)       Category: Firewall Forward

Fabricated and installed sniffle line. Couldn't find the bracket anywhere, so fabricated a new one.

  Jun 23, 2021     Wiring Clean-Up - (3 hours)       Category: Firewall Forward

Relocated CHT probes wires so they are further away from exhaust piping and wrapped with spiral nylon wrap. Wrapped all remaining wire bundles. Wrapped thermocouple and sensor wire bundles to plugs.

  Jun 20, 2021     Firewall penetration fire seal - (4 hours)       Category: Firewall Forward

Installed firesleeve in both firewall penetrations. The upper wire bundle is large but I was just able to push the firesleeve through the opening, although I see little chance of filling the cavities between the wires effectively with sealant. Will hold off until last moment, before first flight, to seal. Torqued and installed cotter pin on prop governor control cable. Installed adel clamp on suction refrigerant line. Checked and tightened all adel clamps. Re-installed cowlings and ram intake plenum.

  Jun 19, 2021     A/C install - FWF Close-Out - (3 hours)       Category: Firewall Forward

Ran power wiring to compressor. Step-drilled holes in lower left and right sides of firewall and inserted bulkheads. Ordered ss washers for doublers and to better seal the opening. Cut and crimped hoses to reduced barrier fittings. Secured hoses to engine mount.

  Jun 18, 2021     Cowling Close Out - (2 hours)       Category: Firewall Forward

Fabricated and riveted lower cowling close out flange. Installed heat reflective tape on lower cowl. Sealed edges with epoxy.

  Jun 17, 2021     V-Belt saga ends. Installed and torqued prop. - (3 hours)       Category: Firewall Forward

Received and installed a Gates XL 9405 (1/2" X 40-7/8") v-belt which fit the narrow range required for the a/c compressor. Reinstalled the compressor, tensioned the belt, and torqued and safety wired the tensioner bolt. Re-installed the left side baffle sections that needed to be removed to access the compressor. Tensioned and torqued the alt belt tensioner bolt.

Removed the expansion plug by drilling a 1/4" hole in center then hammering a 3/8" drive extension in the center until it was loose enough to pull out. Probably the hole wasn't necessary. Using a hoist, re-installed the prop and torqued in two steps to 40 ft-lbs, then 65 ft-lbs following the Hartzell install manual and pattern for R-flanges. Safety wired pairs of adjacent bolts with 0.031" wire. Noticed slight dings on one blade edge so covered with paper. These composite blades are definitely easier to damage.

  Jun 15, 2021     Cowling - (2 hours)       Category: Firewall Forward

Prepped and epoxied inside of top and bottom cowls.

  Jun 14, 2021     FM-200A Install - (4 hours)       Category: Firewall Forward

Cleaned and installed FM-200A flange with new gasket. Picked-up FM-200A fuel controller from Airflow Performance last Friday and got tour of facility in Spartanburg. Don reversed mixture operation so that it's standard cockpit action with full rich forward. Applied Loctite 648 and torqued 5/16-18 socket head screws to 120 in-lbs. Cleaned flange face and installed modified FM-200A with new gasket and tightened 5/16-24 stop nuts. Connected mixture cable to mixture control arm as shown in picture. Torqued control arm to 40 in-lbs, the castle nut on the AN3 bolt to 40 in-lbs, the stop nuts on the cable coupling to 30 in-lbs, and the nuts on the cable bracket to 100 in-lbs. Connected throttle linkage and torques to specs. Installed y-adapter and connected alt air cable and linkages. Torqued all nuts.

  Jun 13, 2021     Oil Cooler Wrap-Up and V-Belt Saga continued - (2 hours)       Category: Firewall Forward

Finally installed oil cooler duct and 5" SCAT tube that were long back-ordered from Van's.

Ordered and tried smaller v-belt, Gates 9412, but still just a hair too long. Ordered 9403 and 9405 arriving Tuesday.

  Jun 06, 2021     STATUS AND UPDATE - (1 hour)       Category: Firewall Forward

Here is a summary of work in progress and completed along with punch list items:

Firewall Forward
Cowling is nearing completion. In last week, finished flox and sanding around air inlets, and installed last of baffle seal on right side only. Fabricated and installed new aft top cowling hinge pins. All that remains is:
- installation of foam seal around prop gov.
- installation of heat shielding to inside top cowling
- any modification to lower cowling to accommodate controls

Fuel Controller will be picked up from Airflow next week and re-installed along with the alt air and all controls the week of June 13. That will complete these mods.

Vans should be shipping the back-ordered parts to complete installation of the oil cooler ducting so I expect to complete that the week of June 13 as well.

Ordered the a/c v-belt recommended by John and should arrive next week. Will have to pull prop. I may have to order alternate size if this one isn't correct.

Other FWF items to complete include:
- installing firewall seal on all penetrations
- install bulkhead fitting and connect hoses to a/c
- run power to a/c compressor

Cockpit and Cabin
Classic Aero interior is due mid-July. Thing to get done before that include:
- Install the new toe brakes and foot pedals and connect to rudder cables
- Install heater vent cables (part of back-ordered parts)
- Install aileron control links
- connect refrigerant lines to bulkhead fittings
- run a/c wiring to aft of baggage bulkhead
- install flap position switch
- install antennas including coax
- run AoA and pitot tubing

  Jun 02, 2021     FM-200 Return - (1 hour)       Category: Firewall Forward

Returned FM-200 to Airflow Performance to have Don change out mixture action so that in my configuration its normal (forward control is fully rich).

Began working on air inlet mods for the lower cowling.

  May 28, 2021     Oil Access Door - (4 hours)       Category: Firewall Forward

Installed oil access door in top cowling.

  May 24, 2021     Lower Cowling Mods - (4 hours)       Category: Firewall Forward

Finally completed intake air plenum. Applied micro to lower cowling and installed plenum protected with shipping tape with clecos in order to fill gaps. Sanded and installed nutplates. Also sanded micro applied to air diverters in upper cowling.

  May 22, 2021     Lower Cowling Mods - (2 hours)       Category: Firewall Forward

Sanded around inlet nozzle and applied second coat of micro. Applied micro on forward side of new lower cowling flange groove to fill the honeycombs. Test fit lower cowling and opened up existing hole to accommodate alt air controls. Installed inlet air ramps into top cowl with flox, clecoed, and installed onto lower cowl to set and cure.

  May 21, 2021     Lower Cowling Mods - (6 hours)       Category: Firewall Forward

Sanded flat plenum flange bottom. Secured plenum to cowling with tape and drilled #40 about every 3-4 inches. Removed plenum and applied two courses of fabric to inside of cowling to strengthen area where I removed material on front side and provide a good surface for attaching nut plates. Installed intake flange to plenum with micro. Installed alt air cable that just arrived from AS and it fit well. Secured all three cables with nylon spiral wrap. Installed second insulation blanket between exhaust and cables. Connected alt air cable to y-adapter.

  May 20, 2021     Lower Cowling Mods - (4 hours)       Category: Firewall Forward

Removed peel-ply and sanded to level ridges formed by the underlying tape. Covered surface with layer of grey-dyed epoxy and cured. Pried part from mold and cleaned surface of lower cowling. Cut a flange evenly around part and sanded. Traced part onto lower cowling and used drum sander to remove a band of fiberglass to the honeycomb to permit attaching the intake plenum flush with the cowling surface.

  May 19, 2021     Lower Cowling Mods - (6 hours)       Category: Firewall Forward

Decided to redo part by first sealing foam with epoxy to ensure tape adheres completely, which was the problem encountered on first attempt. Did some additional fairing to improve overall appearance. Covered tape surface with release wax and layer-up four sheets of cloth using grey-dyed resin on last two layers.

  May 17, 2021     Lower Cowling Mods - (6 hours)       Category: Firewall Forward

Dug-out foam on aft face to allow room for intake elbow and installed lower cowling. Continued sanding monitoring thickness with graduated wooden skewers. Set-up for second pour to build-up entrance nozzle. After curing, shaped and sanded plug to final desired shape. Filled large holes with bonds and sanded. Covered plug with black duct tape and applied a wax release agent. Covered with two layers on fiberglass cloth and West System resin.

  May 15, 2021     Lower Cowling Mods - (2 hours)       Category: Firewall Forward

Pulled off cardboard, made much easier having taped the box inside. Started carving toward a desired final shape.

  May 14, 2021     Lower Cowling Mods - (3 hours)       Category: Firewall Forward

Reached out to Hartzell tech support for high pitch clearances and established forward inlet flange face 1" aft and marked location. Built box for foam mold on lower cowling. Removed cowling, inserted CEET tubing and inlet flange to mark and formed mold using two-part polyurethane. I had several leaks which created quite a mess for sure. Let cure overnight.

  May 13, 2021     Induction Air and Cowling Mods - (1 hour)       Category: Firewall Forward

Cut larger opening in lower cowl to make room for induction air pipe and filter. Cut and installed CEET hose and inlet flange to alt air y-adapter. Need to confirm required clearance from prop before settling on forward flange position.

  May 12, 2021     Inlet Air Deflectors and spiral wrap - (2 hours)       Category: Firewall Forward

Fabricated and installed inlet air deflectors on right and left sides. Riveted right side and screwed in left side to be able to remove to service compressor. Wrapped thermocouple leads with nylon spiral wrap to provide better protection and rigidity.

  May 11, 2021     Left Side Baffle and AC - (6 hours)       Category: Firewall Forward

Completed modification of left side baffle, fabricating and installing removable ramp for compressor access and forward right mount to ac bracket. Installed baffle seal around prop governor and installed baffle assembly. Mounted and final torqued compressor bracket to pad. Removed paint and Installed grounding wire and confirmed continuity. Installed all baffles and completed riveting. Removed ramp to allow access to install compressor. Installed new bushing on tensioner arm and torqued all bolts.

Test fit intake air 90 degree adapter and positioned filter in gap behind compressor. Gaps around compressor should provide fresh air to filtered intake area although impact on pressure differentials not know yet. Plan to test on ground with leaf blower.

  May 10, 2021     Fabricating inlet ramp - (4 hours)       Category: Firewall Forward

Built box on left side air inlet for pour mold. Poured two-part urethane and it turned into quite a mess and not really what I hoped. Two key learnings: need to use some kind of release method on the parts, and second, can't have any holes or major gaps in the box. Disassembled with difficulty, will need to spend some time later with detailed clean-up. Decided to go with original idea of aluminum ramp. Mocked ramp with cardboard, then cut out and shaped a piece of aluminum sheet to act as a ramp. Also started working on ramps mounted to inside of top cowling.

  May 09, 2021     Baffle Mods - (1 hour)       Category: Firewall Forward

Started designing left side baffle modifications. Mocked idea with cardboard. Plan to fabricate fiberglass inlet ramp.

  May 08, 2021     Baffle Seals - (2 hours) Category: Firewall Forward

Completed fitting of baffle seals and riveted to baffles except for left intake which needs a different solution.

  May 07, 2021     Ordered parts - (1 hour) Category: Firewall Forward

Ordered CEET-14 ducting from AS for alternate connection of inlet flange to y-adapter. Also ordered hardware from McMaster to complete compressor assemble. Followed-up with John on parts requested for A/C.

  May 06, 2021     Baffling and A/C continued - (4 hours)       Category: Firewall Forward

Ordered 3.5" inlet air hose for fuel controller from Advanced Auto to arrive this afternoon, pretty sweet. Temporarily installed rubber baffling. Cut refrigerant hose outlets in rear baffle and installed snap bushings. Routed refrigerant hoses and crimped on reduced barrier fittings. Covered and secured refrigerant lines with firesleeve. Inserted inlet flange on hose and installed on y-adapter. Clearance from the prop is damn close. Not sure if prop blades are fully rotated under no hydraulic pressure but I assume not, so shorter inlet air hose may be needed.

  May 05, 2021     Cowling Mod Design, Baffle, A/C Compressor - (4 hours)       Category: Firewall Forward

Had helpful PM discussion with Dan Horton the VAF fiberglass expert and am beginning to formulate a strategy for the cowling mods using expanded polyurethane foam following his write-up on a similar project. Ordered needed materials from US Composites.
https://vansairforce.net/community/showthread.php?t=41375

Returned to the baffle mod to accommodate the A/C compressor. Riveted a short angle to mate the two parts and test fit on engine. Compressor fits snuggly with just enough clearance. Bought firesleeve to cover the refrigerant line the pass over the left side cylinders.

  May 04, 2021     Lower Cowling Mod and A/C Bracket - (4 hours)       Category: Firewall Forward

Finished riveting hinges to upper cowling. Consulted with Don who confirmed Y must go forward. He sent pictures of several cowling mods to give me some ideas. Enlarged the opening in the lower cowling to allow hinges to mate. Began to explore how to design mold. Reamed 3/8" holes in bracket to 13/32" and test fit bracket onto engine pad.

  May 03, 2021     Cowling and A/C - (5 hours)       Category: Firewall Forward

Installed 3/8 and 1/4 studs on compressor bracket mount. Ordered 13/32 reamer to open up holes in bracket to fit. Riveted lower cowling hinges. Marked intake air cutout using wooden sticks. Cut out hole and experimented with various possible positions for y adapter. I noted the opening is oddly not centered on cowling and the best orientation for the y is backward with the side tee pointing backward.

  May 01, 2021     Cowling - (4.5 hours)       Category: Firewall Forward

Continued assembly of cowling

  Apr 30, 2021     Cowling - (4 hours)       Category: Firewall Forward

Continuing installation of cowling.

  Apr 29, 2021     Cowling - (4 hours) Category: Firewall Forward

Completed cutting and sanding both cowling halves.

  Apr 28, 2021     Electrical and Cowling - (4 hours)       Category: Firewall Forward

Completed grounding of all wires to grounding block. Mounted prop using engine hoist. Started on cowling

  Sep 25, 2020     29.4. FWD Mid Fuse Side Structure - (12 hours) Category: Firewall Forward

Completed side skin preparation and longeron countersinking (29-09). Prepped and primed internal skin structural members (29-10, -11). Discovered missing part F-01422 from kit and ordered from Vans. Riveted aft side skin members and section plate/drag fitting to side skin (29-12) while skin clecoed to fwd section which worked well (29-13). All work completed over two weeks.

  Apr 30, 2020     Finish Kit Order - (1 hour) Category: Firewall Forward

Ordered finish kit minus wheels and brakes to get in before NC state tax will be collected. Delivery is 14 weeks, so expect in August.