Apr 15, 2024     Spinner, Prop and Oil - (3.0 hours)       Category: Engine

Added 6 Q of oil, disconnected plug leads, removed top plugs and hand cranked prop 120 revolutions to prime oil system. Indicated 26 PSI oil pressure on SkyView.

Adjusted prop blade alignments, set to 18 degrees. Torqued prop in place and checked tracking -1/16” OK. Cut spinner blade openings with dremel cutoff wheel, and sanded smooth. Taped into position on backplate.

Screwed top plugs back in place to prevent foreign debris from falling in. They will come out again when I align the Spinner and when I check the PMags.

Found a local supplier for the Axalta (formerly DuPont) grey epoxy primer that I am using for fiberglass/plastic and interior parts. My old supplier is tango-uniform. Bought a 1Q kit… $150 (CDN).

  Oct 09, 2023     Cowling - (0.5 hour) Category: Engine

Sanded filler on top cowling in preparation for priming.

  Oct 06, 2023     Oil Door - (1.0 hour) Category: Engine

Sanded filler on oil door and cowling. Filled some scratches on cowling and scuffed finish with grey Scotchbrite for paint prep. Still cleaning and organizing shop— moved one tool cabinet and a shipping box for my Rocket's Hartzell propeller to my new hangar — not included in time log.

  Oct 05, 2023     Oil Door - (0.7 hour) Category: Engine

Sanded and filled rivet heads on oil door and cowling with epoxy/microballoons slurry.

  Oct 04, 2023     Oil Door - (3.5 hours)       Category: Engine

Riveted oil door assembly and attached to upper cowl using both NAS1097 and AN426 rivets. Adjusted fit by bending hidden hinge curved flange to close the gap between the door and the cowling. Filled rivet head rims with JB Weld.

  Oct 03, 2023     Oil Door - (0.5 hour) Category: Engine

Etched and Alodined oil door parts.

  Sep 28, 2023     Oil Door - (1.0 hour)       Category: Engine

Checked fit of oil door when cowling mounted on airplane. Added a 0.032 shim under the strike plate to improve the fit of the oil door. Slightly bent hinge flange and more aggresively fluted the stiffener as well, for the same reason.

  Sep 21, 2023     Cowling Caulking       Category: Engine

Checked the batwing fairing sealant and made adjustments. Added some epoxy/micro filler to intake ramps. A keen observer will see that the fiberglass inlet ramps are not really required, they could be incorporated into the aluminum fairing. I had them in place, so I just used them as structure to support the batwing extensions.

My RV-9A version from 20 years ago was the original inspiration for this setup. Vans has adopted this style for new aircraft (see RV-14 photo), so I will take credit!

These fairings allow the baffle seals to smoothly form to the cowling, turned in to resist the air pressure. In fact, my other baffle mods reflect the way my RV-9A and Rocket were done, which is vastly superior to Rans' technique (which is cloaked in mystery).

  Sep 20, 2023     Cowling - (3.0 hours)       Category: Engine

Sanded filler on cowling halves. Ran a bead if polyurethane around the perimeter of the batwing fairing on the upper cowl, then fastened it to the lower cowl until it sets up.

  Sep 19, 2023     Cowling Details - (3.0 hours)       Category: Engine

Removed cowling. Adjusted L exhaust pipe position. Riveted 4-40 nutplates to nostril baffle seal backing plate. Mixed up epoxy- microballons and filled extra holes and nicks in cowling.

  Sep 18, 2023     Cowling Details - (3.5 hours)       Category: Engine

Fine tuned the fit of the cowling fasteners and added a pair of nutplates on the lower flanges of the firewall. Sanded the cowling for a better fit in a few places. I may need some shims or washers to adjust the cowling overlap along the sides— the step in the fiberglass is a bit thick in places

  Sep 17, 2023     Cowling - (3.6 hours)       Category: Engine

Attached lower cowling quarter-turn fasteners. Removed lower cowl inlet baffle strips to attach 4-40 nutplates to backing strips.

  Sep 15, 2023     Cowling Fasteners - (3.2 hours) Category: Engine

Continued mounting cowling fasteners. Used solid rivets for firewall flange attachment of receptacles. Dimpled flange to use AN426 rivets. Had to use pull rivets in a couple of places because the engine mount would not allow a rivet squeezer to access.

  Sep 14, 2023     Cowling Fasteners - (3.5 hours)       Category: Engine

Mounted cowling 1/4 turn fasteners along the sides and drilled for the aft fasteners. By drilling #11 or #12, 3/16” clecoes can be used to attach the receptacles in position when drilling #40 for the rivet holes. I mounted mine on angles so I always have options for future changes.

  Sep 11, 2023     Completed Engine Install - (3.5 hours)       Category: Engine

Reconnected tail pipes. Torqued exhaust fasteners, including cylinder flange nuts. Reattached cabin heat and oil cooler hoses. Check hose fittings and torqued as required. Replaced sump plug with quick drain and safety wired. Engine Install complete.

  Aug 31, 2023     Fuse Bottom Fairing - (1.5 hours)       Category: Engine

Trimmed L fuselage bottom fairing. Fairing work needs to be done before riveting bottom forward fuselage floor in place, so as to locate nutplates for fairing attachments. Not using the supplied rivnuts for this.

  Aug 30, 2023     EGT CHT Wiring, Exhaust and Firewall - (5.0 hours)       Category: Engine

Groomed all of the EGT and CHT wiring. Tested sensors by firing up EFIS. Rerouted servo to spider fuel line away from exhaust. Removed aft sections of exhaust pipes to gain access to firewall coanda fairing. Attached 8-32 nutplates to fairing to allow the attachment of clamps for securing breather tube and fuel pump overflow, plus brake line cover plate.

Had to remove oil cooler duct to simplfy wiring access, and to clean out FOD from the oil cooler. Sealed corners of oil cooler duct to prevent airflow leakage.

  Aug 29, 2023     Probe Wiring - (2.5 hours) Category: Engine

Drilled EGT probe holes in exhaust downtubes, 2.25” below bottom of flange. Used #29 drill bit.

Connected EGT and CHT probes and began to groom wires.

  Aug 28, 2023     Exhaust Hanging - (4.5 hours)       Category: Engine

Rigged exhaust hangers. Shortened the transverse stainless hanger tubes to about 2.5 inches.

Connected heat muff to cabin heat box and right inlet ramp. Checked for clearances and adjusted hose routing as required.

  Aug 27, 2023     Exhaust Hangers - (1.5 hours) Category: Engine

Attaching exhaust hangars and reclocking hoses to prevent interference with exhaust system.

  Aug 26, 2023     Exhaust - (2.0 hours)       Category: Engine

Began installation of exhaust system.

  Aug 25, 2023     Blast Tubes - (2.0 hours)       Category: Engine

Fabricated blast tubes for the PMags and Alternator. Used nylon conduit for PMags and a piece of black poly conduit for the alternator, left over from my RV projects. The nylon is stiffer, but holds it shape when bent.

This marks the completion of the baffles, on to the exhaust!

  Aug 23, 2023     Baffle RTV - (3.5 hours)       Category: Engine

Sealed baffles with RTV silicone. Tip of the day: chuck a pencil in your dril and use the eraser end to remove smears of RTV.

  Aug 21, 2023     Baffle Closeout - (3.5 hours)       Category: Engine

Instead of a piece of silicone, I fabricated a closeout for the open gap on the left aft. Also continued tweaking the baffle fit and cleaned debris in preparation for RTV gap sealing.

  Aug 20, 2023     Baffle Filler Pieces - (2 hours)       Category: Engine

Riveted baffle filler pieces around engine nose and fit baffle piece near aft left top engine mount.

  Aug 18, 2023     Baffle Fill-In - (2.0 hours) Category: Engine

Fabricated baffle fill-in pieces around engine nose. These will close the wide gap and minimize the silicone sealant required. Bonded them in place with silicone until I remove the larger assembly and rivet the pieces in place.

  Aug 17, 2023     Baffle Riveting - (4.0 hours)       Category: Engine

Completed backing strip fabrication and riveted all silicone engine baffles in place.

  Aug 16, 2023     Baffle Backplates - (3.2 hours)       Category: Engine

Fabricating baffle backplates.

  Aug 04, 2023     Baffles Again - (3.5 hours)       Category: Engine

Fine tuning intake and Airbox silicone baffles and attaching temporarily with 4-40 flat head stainless screws and locknuts.

  Aug 02, 2023     Baffle Tweaks - (4.0 hours) Category: Engine

Fine tuned the fit of Airbox baffles and tweaked fit of nostril baffles.

  Aug 01, 2023     Air Box Baffles - (3 hours) Category: Engine

Trimmed cowl and air box baffles to fit. More work required. Also, painted inlet baffle backing strips and countersunk attachments on cowl.

  Jul 31, 2023     Baffle Backing Strips - (2.0 hours)       Category: Engine

Fine tuned the backing strips, removed, trimmed and deburred. Will attach with 4-40 stainless screws. This allows the silicone baffles to be removed for paint and reinstalled later.

  Jul 30, 2023     Baffle Details - (3.0 hours)       Category: Engine

Fabricated aluminum backing plates for the silicone baffles and fine tuned fit.

  Jul 29, 2023     Baffle Convergence - (3.2 hours) Category: Engine

More fine tuning of inlet baffles.

  Jul 27, 2023     Baffle Convergene - (2.5 hours)       Category: Engine

Finally getting close to end of baffle redesign. Now mocking up the nostril seals that will be attached to lower cowl. The key is to have a smooth transition from the inlets with minimal leaks.

  Jul 26, 2023     Baffle Mods - (2.5 hours)       Category: Engine

Modified inlet baffles to line up better with nostrils and provide smooth airflow.

  Jul 25, 2023     Baffle Adjustments - (2.5 hours) Category: Engine

More baffle fussing. ACS order arrived with more baffle material and Avery hidden door hinge.

  Jul 24, 2023     Baffle Rework - (2.5 hours) Category: Engine

Reworked Aerosport cowl inlet ramps by cutting and reglassing the left side. It was warping the upper cowl and preventing it from conforming to the bottom cowl. Reglassed to relieve the stress.

  Jul 22, 2023     Inlet Seals - (4.5 hours) Category: Engine

Inlet ramp seal tweaking, lots of trimming and fitting. Waiting for baffle seal order from ‘Spruce.

  Jul 21, 2023     Baffle Redux - (4 hours)       Category: Engine

Redoing forward silicone baffles.

  Jul 20, 2023     Baffles - (4.5 hours)       Category: Engine

Riveted cowl inlet batwing assembly. Edge sealing with Polyurethane sealant will be done when baffles are complete. Worked on modification of engine baffles.

  Jul 19, 2023     Inlet Ramp Baffles - (2.5 hours)       Category: Engine

Finalized fitting of top cowl inlet ramps and bonded aluminum wings and fiberglass ramps together with Proseal. Started trimming forward engine baffles to fit

  Jul 18, 2023     Inlet Ramp Baffle Mods - (3.3 hours) Category: Engine

Completed fabrication of batwing baffle inlet ramps on top cowling. Began modifying engine baffles to fit modified top cowling.

  Jul 16, 2023     Inlet Ramp - (4.5 hours)       Category: Engine

Fabricated batwing fairings to extend the Aerosport inlet ramps. This helps provide a tight, smooth seal with the baffle seals and reduces inlet turbulence. Did the same thing 20 years ago with my RV-9A. Now, Vans offers the equivalent in their new kits. Rans is quite behind Vans in the sophistication of their kits.

I would recommend following the RV method for inlet baffle seals. Matt Dralle has a good site for this www.rv7blog.com

  Jul 14, 2023     Inlet Ramps - (1.5 hours) Category: Engine

Sanded inlet ramp filler.

  Jul 13, 2023     Inlet Ramps - (2.5 hours)       Category: Engine

Sanded Inlet Ramp filler then slathered on a second coat.

  Jul 12, 2023     Inlet Ramps - (2.5 hours)       Category: Engine

Bonded inlet ramps in place using West Systems epoxy, milled glass fibers, microballoons and carbon fiber strips.

  Jul 11, 2023     Inlet Ramps - (2.5 hours) Category: Engine

Modified the inlet ramps to improve the baffle seal contact with the upper cowling.

  Jul 10, 2023     Baffle Seals - (2.3 hours)       Category: Engine

Trimmed and fitted Aerosport Products inlet ramps and extended right forward aluminum baffle to better line up with nostril. UPDATE: The left and right forward baffles were subsequently replaced with a curved sweeps. See July 26,2023 posting.

  Jul 08, 2023     Baffle Seals - (3.7 hours)       Category: Engine

NOTE: MAJOR CHANGES TO BAFFLES AND SEALS HAVE BEEN MADE SINCE THIS POST WAS MADE. Fine tuning of baffle seal fitting. Fabricated an extension for the aft right baffles to endure a good seal. The key is to understand cowl pressurization and how the baffle seals inflate, especially the overlaps. There is not enough material provided by Rans to complete a satisfactory install, so I need buy some more.

  Jul 07, 2023     Baffle Seals - (3.0 hours)       Category: Engine

More fitting of baffle seals, across the front. Fabricated a semicircular extension out of 0.032 Aluminum to better support the seal behind the flywheel. Running out of seal material… Rans doesn't provide enough to do a proper fitup.

  Jul 06, 2023     Baffle Seals - (3.0 hours)       Category: Engine

Fine tuning Baffle Seals. The ‘paddles' cover a joint in the main seal strips. Used this method on my RV many moons ago. From the information I have gleaned on the internet, the forward seals around the ring gear need special attention— using a horizontal stip will not properly seal.

  Jun 29, 2023     Baffle Seals - (2.5 hours)       Category: Engine

Received Aerosport Products inlet ramps. Trimmed left side aluminum baffles down to ensure clearance with cowling. Begun fabrication of baffle seal backing strips and drilling main baffles and strips. Since there are no plans for baffle install, I am going to draw on my experience and attach the nostril baffle seals to the cowling and overlay the aluminum baffles for a better ffit.

  Jun 09, 2023     Boot Cowl - (2.5 hours) Category: Engine

Assembling boot cowl in preparation for cowl fit up. Marked boot cowl for cool/ventilation fan.

My plan is to use clecos and temorary rivets to attach boot cowl, then fit the engine cowling. Once done, i can then remove to boot cowl to finish up the forward interior and complete the avionics testing.

  Jun 08, 2023     Sealing Firewall Penetrations - (3.0 hours)       Category: Engine

Title says it all.

  Jun 07, 2023     Sealing Firewall Penetrations - (2.5 hours)       Category: Engine

Final install of wire pass-throughs on firewall. Using supplied fire-rated silicone for the main harness, and high-temp silicone for the master bus feed. I still need to fabricate a stainless cover for master bus grommet.

  Jun 05, 2023     Wire Grooming - (2.5 hours)       Category: Engine

More wire grooming and re-routing of ignition wires. Completed Alternator wiring…. Ran supplied wires all the way back to panel connector, to minimize any wire splicing.

It is very crowded behind the engine. I had to move the starter contactor, shunt, and ANL fuse previously. Even so, I was not happy with the spark plug wire routing and Alternator B-lead routing. I moved the B-lead routing to the left side of the engine and rerouted the spark plug wires. This gave me better access for the B-lead to connect to the shunt.

In retrospect, using P-Mags complicates things quite a bit. Don't install the accessories (contactors, shunts, ANL, Fuel Flow) until the engine is hung and you know where to locate things. I also extended the engine mount by 3/8" by using longer spacers for the top bolts on the engine mount (now 3/4") and moving the 3/8" spacers to the bottom. The top bolts need to be longer, but the existing ones can be moved to the bottom. If you use one of the top bolts as a ground connection, add an additional 1/8" to the bolt length (for a total of 1/2"). I used AN5-43A for the top left and AN5-42A for the top right.

I don't know if longer spacers will work (I haven't fit the cowling yet), but I would be tempted to use 1" spacers on the top and 1/2" spacers on the bottom (plus even longer bolts). The CofG will move forward, but that will not be too much of an issue with a FP prop.

Don't forget to move the oil cooler forward by the same amount (longer bolts & spacers).

  Jun 03, 2023     Alternator Install - (2.5 hours)       Category: Engine

Installed the Alternator. Fabricated a new 6 AWG B-lead to improve routing. Installed cushion clamps on sump to secure wiring.

  Jun 02, 2023     Ignition Wires - (2.2 hours)       Category: Engine

Installed ignition wires. Using the cross-over architecture where each P-Mag fires top and bottom plugs like a conventional magneto. I used some of the existing baffle holes to route my plug wires, plus drilled two more.

To feed the ignition wires through the grommets, I R&R'd the plug end boots. A little WD-40 sprayed into the boot makes this easy.

  Jun 01, 2023     FWF Wiring - (5 hours)       Category: Engine

More wire grooming. Clamped pressure senders to engine mount. Removed alternator wire: will need to fabricate a new one and reroute to make room for spark plug wires. Added a secondary crankcase ground connection to firewall.

Began routing spark plug wires.

  May 31, 2023     FWF Wiring - (5 hours) Category: Engine

Wire grooming and rerouting. Fabricated a new ground cable and repurposed the stock ground cable as an Alternator B-Lead.

  May 30, 2023     Wire Grooming and Hose Torquing - (2.5 hours) Category: Engine

Groomed wiring, including mounting adel clamps to sump using existing bolt positions. Ran main ground from engine mount to starter case, but I may reconsider and use this cable for the alternator B-lead and fabricate a short ground cable that attaches to the rear of the crankcase.

Tightened all the hose attachments, except for one AN816-4D nipple which is on order.

  May 29, 2023     FWF Wiring and Hoses - (3.5 hours)       Category: Engine

Received ACS Package with AS Flightlines hoses and special fuel pump outlet fitting (with fuel pressure port). Continued grooming wires. Replaced top left engine mount bolt with a longer one to support a grounding point. Scraped paint off of fuselage cage and engine mount to ensure conductivity.

Connected ground cable from engine mount to starter motor boss. Connected starter power cable. Installed new hoses: fuel pump to flow sensor, flow sensor to injector servo, fuel pump to fuel pressure gauge, and oil pressure hose from crankcase to oil pressure sensor. Tried two ways of connecting the pump to flow sensor. Will decide later.

  May 28, 2023     FWF Wiring - (4.5 hours) Category: Engine

Completed all of the sensor wiring FWF. Tested on the SkyView and all inputs are reading successfully. Unable to test fuel and oil pressure, and ammeter, but sensors are reading expected values of 0. The alternator has not yet been installed.

In other news, installed and tested the horn, which works well! The circuit is shared with Pitot Heat, with the assumption that I won't be sounding the horn in IMC. This is useful to clear the prop at startup, or to warn people or animals when landing at remote sites.

  May 27, 2023     FWF Wiring - (2.5 hours)       Category: Engine

Most of the FWF wiring rough-in, except for CHT, EGT, main ground and Alternator connections. The plan is to fire up the EFIS and ensure that all sensors are working properly before the boot cowls are riveted in place.

  May 26, 2023     PMAG Wiring - (4.7 hours)       Category: Engine

Wired both PMAGs. R mag had to be reclocked for access to wire connector. Partially installed firewall wiring pass-through.

  May 25, 2023     Trimming Engine Cowl - (2 hours)       Category: Engine

Trimmed lower cowl flanges and rough-cut upper cowl. Need to mount lower cowl to proceed, but will probably install engine wiring first.

  May 24, 2023     Cowl Fitup - (3 hours)       Category: Engine

Clecoing Boot Cowl in place in preparation for engine cowl fitting. Forward clecos will be replaced with temporary rivets until engine cowl is trimmed.

Boot cowl will then be removed until all electronics installed.

  May 23, 2023     Baffles and Prop - (4 hours)       Category: Engine

Finished up installation of metal baffles, except the front section which is waiting on cowl fit-up. Temporarily installed flywheel, fan belt, prop extension and backplate to allow cowl fit-up.

  May 22, 2023     Aft Baffles - (3.2 hours)       Category: Engine

Formed right cylinder wraps. Riveted aft cylinder wraps and baffles to corresponding aft side baffles. Ran safety wire between left cylinder wraps. Used silicone tube or fuel line to protect structure from safety wire.

In the Safery Wire photo, you can see that the safety wire is offset from the center of one of the wraps. This helps the wrap lie flat on the tapered fins, and increases clearance from interfering structure.

  May 19, 2023     Baffles - (3 hours)       Category: Engine

Modified front top baffle mount, and started on left rear baffles

  May 18, 2023     Bafffle Mods - (2.5 hours)       Category: Engine

Modified the top forward and aft baffle supports. This structure was originally designed for Lightspeed coil mounting, which I don't need. However, my experience with prop balancing means that it will be a good hardpoint for mounting the laser sensor, so I am keeping it.

  May 15, 2023     Baffles - (2.2 hours) Category: Engine

Installed forward and aft Baffle supports on engine. These parts use the Lightspeed Ignition Coil mounts, so I may drill some lightening holes in them.

May 15: Got home and tested positive for C-19. Sucks. May 17: So far three days into it… fever, sleeplessness, loss of appetite, brain fog and a sore neck Fever switched to cold sweats. Tried to do some coding, but I couldn't read my own code! Odd thing, is that I had a Booster shot on May 8th.

  May 13, 2023     Baffles - (2 hours)       Category: Engine

Drilled cylinder wrap flanges for safety wire. Looking for missing parts… not on my inventory sheet, but shown on the parts drawings.

Turns out that Rans changed the plans between when my FWF order was shipped and when it was delivered. I downloaded the ones in effect when I received the kit, because even though the inventory sheets said they would be emailed to me, they have never done this. Grrrr! Rans lack of formal revision control is an ongoing issue.

I am not riveting the forward front baffles until the cowl is fit. That way, I can fine-tune the baffle structure.

  May 12, 2023     Baffle Air Dams - (5.0 hours) Category: Engine

Fabricated air dams for front cylinders. These are attached with #8 nutplates, so they can be easily removed and trimmed. Riveted front baffle assemblies together.

The air dam procedure is here: fly without them, then equalize by using foil tape. Eventually, after break-in, trim the dams to the right size, or a bit bigger than the foil tape, and install. Fly again, and tweak as necessary.

  May 11, 2023     Baffling - (2.0 hours)       Category: Engine

Attached Right cylinder wraps. Rebent some flanges to increase rivet edge distance and get them to sit flat. Went back and redid Left wraps as well. Adjustment of the flanges required a 3/16” increase in flange width at the top.

  May 10, 2023     PMAG and Baffles - (6.0 hours)       Category: Engine

R&R of left PMAG in order to clip on MAP hose. Also rotated PMAG to provide better wiring access.

Started Baffle installation. Some problems with the parts because of edge clearance issues. Made a new angle by bending 0.063 sheet for left front baffle angle. Stock baffle did not have adequate flange for rivet edge distance on the cylinder wraps. Shaped and installed cylinder wrap baffles. Flanges on the cylinder wraps were too small and this contributed to less than perfect fit. They need to be rebent.

  May 08, 2023     Airbox Install - (3.2 hours)       Category: Engine

Riveted baffle seal onto nose of airbox. Made it a bit oversize to allow for contingencies. Mounted Airbox to fuel servo and rigged Alternate Air control cable.

  May 04, 2023     Fabricated Alternate Air valve - (3.5 hours)       Category: Engine

More Air-box work. Fabbed Valve and sealed exterior of Air-Box. RTV overlies clear masking tape that will be peeled off later.

  May 03, 2023     Air Box - (4.5 hours)       Category: Engine

Assembled the airbox housing. Used my flanging tool to bend the tabs to 90 degrees on the top and bottom. The wrap-around airbox side was misdrilled at the factory, easy fix when I figured it out. I clamped the side in position for the best fit, then redrilled the index holes.

Sealed with hi-temp (650 degrees F) black RTV. I put a dollop of RTV on the rivet tails as well to prevent the stems from shaking out.

  May 02, 2023     MAP Plumbing - (3.2 hours)       Category: Engine

Plumbed the MAP system with fittings and hose from NAPA. Teed in 1/8” lines to PMAGs. Used universal tees that can be trimmed to fit the hose diameter. I left the 1/8” barbs in place as restrictors for the 1/4” hose.

The PMAGs ship with inline restrictors, so I installed these as well. It was very difficult to attach the clamps on the 1/8 hose ends at the PMAG due to poor access. I may have to reclock the PMAGs go gain access.

  Apr 27, 2023     Rigging Engine Controls - (4.5 hours)       Category: Engine

Finalized throttle and mixture control rigging. Finalized cabin heat airbox control and ran alternate air control cable. Reinstalled fire extinguisher support. I may need to relocate Alternate Air cable due to interference with PMAGs.

Cabin heat cable was secured on a 1/4” standoff and cushion clamp secured with a longer bolt shared with the parking brake valve. The parking brake cable was also secured behind the instrument panel with a large zip tie. The cable operates smoothly without flex.

  Apr 26, 2023     Rerigging Throttle and Mixture - (5.5 hours)       Category: Engine

I was not happy with the throttle and mixture contol cable routing. After careful analysis, I rerigged the cables. I swapped firewall penetrations with the mixture in the lower hole and throttle in the higher one. I fabricated a new mount for the mixture cable, and rejigged the ball end to ensure smooth operation. Now, the cables are unlikely to abrade through contact with other FWF items.

I pinned the cable mount brackets with #6 screws to prevent rotation. There is not enough edge distance to use #3 bolts, as called out in the plans.

To drill the balls for the firewall pass-throughs, I clamped the balls in my pipe vise with a pair of aluminum angles protecting the ball. I bolted the ball halves together until the vise was tight, then removed the bolt and up-drilled the balls to the right diameter, 1/64th at a time.

  Apr 25, 2023     Throttle Cable - (3.5 hours)       Category: Engine

Roughed-in throttle cable. Needed to remove fire extinguisher mount to gain access to back of quadrant for tightening 3/4” nuts. The firewall pass-through fitting ball needed to be bored out to fit cable properly. See other posts for how I did this.

  Apr 24, 2023     Servo Mount - (4.0 hours)       Category: Engine

Mounted Breather tube, fuel pump overflow, and mounted injector servo. Replaced the sump studs as recommended using the double-nut method. Reversed one of the oil lines, to eliminate one right angle AN fitting on the oil cooler.

  Apr 23, 2023     Sensor Install - (3.0 hours)       Category: Engine

Installed Fuel and Oil pressure senders, and MAP sender. Mounted Red Cube fuel flow transducer. Replaced oil cooler fitting with steel version.

Pressure sender mounts use tubing clamp collars from my surplus inventory and -12 cushion clamps. Allows for flexible mounting location.

  Apr 22, 2023     Sensor Install - (3.5 hours)       Category: Engine

Installed Oil Temp sensor, Oil Pressure restrictor nipple, and fabricated Red Cube mount. Changed engine fuel pump outlet to 90 degree elbow to simplify plumbing to Red Cube.

Oil pressure restrictor is a pulled 5/32” pop rivet with the stem removed inside a 1/8 NPT AN nipple.

  Apr 20, 2023     Engine Installation - (3.0 hours)       Category: Engine

Moved starter contractor to prevent interference with PMag. Required a short jumper cable, left over from my Rocket construction.

  Apr 16, 2023     Engine Mount - (2.5 hours) Category: Engine

Added spacers to R engine mount. Needed to use longer spacers and bolts for oil cooler mounting in order to clear the engine mount in it's new position.

  Apr 15, 2023     Engine Mount Mod - (0.3 hour)       Category: Engine

Refit the left side engine mount. Replaced top 3/8 spacer with a 3/4 spacer, and moved the 3/8 spacer to the bottom. Moved the top bolt to the bottom and use an AN5-42A bolt on the top. The purpose of extending the engine mount is to allow for more firewall clearance of the EMAGs on the engine. Right side pending. This has been endorsed by Rans.

  Jan 06, 2023     Engine Arrives - (3.5 hours)       Category: Engine

After 2+ years my engine has arrived! Uncrated it and made some adjustments to my firewall accessories in preparation for hanging. I found that my cabin heat valve was not fully closing. Turns out that I had overtorqued one of the mounting bolts and it slightly warped the assembly. Easy fix. Also, the 5/16 hole for the alternate air control was too close to my starter solenoid terminal for my liking, so I drilled a new one a few inches lower. I plugged the old hole with #6 tinnerman washers and a #6 screw. This nests nicely in the hole and makes a nice flush plug.

Probably a good time to get ready for the engine hanging!

  Nov 10, 2022     FWF Accessories - (2.7 hours)       Category: Engine

Mounted oil cooler duct, mounted gascolator, connected brake reservoir and secured Master Bus feed and brake reservoir hose with cushion clamp.

The gascolator bowl must be removed prior to attaching it to the firewall. This allows the top case to be wrenched on the pipe thread nipple hardpoint located on the firewall.

I attached the lower flange of the oil cooler with AN-3 bolts rather than the called-out rivets. This should make the cooler easier to remove for service (flushing or repair). Not strictly necessary, but I did once replace a leaking oil cooler on my RV-9A.

Note the thermocouple in the Cushion Clamp photo. This will be attached to an EMAG to report the temperature to the EFIS system. It can then be displayed on the EFIS and datalogged.

  Nov 09, 2022     Installed Engine Mount - (3 hours)       Category: Engine

Slotted floorboard for lower left hand engine mount bolt. Installed engine mount and oil cooler. Shipped SkyView HDX back to Dynon for service.