May 02, 2024     Instrument Panel - (2.8 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Shoulder and neck is hurting. Taking a few light days to help recover fully.

Cleaned up the area around the instrument panel. Disconnected another avionics device from the wiring harness and installed protective covers. Covered up the GDU and access panel holes in the instrument panel and stacked wiring and remaining devices on the instrument panel. Ready to move it downstairs for now and to the garage when it is time to install the panel.

Labeled two more parts storage boxes and filled them with recently purchased hardware. Added more labels to a third box.

  May 01, 2024     Firewall Throttle, Mixture and Alt Air Holes - (5 hours)       Category: Fuselage

I ground a clearance cut in the rotisserie mount with a large sanding drum so I could drill the hole for the Alternate Air control from the engine side of the firewall. Drilled a pilot hole with my smallest step drill. Used a larger step drill for the final hole. Cleaned up and deburred the hole with a debur tool and finally a Dremel tool with a sanding drum. The hole turned out to be very round and a 0.618 OD socket with one layer of tape (0.626") fit through nicely with a very small and even clearance all around. A dial caliper showed a hole ID of 0.0640" at one location. My goal was 0.625" - 0 + 0.030 and I think I achieved it.

The hole for the Mixture control was straightforward with great access on the engine side and good access on the cockpit side. The Hercules cobalt step drills that I purchased this morning didn't work as well as the Warrior titanium step drills I had already been using for smaller firewall holes. So I made a Harbor Freight run to get the larger Warrior titanium bits. I finished the Mixture hole with the Warrior step drill, but I'm not sure it was a lot better. I think the larger size jump between steps and the larger hole diameter made it not work as well as the small Warrior step drills. I had to work on the larger holes with a debur tool and a Dremel sanding drum to clean them up. The resulting hole turned out nice. I measured the hole ID of 1.140 after using the debur tool and 1.150 to 1.162 after using the Dremel sanding drum. Image 7907 shows a 1.158" socket will not fit through the hole. A 1.129" OD socket (socket with two wraps of tape) fit through the hole easily with a small even gap. My goal was 1.125" -0 + 0.030" and it seems I missed it by 0.005 to 0.010".

The hole for the Throttle control was more difficult with only access at an angle on the engine side and okay access on the cockpit side. I used the small and then large Warrior step drill. The resulting hole wasn't as clean as the hole for the mixture control and required more work to debur and clean up. The final hole was not as round as the mixture hole. Image 7917 shows a 1.158" socket will not fit through the hole, but there are approximately 0.030" gaps in some areas. A 1.129" OD socket (socket with two wraps of tape) fit through the hole easily, but there was a larger, uneven gap compared to the hole for the mixture control. My goal was 1.125" -0 + 0.030" and it seems I missed it by 0.030 to 0.035". I'm still confident it will work.

  Apr 30, 2024     Firewall Fittings - (4.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Called Doug at double tee (firewallfittings.com) to ask the questions I sent on Saturday. He answered as hoped and promised to send more details later. He sent me a part drawing instead of trying to describe it and it answered my final questions. I placed an order for one of the 6100-0.240s and two of the 4200-0.375. It may be a month or more before I get the 4200's, but I can drill holes now and expect them to fit.

Made a final decision about where to locate the two EMT wire feedthrough. Drilled undersized holes to approximately match the flat width and then filed larger as needed.

Looked at the double tee drawing and tolerances. Tried to find thread sizes. Learned more about thread specifications, but decided to stop looking and just go with the 1.125" hole -0 +0.030 we discussed. Looked at my step drills and then at the hydraulic punch. The step drills are too small. The punch will just barely fit where I need it, but the sizes are wrong. Decided to buy a larger step drill at harbor freight along with larger sanding drums than my Dremel tool to use in smoothing out or enlarging the holes if needed.

  Apr 29, 2024     Brake Line Brackets, Firewall Holes - (4.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Remade larger version of one of the parts of the firewall brake mount using a thinner material. After fitting, made the center spacer. Clamped all the parts together and drilled. Trimmed all the edges to match. Installed the completed bracket.

Considered different options for the brake line mount on the center rudder bar support. Mocked up several potential mounts with pasteboard.

Discussed the two options for location of the firewall feedthrough for GEA 24 signals with Ellicia. Looked at pictures from a project that Deene was supporting. Decided to use a third location that offers several benefits including more room to route wires, lower overall wire length and more clearance above the battery to allow easier replacement.

  Apr 28, 2024     Brake Line Bracket on Firewall - (3.6 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Started fabrication of the original bracket idea which used a hole drilled at a 45 degree angle to allow the vertical run of the brake line through a bracket mounted on the 45 degree firewall stiffener. Tried using a step drill and then a drill bit. The results weren't great so decided a different approach was needed.

Decided on a new bracket design with slots to allow the lines to move side to side, but not forward and aft. Used a second part to secure the lines in the right and left direction. Realized I needed to make a new larger version of the second part.

  Apr 27, 2024     Cables and Firewall Feedtrhroughs - (3.2 hours) Category: Fuselage

Met my goal for the 4th week in a row. I'm back on track.

Read email from Doug at DoubleTee. Made final(?) decision on fittings to use and sent questions to Doug and placed parts in the shopping cart. Created document with notes from phone call and additional questions. Downloaded pictures from DoubleTee. Saved notes and pics in the manuals and data sheets folder.

Searched for fiberglass project materials online. Ordered acrylic sheet and and roll of carpet (countertop) protector from Amazon. Searched for aluminum sheet on Amazon and online metals. Decided to use something I already have that is close enough to the 0.016" thickness specified.

Cut several paper templates to mock up several methods of securing brake lines.

  Apr 26, 2024     Firewall, Controls, Fuel - (5.4 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Called Randy at McFarlane Aviation and decided which style cables to use. Received cable OD information needed for firewall feedthrough selection. Updated notes on cables and saved in data sheet folders. Also downloaded and saved additional cable documents.

Called Doug at DoubleTee (firewallfittings.com) to ask for guidance on fitting selection. Doug promised to send me information on TTP-S and 7100 sizes.

Placed order for Cherry Max rivets and assorted screws. Deleted the firewall feedthroughs from the order since I don't know which ones I want yet and I can order direct from DoubleTee.

Centerpunched firewall penetration locations for "A" Throttle, "F" mixture, "L" alternate (bypass) air, and "M" nosegear bolt access. Drilled the M hole using a step drill and deburred it. An earlier drawing revision said to use a 1" hole for the nosegear bolt access. The most recent revision said to use a 3/4" hole. I used the smaller hole and marked it to remind me to test the hole size before finishing the engine mount installation.

Opened nylon 6"x6" packages from McMaster and thought about how to use them. Decided to mock up a few different designs using cardboard.

Thought about options to enlarge the center hole of the grommets from McMaster for the fuel line openings on the side of the fuselage. The standard size grommets won't work in the 1" holes specified by Van's. Ended up sandwiching each grommet between two boards and using a 0.5" step drill to enlarge the grommet ID.

  Apr 25, 2024     Controls and Firewall Penetrations - (3 hours) Category: Fuselage

Update notes from previous day conversation with Van's Builder Support and from additional research before and after the call. Created builder log entry for previous day.

Researched McFarlane control cable options. Researched DoubleTee Products Firewall Fittings at their website and at Aircraft Spruce. Researched Van's control options. Wrote down a list of questions for McFarlane and DoubleTee.

  Apr 24, 2024     Research - (6 hours) Category: Fuselage

Reviewed drawing spreadsheet showing questions and associated drawings. Worked to detail list of questions to discuss with Van's builder support. Discussed the following with Van's builder support:

DWG 24 six rivets on each side for F-902 to F-7105B. Suggested solid rivets where possible. Suggested Cherry Max structural rivets in other places. Additional research found posts on vansairforce by Van's employees saying CR3213-4-x (-2 in my case) were used in some key places on Van's kits because they had higher shear strength. I'll try to squeeze the ones I can reach and use Cherry rivets in the other locations. Added Cherry Max rivets to my aircraft spruce cart.

Space needed above PC680 to remove battery. No guidance so I will be conservative and not place anything above the battery so it can be raised up to the flange on the firewall if needed. Instead of using the electrical feedthrough location above the battery suggested by Brian, I'll move the feedthroughs closer to the engine mount bolt by the brake fluid reservoir.

Engine and battery ground point. OP 27R2, OP 30 and OP 31 all show different options. It looks like sometimes the grounds could be common and other times separate. Since I used pro seal on the firewall recess and primer on the other firewall parts, I will use a common bolt for the engine and battery ground connection. And also run a wire from that location to the Avionics ground bus near the panel.

Nose gear access hole. DWG 19 R4 and R5 and some versions of OP 33 R1 stated a hole was needed for some of the engines, but didn't list the IO-360-M1B. The person I talked to at builder support wasn't familiar with the hole and guessed I was reading the drawing correctly. So I wasn't going to add the hole even though the hole plug is included in my FWF kit. After the call I completed additional research on vansairforce and found a note about using DWG 46A. Rev 2 shows use of a 1" diameter hole and R3 shows a 3/4" hole. Inspection of my engine mount made it obvious to me that I needed to add a hole. I'll use 3/4" and increase to 1" if it appears to be a problem when I install the engine mount.

Throttle, mixture, alternate air and cabin heat cable hole in stiffener. DWG 19 R4 and R5 and OP 26. Builder support didn't seem very familiar with the drawing or if they applied to IO-360-M1B or just to IO-360 vertical induction. Builder support did suggest looking at OP 22 which I had seen before, but forgotten about. I think it does work for my engine and the mixture and throttle parts included in my FWF parts order. Builder support did agree with my choice of DWG 19 F for mixture, A for throttle, and L for alt air, but that didn't give me a lot of confidence.

Discussed what I found out from builder support with Ellicia. She suggested finding someone that built using my configuration and ask them. I then remembered I had pictures from an RV-7, IO-360-M1B build that Deene had showed me. I looked back at the pictures and found they helped me confirm answers to most of my questions. And finding DWG46A helped answer a lot more.

Looked at McFarlane drawings, but didn't settle on what controls to use for cabin heat valve, throttle, mixture, and alt air.

  Apr 23, 2024     Firewall - (3.8 hours) Category: Fuselage

Updated builder log and pictures for previous few days.

Looked up strap material to help remove battery from battery box and added to McMaster cart.

Match drilled pressure sensor manifold to firewall and instrument panel structure. Deburred holes.

Decided on change to make on cabin heat air diverter. Reviewed FWF documents and identified additional firewall holes battery ground, engine ground, oil pressure sensor line support. Found hole needed for cabin heat control cable. Looked up control cable OD at Van's and McFarlane. Added to list of Van's questions.

Updated maintenance manual with firewall fuel feedthrough changes, brake line R and L swap, and GMU 11 standoffs.

  Apr 22, 2024     Brake, Fuel Lines - (6.3 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Reviewed notes for previous week to see what parts I needed to order. Reviewed plan for brake line mount. Considered several options for additional brake line mount for crossover hoses. Looked at options for modeling clay one final time and selected McMaster clay and added to order. Added additional nylon sheets to McMaster order. Added parts to Aircraft Spruce cart for future order. Placed McMaster order.

Removed fuel pump mounting plate, fuel pump and filter as one assembly by disconnecting the filter to valve fuel line. Wrapped silicone tape around the fitting that might contact the floor of the fuselage.

Swapped the right and left brake lines and confirmed the fit was much better.

Fit the heater box in place and confirmed the routing of the brake lines works. Also confirmed there is plenty of room for the instrument panel to aft fuselage wiring to fit. Thought about options to secure fuel and brake lines and wiring. Decided to use click bond mounts to locate them and additional foam (per Van's instructions) to protect them more. I probably won't need to use conduit to protect wires in the center tunnel. Found a CB4132 mount that would work better than a homemade mount to secure brake lines. Sent an email to theflightshop.com asking for price and availability.

Removed and smoothed OD and ID of firewall fuel bulkhead fitting spacer.

  Apr 21, 2024     Fuel, Brake Lines - (3.9 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Continued work on fuel lines. Looked at fit of lines and fittings between fuel pump and firewall (look at the picture with the inspection mirror showing the fittings below the fuel pump mounting plate). Determined the fuel line under the pump mounting plate had to be routed outside the pump/filter assembly to keep the line from touching other fuel lines.

Reinstalled the fuel valve to check final location and fit of fuel filter and pump. Torqued a few of the AN fittings that could be reached and would likely not be disconnected.

Tested foam sheet fit. My guess for thickness and density was a good one that will work.

Checked squeezer yokes and how they will work with riveting the final instrument panel structure in place. Decided I needed a longer yoke to allow squeezing a few more of the rivets and placed an order with ATS.

Looked at options to install the six challenging rivets on each side for the F-7105 to F-902 rivets. I may be able to use a longeron yoke on a squeezer for a few of them. I may be able to use a rivet gun for the rest of them, but it will be challenging. I could use a blind rivet for some or all of them, but will need to see if that is acceptable to Van's before I do that.

Looked at brake line routing and decided I needed to swap the lines between the right and left firewall to landing gear mounts.

  Apr 20, 2024     Brakes, Fuel, - (5.2 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Installed new drilled bolts and final cotter keys on copilot master cylinder bolts. Looked at options for brake line routing around fuel lines and how the brake lines routed and fit when connected to the trigear FW brake fittings. The routing may work, but it doesn't seem right.

Received new o-rings for Andair valves and installed them where the two fittings attach. Staked the screws for the fittings per Andair instructions.

Searched for nylon sheets for brake line supports. Searched for grommets for fuselage where fuel lines exit the cabin.

Installed fuel pump and filter mounting plate, pump, filter, valve and sheet metal around the valve. Started following Aircraft Specialty instructions for installing the fuel lines.

Clecoed the structure in front of the instrument panel in place. Looked at fit for brake lines, wiring and options for brake line support brackets.

Removed the fuel valve with the sheet metal and fuel pump and filter left in place. Procedure is remove screws attaching the valve to the top plate and the top plate to the spar and sheet metal. Then remove the top plate. Then the valve can be removed.

  Apr 19, 2024     Parts, Documentation, Rudder Bar Mounts - (3.3 hours) Category: Fuselage

Inventoried Aircraft Spruce and Airline Hydraulics parts that arrived today.

Checked rudder bar mounting bolts and realized not enough threads were showing on the two bolts on the right side. Changed top and bottom washers to AN960-10L and retorqued. Marked all 6 nuts with torque seal.

Updated maintenance manual with Andair o-ring part numbers, details on rudder bar spacers, brake caliber potential alternate o-rings, some Van's part numbers and other information. Added a new section for Canopy modifications with Supertrack Canopy Track Extension. Started a new summary section of modifications for a quick way to identify changes.

Not included in hours... Picked up some supplies for fiberglass work from Harbor Freight (electrical tape, 2" chip brushes, "bondo" spreaders, non-powdered nitrile gloves).

  Apr 18, 2024     Fuel Valve, Brake Lines and Rudder Bar - (4.8 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Received a response from Jenny at Andair saying the ORO020 is a 15 x 1.5 Viton 75 O-ring. Disassembled Andair valve and measured to confirm 15mm was the ID. Researched o-ring sources and placed an order with McMaster Carr for a one package of 9263K114 o-rings.

Looked up potential brake caliper o-rings to document in the maintenance manual. I had previously ordered caliper o-rings from Van's since the McMaster Carr o-rings did not meet the low temperature spec listed in the SB.

Completed the rudder bar install with the "0.090 thick spacer on the left and the 0.125" spacer on the right. Moved the assembly to the center position and installed with the final locknuts. Did not use lubricant on the UHMW PE block to rudder bar connection. Used one pair of AN960-10 washers on each end mounting block between the top and bottom half. Used a pair of AN960-10 and a pair of AN960-10L washers between the top and bottom half of the center block. Torqued the nuts to 20 inch pounds which included the friction drag of the new lock nuts. Started making updates in the maintenance manual.

Installed the crossover and pilot to firewall brake lines finger tight. Considered different options for securing the brake lines. Used tie wraps to temporarily secure the lines and check for freedom of movement. Sketched a few potential brackets to help secure the lines.

  Apr 17, 2024     Brake and Fuel - (4.4 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Started final assembly of Andair valve. Andair instructions said to lubricate fitting to body seals and tighten and stake the screws. I pulled the fitting loose and found the seals were dry. I realized the dry seals that were over 10 years old had probably taken a set and maybe hardened. I decided to replace the seals now instead of later after I would have to deal with more disassembly as well as fuel in the lines. Researched replacement o-rings at Andair and Andair US distributors and found they weren't available. Researched options at vanairforce and didn't find any. Emailed Andair asking for US distributor or information so I could buy a standard o-ring.

Installed fuel line and brake line on left side in front of spar. The assembly order matters, but isn't too difficult. Decided I might want to route the lines differently. Installed the fuel and brake lines on the right side to see if the new way was actually better. Reworked the left side to match the right side. Still need to clean up silicone tape I used to prevent wear. The final routing has the brake line resting against the landing gear mount tube and the fuel line routing over it. This should work as long as the fuel line is able to reach the tank fitting okay. See IMG_7663 below.

Cleaned and glued rubber extrusion to the fuel pump and filter mounting plate using weldwood contact cement.

Cut the 1" UHMW PE rod received from McMaster on a bandsaw to create spacers to reduce side play on the right/rear. After several tries I was able to make flat disks. The trick was to use a miter gauge set to 90 degrees and not rotate the rod during or between cuts. If you rotate the rod between cuts you get a disk that is thicker on one side since the rod is not perfectly straight. I ended up using one that was 0.090" on the left side and one that was 0.125" thick on the right. This resulted in almost no side play when the rudder bars were mounted in the forward location and a small amount of side play in the center location. There will be additional side play in the rear location.

  Apr 16, 2024     Brake and Fuel Lines, Firewall Rivets, Planning - (3.8 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Removed covers, Andair valve and fuel pump mount. Vacuumed and wiped down area. Cleaned up and primed where holes had been enlarged in F-783B R/L brackets. Primed face of reinforcement plates that contact the brackets.

Worked with Ellicia to rivet two top corner rivets near the firewall recess.

Reamed three Andair valve mounting holes to 0.190" to improve fit between valve and mounting plate. Deburred all four edges of the Andair valve mounting plate.

Jotted down additional tasks while working on the RV. Reviewed Trello and Notes RV lists. Consolidated notes in one spreadsheet and created general groups and more detail on near term items.

  Apr 15, 2024     Fuel and Brake Line Brackets, Bleeder, Parts - (5 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Researched options, completed brake bleeder design and ordered parts.

Installed right fuel line from Andair valve through the F-783B R bracket. Determined position for reinforcement bracket and match drilled. Opened up holes in F-783B R bracket as needed. Deburred edges of holes in the R and L brackets and reinforcement plates. Deburred edges of both reinforcement plates. All pictures for this entry are for the right side only.

  Apr 14, 2024     F-783B reinforcement plates, Parts - (5 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Used shear to trim reinforcement plates to final size. Installed sheet metal parts to ensure fuel valve and line is located the same as it will be in the final assembly. Connected right fuel line to the Andair valve. Determined location for the reinforcement plate on the right side and drilled holes for blind rivets. Removed fuel line and used a step drill and Dremel drum sander to open up the holes in F-783B R bracket to clear the new mounting holes. In some places the grommet edge covers two layers of sheet metal.

The maintenance manual was updated with information about the new brackets and the grommet part numbers.

Researched and found more parts and supplies for fiberglass class and for future maintenance. Ordered parts from McMaster and Aircraft Spruce.

  Apr 13, 2024     Fuel and Brake Line Brackets, Seal Lube - (3 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Met my goal for the last week. Was out of town two days to take parents to a memorial service so goal was reduced by 9 hours.

Attended monthly EAA chapter 187 meeting. Discussed fiberglass options with Deene. The fiberglass class uses West Systems and also shows some stronger and more heat resistant options. After talking to Deene, planning to use West Systems epoxy for gear leg related fairings and windshield fairings and rudder, elevator and wing tips.

Researched greases and lubes for Andair valve. Was planning to bolt in valve for the last time, but need to lube o-ring seals before staking the screws. Ordering Krytox GPL 205.

Marked up 0.040 aluminum sheet with layout for F-783B inner bracket reinforcement plates. Drilled grommet holes.

  Apr 12, 2024     Brake and Fuel line Brackets, Fiberglass Training - (5.8 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Deburred F-782B R/L bracket edges and holes. Countersunk holes for the nutplates and assembled the brackets. Cut outer flanges of some of the grommets to fit.

Started mocking up potential designs for a reinforcement plate to go on the F-783B brackets that are riveted to the spar and not easily replaced. The new fuel and brake line holes overlapped existing holes in the bracket. I decided to change the location of all three holes starting with centering the fuel line hole around the fuel line since the location is fixed by the Aircraft Specialties hard line. The circles on the template are the OD of the grommets.

Looked up West Systems fiberglass materials that I have on the Aircraft Spruce website. Downloaded and looked at the West Systems products manual.

Researched and downloaded data sheets for fiberglass cloth.

  Apr 10, 2024     F-782B Brackets for Fuel, Brake and Wiring - (5.8 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Watched more of the SportAir Online fiberglass course.

Made holes and tested grommet and fuel and brake line clearance in sample sheet of 0.040" aluminum. Decided:
FUEL: Fuel line holes 0.790" for clearance of the nut with AN931-8-13 grommet was the best option. The grommet fits the bracket hole about right. The grommet hole is about .36" in diameter larger than the fuel line. The clearance provides enough room to install the grommet in the bracket after the fuel line is inserted and to allow the fuel line to angle through the bracket for better routing. A -7-11 grommet could also work, but it is too small for the hole and pulls out easier. I used a 20mm Unibit step drill.
BRAKE: Brake line holes about 0.690" for clearance of the nut 0.630 nut on the fitting with AN931-7-11 grommet was the best option. The brake hose is 3/8" OD and the grommet ID is 7/16" which provides enough room to install the grommet with the hose inserted. A 0.630 hole in the bracket made it almost impossible to install the grommet with the hose inserted without cutting the grommet so it isn't a complete circle. I was concerted that this wouldn't protect the brake hose as well and might be easier to pull out. I used a 11/16" unibit step drill.
WIRING: The wiring hole is the 5/8" Van's recommended hole with a hard plastic snap in bushing. The wires will be inserted through the bushing after installation of the bracket. I used a 5/8" unibit step drill.

The best hole layout seemed to be:
1) Placing the bottom edge of the large fuel line hole 1/2" above the bottom of the bracket and the aft edge of the hole as close as possible to the spar. This allows the best routing of the fuel line through the landing gear mount.
2) Leaving the wiring hole in the Van's designated location.
3) Placing the brake line hole between the other holes and as far away from the spar as possible.

I drilled the replacement F-782B R/L brackets using a clamp on the drill press. The center of the fuel line hole was on the edge of one of the prepunched holes so I used a 0.040" sheet of aluminum on top of the bracket to start the hole in the desired position with a # 40 drill. Then I slowly enlarged the hole with a unibit until the prepunched hole was drilled out. Then I finished enlarging the hole to the final size after verifying the hole was still centered in the desired location.

  Apr 09, 2024     Paperwork and Training - (4.6 hours) Category: Fuselage

Completed log entries and picture uploads for last few days.

Updated Maintenance Manual with information on brake parts and brake master cylinder return spring addition.

Updated carts for Aircraft Spruce and McMaster Carr. Decided not to order yet because we are going out of town later this week during the expected delivery days and I may want to adjust my Aircraft Spruce order with material for the Fiberglass SportAir Online course.

Downloaded handouts and started watching the course and making notes.

  Apr 08, 2024     Eclipse Day       Category: Fuselage

Took a break today for Ellicia's birthday and the Eclipse

  Apr 07, 2024     Fuselage, Brakes - (3.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Finished pilot and copilot master cylinder install except for the AN3-7 bolt I need to order to replace the AN3-7A. Tested and decided to swap the position of the two bushings on the return spring assembly so the higher load one is on the end that moves. This matches the vansairforce picture, but not the order of the parts on the parts list. Reworked the pilot master cylinder install with the bushing swap. Adjusted all four of the spring retaining collar to have a 1/8" gap between it and the master cylinder mounting tab on the rudder bar.

Considered different options for which grommets and which hole pattern locations would work best for the brake and fuel line routing through the F-782B-R/L brackets and through the landing gear mounts.

  Apr 06, 2024     Fuselage - (7 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Fabricated two new 1/16" bus bars between the contactors in place of the original 1/8" one I made. The thinner ones are easier to install/remove and are narrower so there is less chance of a short.

Installed cotter keys on rudder pedals. Installed one of the pilot master cylinders to test the operation of the spring return.

Measured battery height and marked areas on the firewall that need to be clear to allow the battery to be lifted out of the battery box.

Test fit the engine mount to look for potential places for firewall feedthroughs. Looked at pictures from Brian on locations he used for feedthroughs on his RV-7A and decided to match them. Decided not to add feedthroughs until after the instrument panel is installed. Measured wires in the harness that need to go through the new feedthrough and found I needed a 0.56" hole. One 1/2" EMT conduit fitting is 0.63" and is barely large enough. It might be better to use two of the 1/2" or one of the 3/4 in to allow more room for additional wires or to group them better.

Decided to move the rudder bar assemblies to the center mount point after I make the spacer to limit side to side play so I only have to disassemble the mounting blocks one more time.

  Apr 05, 2024     Master Cylinders - (7.6 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Added UHMW rod to McMaster Carr cart for rudder bar spacer.

Opened and inspected McMaster Carr shipment. Installed one set of parts on a master cylinder and measured spring compression at the stop. It was about 0.85 inches. The spring has a rate of 15.9 pounds/inch so the addition spring force is approximately 13 pounds. I'm going to discuss the measurements with Brian at the next EAA chapter 187 meeting.

I measured the spring force of three cylinders with only the internal spring and got approximately 10 pounds. It isn't a clean measurement because the seals add friction.

Researched solvent to use for cleaning brake fittings. Used MEK. Disassembled and reassembled remaining master cylinders with new seals and springs per Matco documentation. Checked flow from top to bottom port. Checked movement of shaft before pressure reached. Checked for leaks and continued movement of shaft with pressure maintained. All okay.

Drained cylinders, cleaned threads and installed fittings in the orientation shown in drawings 36A and 37. Used Lactate 567 for the AN fittings. The Legris fittings had a sealant pre-applied. I really like that the Legris fittings are swivel type so you can tighten the fitting properly and then rotate it to the desired orientation. You have to compromise on tightness to get the desired installation orientation on the 90 degree AN NPT to flare fittings. Looked up Legris fitting specs. I would really like to use them for some of the other brake lines, but I think they are marginal on the pressure rating. The AN fittings are installed and I will use them and the Aircraft Specialty hoses I purchased.

Looked at potential places to install another wire feedthrough in the firewall. Need to research that more and install them before riveting the top skin in place. Also considered installing nutplates to allow easy installation and removal of the pressure sensor manifold. Looked to see if I am ready to install the brake fluid reservoir. The reservoir needs to be installed after the instrument panel structure and before the top skin. Or I can crawl around under the panel and install it later.

  Apr 04, 2024     Brakes, Firewall Recess - (7.3 hours)       Category: Fuselage

I remembered there being a problem with my old C yokes spreading open when I tried to squeeze a 1/8" rivet. Brian Decker said he never had a problem. So I completed a test squeezing 1/8" rivets with all my yokes. In each case I used a 0.25" AN426AD4-4 long flush rivet and adjusted the pneumatic rivet squeezer to have an air gap of either 0.145" or 0.090" when the squeezer was closed with no part/rivet in the "C". The rivets all squeezed down. The gap and final length results by yoke were:
gap squeezed length yoke
0.145" 0.193 3.75" heavy duty (new)
0.145" 0.190 3.0" standard 2 die type
0.090" 0.153 3.0" standard 2 die type
0.145" 0.190 2.5" close fit 1 die type
0.090" 0.149 2.5" close fit 1 die type
0.145" 0.170 1.5" standard 2 die type
0.090" 0.125 1.5" standard 2 die type
0.145" 0.190 3.00" longeron 2 die type
0.090" 0.144 3.00" longeron 2 die type
So there was only a slight change when going to the longer reach yokes. And no difference between my old 3 inch and the new heavy duty one that worked so well yesterday. Maybe I need to change the test to squeeze a rivet in a piece of metal similar to a real situation. Or maybe I didn't have the squeezer gap set right in the old days. I'm not going to worry about it for now. I needed the longer reach yoke anyway to be able to squeeze rivets in more situations.

Riveted final 3/32" rivet close to the firewall recess using the new, heavy, squeezer yoke as the backplate. Tried to rivet one of the 1/8" rivets close the firewall recess the same way and decided to use the 3x rivet gun later after the nearby pro seal cures.

Worked with the rudder bar mounting blocks and center support.
-Checked fit and operation in all three positions in case I need to move the bars forward or aft after the seats are installed. Opened up center support mounting holes as needed.
-Determined I need to use a AN960-10 to as a spacer for the two side mounts that I cut in half. Determined I need to use an AN960-10 and a AN960-10L for the center mount.
-Identified where the rudder bar and/or brake petals hit the firewall stiffeners and determined I can use an edge grommet and/or split hose to protect the firewall stiffener.
-Measured the side play of the rudder bars in the most forward and aft mounting block locations. The forward rudder bar (right rudder) has almost no play in the most forward position and only 0.094" play in the most aft position. I consider that to be perfect since it allows the rudder to be able to mounted in any mounting block location with minimal side play. The left rudder bar (left rudder) has 0.094" of play in the most forward position and 0.186" of play in the aft position. I'm going to order some plastic to make a spacer to keep the max left rudder bar side play to approximately 0.094" to match the other rudder bar.
-Rechecked the movement of the center rudder bar support bracket now that it is riveted in place. The bracket movement is barely noticeable even when pulling on it with 20 pounds on the side where the TWC backup battery is installed.

Tested the right pilot master cylinder using emailed instructions from Matco (Compress the shaft and then allow it to extend. Lay the cylinder on a table with the ports up. Fill the port near the shaft [I used a syringe to keep from making a mess with the Royco 782 fluid]. I noticed I had to keep adding fluid slowly as the fluid flowed through the cylinder. Verify the fluid eventually starts flowing out of the other port. Cap off the other port, change the position of the cylinder to shaft up. Compress the shaft and verify it becomes firm with only about 1/8" of movement, that there aren't any leaks around the shaft and that the shaft does not slowly move under pressure). The test results show it was working okay.

I had previously disassembled the left pilot master cylinder using the Matco maintenance documents. I didn't test it before disassembly. I used a rebuild kit and reassembled it. I noticed the original seals had taken a set and were not as flexible as the seals in the new kit. I'm going to rebuild all the master cylinders while they are easy to reach and I don't have fluid in the lines that will make a mess.

Looked up documentation from Van's and vansairforce on thread sealant and NPT fitting torque. I'm going to use Loctite 567.

  Apr 03, 2024     Rudder Bar Support, Firewall Recess and Feedthrough - (5.2 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Unpacked and tried new squeezer yoke. It is much wider and heavier than my other yokes and worked great. It had long enough reach to rivet the rudder bar support in place.

Cleaned firewall recess parts and removed rudder bars for better access. Worked with Ellicia to figure out how to set the rivets where the gun couldn't be used because access was blocked by the fuselage rotisserie bracket. Figured out Ellicia could hold a back rivet plate against the firewall and I could back rivet from the cockpit side.

Mixed up pro seal, applied a bead around the edge of the firewall recess and riveted the firewall recess in place. Also installed a wire feedthrough for the contactors using pro seal. Cleaned up tools, clecos, and extra pro seal on the firewall. Looks great! And was easier than expected.

  Apr 02, 2024     Firewall Recess, Fuel line, Instrument Panel - (4.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Received replacement fuel line from Andair valve to AFP filter inlet and it fit perfectly.

Test fit recess into firewall opening and drilled a battery box mounting hole to final size.

Installed D-Sub covers on all the open connectors on the wiring harness and on the avionics. Disassembled instrument panel structure and riveted nutplates for Adele clamps and a final nut plate for one of the Garmin boxes in place. Decided to bolt the Diode-Or assemblies in place instead of using the double sided tape. Marked and drilled holes and installed nutplates.

Found brake cylinder return spring documentation on vansairforce and ordered parts from McMaster Carr.

  Apr 01, 2024     Squeezer Yoke - (.3 hour) Category: Fuselage

Realized I ordered the close quarter yoke and really wanted the standard style that accepts two dies. Also I was concerned that the one I would order would be like my yoke and flex. Called ATS to discuss. Changed to their 14-8 squeezer yoke.

  Mar 30, 2024     Squeezer Yoke - (.5 hour) Category: Fuselage

Yesterday I realized that I needed an extended reach squeezer yoke to install the rudder bar center support. Researched options. Reached out to Brian Decker to find out which yoke he had brought over for a similar problem. My extended reach yokes flex on 1/8 rivets and his didn't. Placed an order with aircraft tool supply.

  Mar 29, 2024     Firewall Recess Assembly - (2 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Cleaned up the shop. Cleaned the firewall sealing surfaces with acetone. Mixed up pro seal and added some between overlapping skins on the recess and squeezed rivets. Then added pro seal to the gaps formed by relief cuts. Cleaned up tools.

  Mar 28, 2024     Firewall Recess, Rudder Bar Center Support - (4.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Continued to consider the assembly order.

Became concerned about adding the extra weight of the TCW battery backup to the rudder bar center support bracket. After discussions with John, pulled on the end of the center support with about 12 pounds of force (extra weight is 34 oz spread over whole bracket). Didn't see any deflection pulling straight down at 12 or even 20 pounds. The bracket twisted slightly if pulled down and to the side where the backup battery will be mounted. The twisting was much smaller if the nylon support blocks were installed. In all cases, there was no significant change in the friction while moving the rudders.

Drilled holes and installed nutplates on the rudder bar center support to mount the TCW battery backup. Considered installing PEM studs or using nuts and bolts before deciding on nutplates.

Drilled and dimpled holes in the firewall recess. The recess box must be sealed and riveted before it is installed in the firewall. Decided to dimple both layers at the same time instead of unfolding the part enough to dimple each layer separately.

Researched brake line fittings and ordered Legris 3109 56 11 push to connect fittings for master cylinder to brake fluid reservoir connections. These are fittings in the same family as the fitting Van supplies for the brake reservoir.

  Mar 27, 2024     Test Fit and Next Steps - (2.1 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Studied drawings and test fit firewall recess, center rudder support and TCW backup battery. I want to make sure I know the right orientation and figure out the best assembly order before I start final riveting of any of these.

Determined the first thing to install is the rudder bar center support. Started second guessing myself on whether or not it is okay to install the 34 ounce TCW backup battery on the support. Need to ask for technical assistance.

Identified the remaining steps and order for completing and installing the firewall recess. I plan to use pro seal to block the large holes. I may spread fire block sealant over the pro seal later. I may use the fire block sealant to seal the recess to firewall flange gap as I rivet it in place.

Researched brake line routing and considered options for support brackets.

  Mar 26, 2024     Avionics and Wiring - (4 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Removed wiring and avionics from the structure behind the instrument panel in preparation for installing the forward top fuselage structure and skin on the fuselage. Added labels to some of the connectors. Added tie wraps to help protect wiring from GDU 460 mounting screws. Added Aircraft Spruce 05-00675, M22529/2-2R edge grommet to two places on the CO Detector and used Dow 3145 RTV to help secure the edge grommet. Took pictures to help me reassemble and document the avionics and wiring. Added some potentially helpful tools to the McMaster Cart.

Added notes about the parts used to install the GMU 11 to the maintenance manual. Added additional notes about avionics and wiring to the maintenance manual.

  Mar 25, 2024     GMU 11, Heater Valve - (1.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Installed the GMU 11 using the previously made spacers. Used a non-magnetic screwdriver and a homemade aluminum wrench for the GMU 11 screws. Installed a wire tie block (Mouser, MFG PN LHMS-55-D).

Cleaned up shop and tools from the pro seal session last week.

Found heater valve, bolts, nuts, sealant and instructions. Ready to install as soon as I get mineral spirits for cleanup.

  Mar 22, 2024     More Parts - (.1 hour) Category: Fuselage

Missed my goal for the week by 3 hours. Had too much to do this week and it was a short week (out of town Friday and Saturday). But I did make some really good progress on things I had been dreading.

Ordered parts from Aircraft Spruce this morning. I had placed the items in my cart over the last few months.

  Mar 22, 2024     Fuel Vent Screens - (1.3 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Cut disks out of sheets of screen and attached to fuel vent fittings with proseal. Used screen from amazon that had about the same size grid as the screens in the Van's FWF kits, but a slightly heavier gauge wire. For some reason I had thought modifying the vent fittings, cutting the screen and attaching it would be difficult. It turned out the screen was easily cut with scissors and didn't tend to fall apart.

  Mar 20, 2024     Pitot, Static, AoA and Fuel Lines - (4.1 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Completed plan for Pitot Static, AoA connections and hardware.

Decided to use a capped tube for the test ports to keep the minimum number of connections possible (with a test port). I have an assortment of other fittings and can quickly make an adapter to match what an avionics shop might need for test and calibration.

Cut tubing to fit and installed color caps and fittings. Left enough tubing connected to the G5 that I should be able to pull it out enough to disconnect the tubing. Worst case I have to remove the GDU 460 or work from under the panel to reach the G5 tubing connections. Left tubing ends folded over and taped to keep out dust and be a placeholder for the lines to the pitot/AoA tube and static ports. Left long ends with SMC caps as a rough guess for test port connections. Will optimize fit when I install the panel in the fuselage. Sketched schematic (attached below).

The photos show:
IMG_7304 - Color coded connections to the GSU 25.
IMG_7310 - The Static Connections to the Alternate Static Port switch, GSU 25, G5 and the 4 port SMC union - finger points to the union. The other port of the SMC union goes to the SMC Y union which connects to the static port and test port IMG_7312.
IMG_7311 - The pitot connections to the GSU 25, G5 and the 4 port SMC union (near bottom of picture). The other two ports of the SMC union go to the pitot tube and the test port shown in IMG_7313.
IMG_7312 and IMG_7313 show the initial rough position of the Test ports and connections to pitot, AoA and static ports.

Worked more on the Fuel and Brake lines going through the 4 brackets. Drilled another few holes. Bent the formed tubing slightly to improve fit. Researched and added additional grommets to my Aircraft Spruce shopping cart that might be a better fit. Decided to order new F-782B R and L brackets. They will have a small pilot hole instead of the large holes and will be easier to modify and look better when I am done. I am continuing to work with the current brackets to make sure I know how to modify the new ones.

  Mar 19, 2024     Fuel Line Routing, Static, Pitot, AoA - (5 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Finally I am tackling the problem of how to install the fuel lines from the valve to the tank. Routing wasn't clear to me. And it required modifying two parts that are already riveted in place and not practical to replace if I mess them up.

I started with the 783B-R and then L inner brackets. I took it slowly and test fitted as much as I could. I decided to move the hole down and towards the spar as I enlarged it. It seemed like I really needed to move it up slightly, but that creates other problems. It turned out I had to enlarge the hole in the up direction some and it probably needs more. I still have to decide if I want to move the hole up or try to bend the tubing slightly. And I still have to decide where to place the hole for the brake line.

Then I moved to the 782B-R and L outer brackets. These can be replaced easily. I'm not really happy with how the two holes intersect on the 782B-R side. I may try moving the holes to the locations shown by the two washers on the 782B-L bracket. And if that works better, then I can replace the one on the right side.

Then I moved on to routing both the brake and fuel lines through the gear leg mount. I think I understand how to route the lines at the gear leg now. I was trying to route them through the lightening holes in a landing gear gusset, but I think that just provides extra potential rubbing points and limits the movement of the fuel line enough that it might be difficult to mate the line with the fuel tank fitting.

Started work on pitot static angle of attack plumbing on instrument panel. Color coded the connections and cut a long piece of tubing for each connection. Explored different routing options. Thought about which lines, if any, needed a test port. Decided to use a test port on all three types of ports. Haven't decided where to run the lines or where to place the connectors and test ports.

  Mar 18, 2024     Static Port Replacement, FlyLEDs Controller - (6.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage

I decided to go ahead and replace the Van's static ports (blind rivet with the mandrel driven out and a piece of tubing slid over the body of the rivet. Then a lot of sealant to help it hold together.

First I had to drill out the rivet and then reach in and cut the sealant loose. That was pretty easy. Then I had to enlarge the rivet hole to 1/4" to fit the showplaces.com static port and .030" spacer. The difficult part was keeping the port from rotating when I was torquing the nut. I thought I would try to run some of the tubing and tie it loosely in place by reaching in through small holes. It turned out to be a lot easier to place some foam blocks on the bottom of the fuselage to spread out my weight and keep sharp edges from poking me and then just climb in. It looks more uncomfortable than it was. I did scrape my head getting in and out. While I was in there I decided to clean everything up with a vacuum places in the baggage compartment or on a table next to the fuselage. I wish I had done this a long time ago instead of worrying about it so much.

I had to move the FlyLEDs strobe control board to install the crotch strap mounting bracket. So today I found a new location for it and installed the standoffs and PCB assembly. There is greater than 0.10 inches of clearance between the bottom of the parts on the board and the closest section of the seat rib.

  Mar 17, 2024     Fuel Lines and Brakes - (2.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Read the response from Aircraft Specialty (they always respond quickly, even on Friday evening or weekends). Took the measurements they requested and sent pictures. Looks like I have the part for the Van's valve instead of the Andair valve. Tom later confirmed he was sending a new part.

Found updated caliper o-rings, researched alternatives and updated maintenance manual. Researched brake bleeding tools and materials compatible with MIL-PRF-83282.

Found GMU 11 mounting hardware and updated maintenance manual with details.

Reviewed McMaster Carr, Aircraft Spruce and Mouser shopping carts to see if it was time to place an order.

  Mar 16, 2024     Fuel and Brake Lines and fittings - (6.4 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Met my goal for the week! It is the second week of the new phase. I did take off three days for surgery and recommended low activity recovery time.

Reviewed Van's drawings to confirm I installed the fuel pump and valve parts correctly. Took a bunch of pictures that should help show Aircraft Specialties the issue. Tried test fitting just the three tubes to the Andair valve to rule out any builder error. The valve to filter tube interferes with one of the other tubes which helps confirm I have the wrong part. Looked at Aircraft Specialties again and decided I probably have the tube for the Van's valve instead of the one for the Andair valve. Sent questions and pictures to Tom.

Installed the brake fittings on the tri-gear bracket on the firewall. Attached the brake lines that go to the gear legs and to the master cylinders and they look like they should fit.

Found the master cylinder rebuild kits and disassembled one master cylinder. Read response from Matco and decided I will rebuild the master cylinders. Also found the push to connect fitting for the brake fluid reservoir.

Installed the fuel line at the firewall feedthrough and it looks like it should attach to the pump plumbing okay.

Test fit the fuel vent lines in the cabin and decided they are close enough. I'll install them after I get the structure behind the instrument panel riveted together and bend and/or remake as needed. No reason to do it yet. Cut the 45 degree angle on the fuel vent outlet fittings. Filed a lot on the first one and then used a band saw on the second one and finished with some filing. Deburred the edges of the 4 thick AN fitting washers and installed them on the fitting through the side of the fuselage.

Torqued the final 4 nuts on the center section and marked all the landing gear nuts and other nuts on the center section with torque seal to remind me that I finished torquing those nuts.

  Mar 15, 2024     Contactors, Fuel Lines, Brakes - (6.8 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Determined bolt length for contactor mounting and installed with final bolts. Made spacer for starter contactor. Finished copper strap between contactors. Decided I need to replace the strap with two thinner straps so the strap can flex as needed.

Struggled with how to install and mount the brake and fuel lines. Took pictures and sent questions to Tom and reviewed replies. Made some progress in understanding what to do and what to try next.

Test fit ring shims on the showplanes.com static port. Look great and I plan to use them. Updated maintenance document to show new parts.

  Mar 14, 2024     COM Doubler, Crotch Strap Brackets - (5 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Took off three days to recover from surgery.

Completed riveting the COM antenna doubler with Ellicia. Used LP4-3s to tie the old doubler to the new doubler.

Completed assembly of the crotch strap brackets and installed the brackets. Installed the 6 nutplates on the center section that were removed for landing gear mount fitting. Opened up the clearance holes in the firewall nutplates as needed so the bolts would fit without rubbing.

  Mar 09, 2024     Doublers - (1.2 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Attended EAA Chapter 187 meeting and got to talk to Brian. I told him I was having trouble finding the shim for the static port and he helped me find one. He also confirmed that he was able to get his static port working with the showplanes.com static port and a 0.030" spacer. I'm ordering the spacer and changing static ports.

Brian also said the SW cooler would work fine with a baffle mount for my stock 180 hp engine and no piston squirters. He did say it was likely I would see baffle cracking and suggested I use some reinforcements per previous discussions.

Ellicia and I riveted the firewall doubles, nut plates and transponder doubler in place.

  Mar 08, 2024     Landing Gear Mounts and doublers - (3 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Worked with Ellicia to torque all the landing gear mount to fuselage side nuts.

Looked up drawings and test fit the doublers for the contactors and fuel lines on the firewall. Countersunk some of the holes in the stainless firewall so the rivets would fit more flush.

  Mar 06, 2024     Landing Gear Weldments - (3.1 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Torqued all landing gear mount to center section bolts. Had to grind down the adapter even more to get it to fit. Saved a lot of time by extending the length of a ratcheting box end wrench to be able to tighten a nut lightly before switching to the torque wrench + torque extender. Had to use the wing spar holes in the fuselage to get to some of the bolts.

  Mar 04, 2024     Static Ports, Torquing hard to reach parts - (2.9 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Starting work on a new commitment this week. I realize I will miss my commitment for the week, but I have to start somewhere. I planned to start several weeks ago, but things kept getting in the way. Maybe a firm commitment will help and I will meet my goal next week.

Put away firewall forward parts so I could have room to work on the bench and still be able to find them later.

Reviewed options for static parts. About to just give up and leave it the way Van's designed it even though two tech counselors I respect told me to replace them.

Finally time to grind down some sockets to see if I could get my torque wrench to fit in the center of the center section. Grinding was working, but not enough. I need to use the torque extenders, but can't use a normal 1/4 to 3/8 inch adapter. First made some shims to use as an adapter. That could work, but would be a pain to use. I was going to epoxy some parts together when it finally dawned on me that I could make a short adapter out of a socket. Made one and it looks like it will work.

Measured torque extender and torque wrench handle length. Created a spreadsheet to show torque wrench settings when used with a 2 inch extender and with friction torque added for -3 and -4 AN365 locknuts.

  Feb 02, 2024     Unpacking the FWF box part 2 - (2.3 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Finished unpacking and inventorying the FWF parts. Everything looked great. I was impressed with how everything was packed. The only thing that didn't have a bill of materials that I could check was the exhaust system.

  Jan 31, 2024     Unpacking FWF box part 1 - (.3 hour)       Category: Fuselage

Started unboxing the FWF parts. The exhaust box had been shipped from Vetterman to Van's and had some damage to the bottom. So I opened that box and checked out the parts. Looks like whatever caused the damage to the box didn't reach the parts.

  Jan 22, 2024     EAA Homebuilder's Week Webinars - (.1 hour) Category: Fuselage

Spent many hours watching homebuilder's week presentations. Learned a lot of interesting things. Some of it will help me with building. I signed up for the online version of the SportAir fiberglass for RV aircraft workshop and will take the course later this year.

  Jan 14, 2024     Received FWF parts - (.1 hour)       Category: Fuselage

Received the FWF parts I ordered from Van's. FedEx delivered a few days earlier than expected. I expected a larger box. I thought the exhaust system would take up a lot of space.

  Dec 31, 2023     Prime - (3.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Today was a beautiful warm day with temperatures in the 70's so I decided I'd better prime all the parts I had been saving for later. Cleaned, scuffed and primed the 4 parts of the crotch strap bracket, two antenna doublers, two firewall doublers, two GMU 11 standoffs and the corresponding mating holes on the fuselage except for the ones on the firewall. Used P60G2 and my airbrush since the parts were small.

  Dec 23, 2023     Parts - (3.3 hours) Category: Fuselage

Met my goal for another short week.

Entered all FWF components in my Van's shopping cart. Moved out of stock parts to my wish list. Placed an order for all parts in stock. Moved my wish list back to the cart and placed a second order for parts out of stock and requested delivery of parts when they were all available. This took a while since I researched a few of the out of stock or more expensive parts to find alternative sources.

  Dec 22, 2023     Parts - (1.3 hours) Category: Fuselage

Updated my FWF parts spreadsheet with new prices from Van's updated website. Found about a 30% increase.

Discussed whether I should send an email or order parts through the website with someone at the order desk at Van's and decided I would just place my order. I want to keep as much control as I can.

Not included in the hours, but I also spent time reading the Vic Syracuse Maintenance Manual today.

Also not included in the hours, I downloaded and tested x-plane 12 with my Logitech joystick and MacBook Air. It worked great so I purchased it. I took a quick flight from HNL to the marine core base to check out the scenery. No comparison with the real thing, but a lot of fun.

Also not included in the hours, I started watching the Garmin G3X training course I purchased. I worked through the first few sections while we were in Hawaii and continued after we got home.

I also researched options for rusty pilot training to prepare for a flight review. I decided I am going to try the gold seal free trial first and then decide on whether to use it or the Sporty's training. King training is also available. I think I will start in March or April. Or maybe later depending on my RV progress.

  Dec 05, 2023     FWF parts? - (0.1 hour) Category: Fuselage

Missed my goal this week. I needed to spend too much time preparing for Christmas and packing for our trip to see the grandkids on 12/6.

I sent a list of Fire Wall Forward parts to Vans on 11/14/2023. I haven't received a reply. I called about a week later and was told they should be getting to my order soon. I had seen the 10/27/2023 Van's business announcement so wasn't too surprised.

Today I saw the AvWeb alert "Van's Aircraft has filed for Chapter 11 protection while it reorganizes with the goal of maintaining existing services and emerging as a solvent company again." I feel confident that Van's will recover and that I will get my parts, they will just cost more than expected. Hopefully I will hear from them soon.

  Dec 02, 2023     Fuselage - (8.8 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Met my weekly goal for another week.

Finished match drilling the pilot and copilot crotch strap F7117A and B brackets to the seat ribs. I thought the copilot side would be easier and that I had learned most of my lessons with the pilot side. That was only partially correct. The copilot side was easier and faster, but I still learned more. Also match drilled the seat belt bolt hole.

Match drilled the brackets to seat pans to #27. Removed the brackets while they were clamped together and enlarged the seat belt hole to 5/16". Used a #6 nut plate drill jig to drill all the nut plate attachment holes. Clecoed the clamped brackets to the seat pan and enlarged the screw holes to the final #19 size.

Disassembled and countersunk the nut plate rivet holes. Deburred all holes and edges on the brackets. Deburred all holes in the ribs.

Looked at options to modify the Transponder antenna doubler so it would work with the crotch strap mounting bracket. Decided I needed to give up on the plan to rivet the doubler flanges to the seat ribs. Trimmed the flanges to about 1/4" and deburred the doubler.

Received the torque extender parts from Napa. They seemed like they would work. Made a 3/8" to 1/4" drive adapter out of four pieces of 0.060" inch thick pieces of aluminum. See the picture below. I need this for my 1/4" drive torque wrench. After testing how all this fits between the center section I realized I might be able to just modify a socket to meet my needs. I'll pick up a cheap Harbor Freight socket set and modify it to see if it will work. If it doesn't the torque adapter and my "3/8" to 1/4" adapter will work.

  Dec 01, 2023     Crotch Strap Mounts - (5.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Completed checks and match drilling of pilot side crotch strap brackets to seat ribs and pan.

Started working on copilot side and completed match drilling of F7117A and B to seat ribs. I thought I had it figured out on the first one, but I learned even more on the second one. I'm happy with the way they are turning out.

  Nov 30, 2023     Crotch Strap Mounts - (5.2 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Added JIS#1 and JIS#2 screwdrivers to my McMaster Carr cart with the 1/4 ID static port washers and placed the order. It took 16 minutes before I received a shipping notification. Wow.

Worked on positioning the parts with a 0.130" spacer plus a 0.062" washer. Didn't like the way some things were turning out. Researched Crow harnesses and crotch strap mounts on vansairforce. Found Crow made a change in 2018/2019 that allowed it to work with the Van's mount without some of the previous modifications. Decided to just use a 0.130" spacer.

Was having difficulty with placing the mounting brackets to they would align with holes in the seat pan. Figured out what I hoped to be a better solution. Marked the fore/aft mark on the top of the ribs based on measurements from the seat pan screw holes to the seat pan pilot holes for the screws to the mounting bracket. That allowed me to mark the centerline of the mounting bracket flange, alight it to the fore aft mark, adjust fore/aft tilt with a 90 degree angle against the fuselage bottom skin and clamp the clamp the F7117B mounting bracket flanges for drilling.

Used an air 90 degree drill with a #30 bit. Drilled one mounting bracket flange to rib hole and held it in place using a cleco. Checked alignment and continued adding holes/clecos to the same flange. Rolled the fuselage over 180 degrees and checked, clamped and drilled and clecoed the other flange. I' really happy about how it turned out.

Taped spacer blocks to the F7117B bracket and positioned and checked the F7117A bracket alignment. It is almost ready to be drilled to the rib.

  Nov 29, 2023     Landing Gear Mounts - (3.8 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Worked through DWG 34A to verify the loosely installed bolts and nuts were in the correct position. Verified the washer between the mount and the center section was installed on both landing gear mounts. Looked up articles and specs on the min and max threads showing on Kitplanes and vansairforce and changed the washers for some of the positions. Looked up my original kit drawing to see the notes showing which bolts had been replaced with a different size. They are all ready to be torqued to the final value.

After looking at and trying different tools, I had decided to use my SnapOn thin wrench and a luggage scale. I decided to run tests on 10-32 bolts/nuts and 1/4-28 bolts/nuts using a beam type wrench to compare running torque and final torque and the maximum value. At first everything looked great with the running torque using each method matching nicely. It was more difficult to compare final torque since I was dealing with running torque and static torque differences. My luggage scale mostly seemed to work, but sometimes seemed to show max torque instead of returning to 0. I still think I could use this method, but would prefer something better. I looked one more time and found and ordered set of 2" torque adapters from 3/8" to 3/4" in 1/16ths. I'll try using them and hope they will work better.

  Nov 28, 2023     Parts, Static, Torque - (4.6 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Finished putting Aircraft Spruce parts in bins with labels.

Tried drilling out aluminum spacer washers for static port again hoping a new conical drill bit (like a step drill, but no discrete steps) would help. Nope. Tried stacking aluminum washers on a #8 screw, chucking the screw in a drill press and spinning them against a file to reduce the OD. Worked great so I need to order washers with the right ID and reduce the OD. Added two types of washers to my McMaster Carr shopping cart.

Tried extending my cheap set of harbor freight 3/8 and 7/16 inch wrenches using a 1/4" extension from a socket set and hose clamps. It sort of works, but is thicker and more awkward to use than I hoped. Looked again for options. Found a Matco extra long ratcheting wrench that might work, but it is hard to tell from the "specifications". Decided I should use my SnapOn Low Torque LTA1214 wrench. I had originally decided it would be better to try something else, but haven't found anything better.

  Nov 27, 2023     Parts - (4.1 hours) Category: Fuselage

Decided it was time to organize and label the piles of small hardware I've received from Aircraft Spruce. Made good progress, but not done.

  Nov 26, 2023     Tools - (.5 hour) Category: Fuselage

Went to Tractor Supply Co and Harbor Freight to look at long wrenches. Purchased a standard set of Harbor Freight wrenches that I can modify if needed.

Dropped off boxes and my road bike at the hangar. Picked up cotter keys and a Christmas tree.

  Nov 25, 2023     Doublers - (6.4 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Met my weekly goal again. Only worked three days due to travel for the Thanksgiving holidays.

Completed COM antenna doubler by drilling and match drilling it to the rib and the original doubler. Trimmed the pop-rivet wedge I made earlier this week. Deburred holes.

Countersunk the contactors doubler/firewall with help from Ellicia. I realized too late that I should have dimpled many of the holes and countersunk the doubler. Using the small-head NAS rivets for the nutplates.

Countersunk the fuel bulkhead fitting doubler.

Deburred firewall holes for the contactor and fuel doublers. Deburred firewall holes for the cabin heat valve.

Searched for a tool to help torque the nuts that are on the center section near the bottom fuselage skin and difficult to reach. Found some interesting tools, but decided to check out harbor freight long reach combination wrenches and make my own if needed.

  Nov 20, 2023     COM doubler, FWF parts, Static Port - (4.1 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Called Van's parts desk since I hadn't heard back regarding the FWF parts list I sent them on Tuesday evening, 11/14. They said they were about a week behind on emails and would get to my list and send something to me for review/approval.

Modified bends of COM antenna doubler for a final good fit. Match drilled doubler to fuselage skin, deburred and dimpled skin and doubler with help from Ellicia and her twin ;-). Realized my original plan to use a blind rivet to attach the doubler to a previous doubler creates a problem. Decided to use a technique I saw in Kitplanes so I started making a wedge to use between the rivet and the puller to allow me to tilt the puller at approximately 10 degrees to clear a flange. Hope it works.

Tried several different methods to modify the ID of the aluminum washers to fit on the showplaces static port fittings. It was hard to get a smooth ID centered on the OD with a file so I abandoned that. I eventually tried clamping the washer between two pieces of wood and using a step drill. That looks promising, but isn't good enough. I need to practice more and modify my technique. Later I searched YouTube and was pleased to see others were using the same technique of clamping a washer using wood.

  Nov 19, 2023     Controls - (3.2 hours) Category: Fuselage

Worked on getting free play out of co-pilot stick. Tried several of the existing bushings and spacer washers. I was able to improve it, but not enough.

Made additional bushing and slowly adjusted length until it was 2.237". The stick width was 2.200". Added a 0.030" washer which allowed enough compression of the bushing between the yoke to remove the free play without adding friction.

  Nov 18, 2023     GMU 11, Controls, plastic - (5.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Met my goal for another week. No misses for this phase.

Looked at GMU holes I drilled yesterday and realized only one was in the desired position. Measured and marked more and then slotted holes as needed and drilled and cleaned up the final holes. Modified the final small standoff and mounted the GMU with the two standoffs and screws closest to the bulkhead. It looked good so added the final two standoffs. Drilled a hole for a nylon cable support. Need to prime holes and mount with final hardware later. Made an aluminum "wrench" so I can tighten the final mounting locknuts without using a magnetic tool. I already have the beryllium copper non-magnetic screwdriver.

Started working on the control sticks again using the new bushing. Used 1/4-20 all-thread, nuts and washers to bend the yoke ears out slightly for the new bushings. Went through multiple iterations of washer stacks and modifying the length of the bushings on both the co-pilot and pilot stick. I got the pilot stick working great with very low friction and almost no free play. I think the combination that worked had a bushing about 0.040" longer than the control stick bushing enclosure and a 0.030" spacer taking up all but 0.010" of the extra space. The co-pilot stick still needs work. There is some free play if you move the sticks towards or away from each other and I hope the final tightening of the spherical bearings will fix that.

I peeled all the blue plastic off the bottom of the fuselage since it is easier to move while I don't have to crawl under the airplane to reach it.

  Nov 17, 2023     Garmin, Aileron Trim, Control Sticks, GMU 11 - (7.9 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Completed registering Garmin products on their warranty website.

Opened, inspected and inventoried packages from McMaster Carr, Aircraft Spruce and Flyboys.

Selected type of screws to use for COM antenna mounting - MS24694C with length of 6, 7, 8 or 9.

Completed aileron electric trim install using longer clevis pin than specified on the servo side of the link. Watched the EAA video on cotter keys and read the section in AC43.13-1B. Clevis pin MS20392-1C9 wasn't long enough so used 1C11. Installed servo using shorter screws, MS32506-229 instead of AN515 6R8.

Started working with the replacement bushing for the control sticks. Figured out good ways to trim to length (drill press and file, disk sander, file) and to ream (two hand drills or a hand drill and a reamer held in a tapping handle). Made two bushings to test fit. Decided to use 1/4-20 all-thread, nuts and washers to spread the yoke apart before trying the new bushings. I made the bushings longer than the tube on the stick and want the yoke to squeeze against the bushing to keep it from rotating.

Worked with new standoffs to figure out how and where to mount the new GMU 11. Decided to nest it against the aft side of the F-709 bulkhead by using 5/8" standoffs to mount it above the F-714 aft deck. This requires grinding the edges of the small standoffs to provide clearance of the F-714 bend radius. This allows the most edge distance between the large standoffs and the two large holes in the F-714. Marked and drilled two of the holes.

  Nov 15, 2023     Parts - (3.7 hours) Category: Fuselage

Updated maintenance manual with part numbers and serial numbers. Completed and documented research on the Garmin SB for pressure sensors.

  Nov 14, 2023     Parts - (4.9 hours) Category: Fuselage

Reached out to Hooker and Crow with crotch strap thickness and attach bolt size. Received information from Crow.

Talked to Van's about Fire Wall Forward (FWF) kits and found I should work with the parts team instead of the kits team and that parts might be 4 to 6 weeks out. Van's is still evaluating operations per the announcement.

Talked to Van's support about firewall recess gaps, starter on my new M1B and clearance with the FAB part in the FWF kit, Alternator and the FWF kit and the ES WH-6/7/... shown in the FWF documentation, but not in the Van's online store.

Completed my FWF parts list review and markup. Decided I could use 27 top level parts or kits, didn't need 31 top level parts or kits, and might want the exhaust kit. Also finished up a cart of 8 other items. Didn't know if I should just add the 27 top level parts to my cart or let the parts team handle it. Sent color coded spreadsheet to Van's parts team and asked for a call back to discuss.

Sent email to Vetterman about exhaust options. Also included exhaust in parts list sent to Vans.

Researched fuel injection, alternators and starters on vanairforce.

Made final updates to McMaster Carr and Aircraft Spruce carts and placed orders.

  Nov 13, 2023     Parts and drawing review - (4.9 hours) Category: Fuselage

Continued working through multi-level BOM for FWF kits. Also reviewed FWF documentation and got close to finishing markups on which parts to order. Need to call Van's to discuss.

Traded emails with Don R at Airflow Performance. May just keep the Avstar since it will cost around $3400 to buy all the AFP parts. Of course I may be able to sell some of the Avstar parts to offset the AFP cost. Not sure it is worth the effort.

Not included in this time: Went to Capitol Bearing and picked up a steel nut for the firewall fuel bulkhead fitting.

  Nov 12, 2023     Parts - (5 hours) Category: Fuselage

Made final decision on where and how to mount the GMU 11 and added standoffs and screws to my McMaster Carr and Aircraft Spruce order.

Created a multi-level indented BOM from the list Van's sent me and from their store website and started researching which FWF parts I need.

  Nov 11, 2023     Crotch Strap kit, Aileron Trim - (4.6 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Met my goal for another week. Starting the holiday stretch which will make it a little tougher to meet my goals. Also there will be some out of town travel that will slow progress.

Attended the EAA chapter 187 meeting this morning although the time wasn't included in the log.

Started out the day ready to install the aileron trim. I had assembled most of it before and removed it since it was in the way of other things. This time I also bent the C606 straps per the print and loosely attached them to the pilot and co-pilot stick. I realized I had missed one of the washers on the assembly drawing. The washer wouldn't fit so that is why I left it off last time. I decided I really should install the washer. I tried finding a thinner washer in my stock and filing some of the parts to make them thinner. I managed to get the cotter pin installed with the washer in place, but there is a lot of friction in the system and the motor and actuator arm aren't secured yet and any misalignment will cause more binding. Decided to order a longer clevis pin and added it to my Aircraft Spruce cart.

Decided it was time to install the crotch strap mounting kit and realized I had a problem. The kit installs in the same place I put the Transponder antenna doubler and the FlyLEDs controller board. I'll just move the FlyLEDs controller board, but I can't easily move the Transponder antenna doubler since I already match drilled and dimpled the fuselage skin. It looks like I will have to remove some or all of the flanges on the doubler that I planned to rivet to the seat ribs. I can make it work.

I've got a lot of things started that are held up by parts. I need to review tomorrow and get parts on order. Then start a few new things while I wait for parts.

  Nov 10, 2023     Pitch Servo, Aft Power Port - (7.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Looked at flyboys super track canopy kit demo and installation video and placed an order.

Researched blind rivets and decided to use the LP4-3 rivets since I need a grip length of around 0.060" and the LP4-3 is 0.039" to 0.137". The other ones I had in stock had a top or bottom grip range of about 0.063". Marked and drilled the transponder doubler for the four blind rivets. Match drilled the fuselage for the blind rivets.

Removed the two ADAHRs mounting brackets installed for the Dynon parts since I am now mounting the Garmin GMU 11 in the Garmin recommended position. Looked at vansairforce and my project and the GMU 11 and Stein GMU 11 mounting bracket. Added a non-magnetic screwdriver to my shopping cart. Decided I didn't need the Stein bracket. I may use some standoffs to mount the GMU 11.

Mounted the pitch bell crank, Garmin GSA 28 pitch servo and all the associated parts. Used torque seal on the nuts I torqued and don't expect to remove.

Decided on a location for the aft power port. Cut a mounting hole.

  Nov 09, 2023     Stick, Transponder Antenna... - (8.1 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Read SB about co-pilot stick attachment. Searched for and found multiple pins to use in place of the SB specified AN3-13A bolt and added the information to the maintenance manual to consider in the future since I won't know for sure what might fit. Removed and drilled the co-pilot stick for the AN3-13A bolt and reinstalled it. Used torque seal on the three nuts in the controls that are torqued to final spec and shouldn't have to be removed later.

Decided to replace the bushing in the two sticks so they will be captured by the yoke and kept from rotating. Placed the bushings in my Van's cart since I couldn't find a similar part at Aircraft Spruce or McMaster Carr.

Updated the Trim, Autopilot, Flaps and control information in the maintenance manual.

Drilled and deburred the holes in the transponder and COM antenna doublers. Match drilled the transponder antenna doubler to the fuselage. Dimpled the transponder antenna doubler and the holes in the fuselage skin. Still need to drill holes from the doubler to the seat ribs.

  Nov 08, 2023     Controls - (5.2 hours)       Category: Fuselage

There was a lot of friction in the pitch motion of the control sticks after mounting the WD-610 control column to the F-633R and L. I found out (by trying it and then researching on vansairforce.com) that any side load on the bearings causes friction so it is critical to use the correct thickness of spacers. After several attempts, determined a good way to get this right was to install the WD-610 with bolts loose and a best guess at spacer washers. Then remove all the washers at one end of the control column and use a feeler gauge to determine the exact spacer needed on one side of the bearing. I had AN960-10 and AN960-10L washers I had purchased over the years and the thicknesses varied. So I could try a bunch of different washers and measure the total stack with calipers until I had what I needed. Then I would install those on one side of the bearing and then repeat for the other side of the bearing. After completing one end of the control column I repeated the process on the other end. I added this information to the maintenance manual.

Installed the WD-611 and WD-612 control sticks.

Set the F-665 length after installing the rod ends. Installed the assembly.

Realized I need to remove the co-pilot side components and drill a hole through the base and extension to secure the extension. I'm considering alternate methods to the one recommended by SB 07-2-6.

  Nov 06, 2023     Controls and - (4.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Researched doublers in Garmin, Van's and FAA 43.13 documents. Decided on a hole pattern for the transponder antenna doubler. Started looking at the best forward/aft position for the transponder antenna doubler and realized it would be better to get the aileron/elevator controls installed first to give me a better idea of the required clearance around them.

Installed the F-633-R and L control column mounted. Worked to install the control column. Had problems with friction due to binding. Researched on vansairforce.

  Nov 05, 2023     Antenna doublers - (1.7 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Completed trimming and bending the COM antenna doubler. Fabricated a second doubler for the transponder antenna using a previously made blank. This one fits nicely.

  Nov 04, 2023     Firewall - (7.8 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Just met my hourly goal for another week. It is too easy to find other important things to do early in the week and then work more hours late in the week to catch up. For some reason, the commitment to my grandkids to work a certain number of hours helps.

I researched socket head screws to use in place of AN4 bolts for contactor mounting. These will really improve future access and maintainability. Calculated lengths and added to aircraft spruce cart.

Also pulled out insulating boots and 2 AWG and 6 AWG terminals terminals purchased from B&C. Looked for additional sizes of insulating boots at Aircraft Spruce, Mouser and McMaster Carr. Added a sample set of boots to my Aircraft Spruce cart.

I finally decided to match drill the fuel feedthrough doubler to firewall and installed a temporary fitting.

After verifying the 1/2" EMT fitting was large enough for all the necessary wires and carefully checking obstructions, drilled a 0.75" hole in the firewall where Van's OP 30 wiring document specified. Used a file and step drill to enlarge the hole to approximately 0.8". Removed the screw on the fitting and filed the boss flush.

Drilled two holes for Adele Clamps to secure the top ends of the conduit that will run from the back of the instrument panel to the floor of the fuselage. Used OP 30 Detail D as the example.

Drilled four holes to mount the FlyLEDs strobe and position lights control PCB. Drilled an addition hole for a local ground and for an Adele clamp to secure wiring to the PCB. Installed the PCB using 4-4 1/4" standoffs, AN365-440 nuts and 4-40 stainless steel sems screws (built in washer) from McMaster.

Considered where to install the ANL mounting block and whether to use the one I have with the cover or buy a smaller one without a cover. Walked through options with Ellicia. One key issue how to install and remove the parts as needed. That ruled out most of the options. The use of socket head screws helps a lot and I will use those to mount the ANL block. I decided to use a wire and terminals to connect the ANL to the main bus instead of a bus bar. A bus bar made things a lot more complicated and isn't insulated. I need to look at other drawings and make sure I put the ANL in a reasonable place.

  Nov 03, 2023     Contactors and Fuel feedthrough Doublers - (6.9 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Completed drilling nut plate holes and other mounting holes in the firewall and contactor doubler. Rough fit parts and realized I should make the fuel feedthrough doubler even taller than needed to support the starter contactor mounting bracket so I can countersink the doubler instead of the firewall.

Fabricated new fuel feedthrough doubler and match drilled it to the firewall. All that remains is to drill the large hole for the bulkhead fitting after I decide the pilot hole is in the right spot.

Inspected the aircraft spruce and Airline Hydraulics shipments and the three mesh screens I purchased from Amazon.

Wrote Aircraft Specialty asking about where the 8 brake hoses should be located. Many of them were similar lengths. Got a prompt response from Tom. Added the information to the maintenance manual.

Drilled a 5/16" hole in a copper bar that will go between the two contactors. Need to finish up the final mounting before I drill the second hole.

Considered several options on where to locate the ANL fuse and how to mount it and connect it to the contactors. Reviewed the schematic and wire size tables to see if I really needed the 6 AWG wire and decided I should keep it that size. Thought about installation order of the contactors and copper bars and decided I might want to change the mounting bolts to socket head cap screws.

Created new symbol for the 24021 starter contactor by marking up the S702-1 B&C contactor to remove the internal diode. Updated the schematic with the new symbol.

  Nov 02, 2023     Wheels, Brakes, Antennas - (6.8 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Received and inspected aircraft spruce and Aircraft Specialty (TS Flightlines) orders. Realized I ordered the wrong screws for the COM antenna. Researched antenna screws more and added the GA 35 GPS antenna to the research. Added screws to my new aircraft spruce cart.

Updated maintenance manual with details on nose wheel parts and tubes and tires.

Worked on the contactor mounting doubler. Completed a rough fit test on the contactors and fuel feedthrough doubler and decided to add to the fuel feedthrough doubler so that the doubler supports the whole end of the contactor mounting ear.

  Nov 01, 2023     Contactor Disassembly - (.2 hour)       Category: Fuselage

Took the Van's starter contactor apart to see what was wrong. The plunger and or springs have a problem. When the riveted cover plate is installed the contact disk hits one main contact which is connected to the "I" terminal.

  Oct 31, 2023     Contactors and Parts order - (2.7 hours) Category: Fuselage

Tested the new contactor I received from Mouser and it worked as expected. I had received a defective contactor from Van's.

Confirmed the antenna screws I needed for the Comant CI 122 were 100 degree screws and added them to my Aircraft Spruce cart. Researched tubes and determined that I needed to order a Classic Aero LEAKGUARD INNER TUBE 11X400-5 TR87 (DTR20-400). Considered ordering the main gear tubes, but decided to wait until later. Went through lists and added other parts and placed the order using the Halloween discount code.

  Oct 30, 2023     Contactors and parts - (5.8 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Decided to test the starter contactor before drilling mounting holes and found the "I" terminal was connected to the "Battery" terminal. This means it won't work they way I had planned to wire it. And it won't solve the starter back EMF problem that Van's was addressing with their lightweight starter schematic. Shared the information with another builder to verify I wasn't missing something. Ordered a replacement Littlefuse/Cole Hersee from Mouser. This will ensure I get a real Cole Hersee. It's possible that the one I got from Van's wasn't a Cole Hersee.

Proceeded with drilling holes for nutplates to mount the contactors per the Van's drawings. If the contactors don't work they way I expected, I can make minor wiring changes to make it work.

Figured out what spacers I needed to mount the FlyLED's control board and included those on the mouser order.

Worked to add firesleeve (for the firewall feedthroughs), bolts for the contactors and bolts for the cabin heat valve to my aircraft spruce order.

Researched and ordered three different types of stainless steel screen from Amazon to use for the fuel vent lines and cabin vent air inlets. I think I may also need some for other air vents.

  Oct 29, 2023     Review - (1.3 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Reviewed and logged work from preview two days. Took the list of tasks I had created over the last few weeks and put it in a spreadsheet. Made notes on completed tasks, ones where I need to make decisions or order parts and some dependencies.

Drilled mounting holes in FlyLEDs control board mounting template after deciding to use 4-40 screws.

Added Dow Corning 3145 RTV to the capacitors on the FlyLEDs control board capacitors and the legs of the large power resistors to reduce the chance of problems due to vibration.

  Oct 28, 2023     COM and Xpndr antennas, contactors - (8.6 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Met my weekly goal for another week.

Located the two contactors on the firewall and temporarily secured them with tape. Clecoed the bulkhead fuel feedthrough doubler in place. It was close but seemed like it might work. Looked at all of the drawings I received with the FWF documentation packs to see if there was any new information about firewall items. Decided the VA-136 fuel line from the bulkhead fitting to the engine driven pump was a problem since it turned toward towards the solenoids. Decided to ask some other builders about their experience.

Used the COM doubler paper template and started fabricating one out of 0.030" thick 2024. The angles lined up on the first try! Now I need to trim and bend up one of the edges and drill mounting holes.

Fabricated a doubler for the transponder that would nest between two seat ribs. Made it too large to fit. Made two more blanks so I can try again later.

Drilled the top hole for the VA-168 transducer manifold and the match drilled the second hole.

Started drafting an email to builder friends about the potential interference issue with the contactors and fuel bulkhead and hose assembly. Took screenshots of photos and parts of drawings to help explain the issue. After looking at my engine mount and some of the assembly drawings I realized the VA-136 fuel line for tricycle gears was added to route around the new (in 2019) elastomer nose gear mount. My nose gear is the older style and uses the same hose as the taildragger version. So I plan to install contactor nut plates and doubler per the drawing and install the contactors as far up and towards the copilot side as possible. Then I will see how much clearance I have and will adjust the fuel fitting double a small amount if needed.

I purchased two small enclosures for the flyLEDs controller board. After looking for a mounting location, I decided I would mount the bare board under the pilot seat. I cut a piece of aluminum sheet to size and marked the PCB mounting holes on it. I'll use the aluminum as a drill template and I plan to use 1/4" aluminum standoffs with 4-40 threads.

  Oct 27, 2023     COM, XPNDR, and... - (3.7 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Fabricated a drill template and used it to mark and drill the antenna connector hole for the COM antenna. Taped a 48 inch ruler to line up with the center rib. Sighted along the antenna to rotate the antenna so it was parallel with the centerline of the airframe. Marked the final two holes using the properly rotated antenna as the template. Drilled the final two holes slightly undersized and filed as needed to enlarge the holes and exactly match the holes in the antenna base. The COM antenna uses two of the holes made for the transponder antenna and covers the large hole that was made for the transponder antenna connector. Made a paper template to follow when adding a COM doubler extension to the previous transponder doubler.

Made a final decision on the transponder antenna location.

Completed marking and drilling the two mounting holes for the cabin heat vent.

  Oct 26, 2023     LED strip lights, Transponder and COM antenna - (9.5 hours) Category: Fuselage

Connected LED strip lights to a power supply and measured voltages and currents. I also researched some other LED options. I decided on three approaches I can use to limit current to the GAD 27 spec. Researched on vansairforce and confirmed I had determined good options. Added the test results and options to the maintenance manual. Made some other maintenance manual updates. I think was making this too hard. I think I will want to reduce the length of the strips to hide all the LEDs under the glare shield from direct view. That will reduce the current requirements. Then I can program the dimming curve on the GAD 27 to limit the maximum average current.

Studied options for transponder antenna mounting. The locations all have pros and cons. I'm struggling with make antenna decisions. My plan was to just decide today and do it, but I am not ready yet. I spent time looking up doublers and antenna mounting in AC43.13-1 and 2, vans airforce, Kitplanes, Stein and some others.

Studied the COM mount more and decided I can really put it where the transponder was. Started making drill templates and after partially completing two of them decided to stop for the night since my templates weren't as accurate as I wanted them to be.

Inspected all the cir clip pliers I received and removed the retaining clip from one of the Matco cylinders. Now I can work on them as needed.

  Oct 25, 2023     Misc - (.5 hour) Category: Fuselage

Consolidated the many lists I have created to get one list of tasks to complete before and after I rivet on the top skin and install the engine mount.

  Oct 24, 2023     Misc support stuff - (2.5 hours) Category: Fuselage

Counted 5 hours of time against my goal, but only logged 2.5 hour here. Called Airline Hydraulics to address a shipping issue. They shipped a $7 line item with a $25 shipping charge even though I had clearly requested "ship complete". I found a hole in their process and they are refunding.

Traded emails with Tom at TS Flightlines and eventually paid for fuel and brake lines that should ship no later than 10/31! Yay, feeling really good about my decision to buy prefabricated lines instead of making my own.

Received response from Vivo Home regarding the wheel balancer. Repaired it enough to be able to use it. Told Vivo I addressed the flange problem and asked them to go ahead and send the bubble level and weights.

Reviewed master cylinder information from Matco and considered options for improving the mounting. Tried to disassemble the master cylinder and then searched for cir clip pliers and ordered two different sets.

Continued work on maintenance manual.

  Oct 23, 2023     Fuel lines and brake lines - (1.5 hours) Category: Fuselage

Updated the draft questions to Tom at Aircraft Specialties (TS Flightlines) and sent to Tom. Reviewed his response, decided to order the cabin brake lines and replied by email.

  Oct 22, 2023     Van's parts, pitot static - (3.4 hours) Category: Fuselage

Unpacked delivery from Van's.

Needed to order at least one more pitot/static fitting. Sketched updated schematic and reviewed parts. Came off with a list of items and placed order with airline hydraulics.

Started outline of a maintenance manual. Added part numbers for the pitot static section. Added part numbers and some background in other sections.

  Oct 21, 2023     Fuel and brake tubing - (5.3 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Met my work hour goal for another week.

Continued work on fuel and brake lines. Considered assembly order including access to wing spar bolts and how to determine final location of wing fuel fittings.

Confirmed the choice of locating the break in the fuel lines between the two brackets on the front of the main spar center section. Fabricated a piece of tubing with a fitting on the valve and a loose end near the break. Worked on fabricating the tubing from the valve to the right wing tank. Realized I would need to change the routing so the fuel lines would be routed on top, brake lines in the middle and wires on the bottom. Fabricated rough examples of tubing from wing tanks to the break and thought about the order for determining final length and flaring the ends of the tubing. Reconsidered the amount of work I was delaying to final assembly at the hangar and the risks of leaks due to flaring tubing in place and final fit of all the tubes.

Studied run of brake line tubing and how to fabricate them and the installation order. The brake lines can block access to some of the wing spar bolts. These are the easiest to form so they should be run last.

Decided to reconsider use of TS Flightlines hose kits and created list of questions for Tom. I know I could make the hard lines work, but I am not enjoying it and my lines will take a lot more time and have a higher risk of leaks. Also future maintenance will be more likely to be required and be more difficult. Seems like a good place to trade dollars for time and quality.

  Oct 20, 2023     GSA 28 Bracket, Questions, and fuel and brake lines. - (8 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Prepared a list of questions for Brian's visit.

Used Brian's long reach yoke to squeeze the final four rivets to attach the GSA 28 Pitch Servo bracket.

Discussed my list of questions with Brian including:
- Pitot/Static/AOA tubing, static ports, routing, testing. I'm going to redo my static ports with ones from showplanes with and additional 0.032 spacer
- Firewall mount oil cooler questions. Got my questions answered. Still have to decide whether to use baffle or firewall mount.
- Wire conduit routing from panel to aft fuselage.
- Lycoming test report and Avstar vs AFP fuel injection. Close enough. I plan to call Don at AFP
- Master Cylinder Mounting. Okay? I'm still thinking about adding structure.
- Front fuselage rivets.
- Engine installation and hoist. Install mount first and then finish firewall penetrations where practical. Then install engine.
- Starter Contactor. Showed him the one I took apart.

Started working on fuel lines. Made up one fuel line and it didn't fit, but I learned a lot. Made a second fuel line that fits! Learned that the small tubing cutter works great and leaves a cleaner end. Still need to figure out a better way to debug the tubing after cutting it. Considered using the TS flightlines fuel and/or brake line kits and how parts I fabricate could work with the kit parts. Considered options on how to split the tubing from the valve to the wing into two parts to make it easier to fabricate and install. Decided to proceed with making the parts. I can always change to buying parts.

  Oct 19, 2023     Shop cleanup and repair, Tubing Bender - (.5 hour) Category: Fuselage

Spent 5.3 hours working on the RV, cleaning up and replacing fittings on the air compressor to stop all the leaks. Counting all that time for my weekly goal, but only 0.5 hours in this log.

Added items to the list of things to discuss with Brian tomorrow. Found a second modified tubing bender and confirmed it is the one I should use and not the one I was trying a few weeks ago. Good thing I cleaned up. I've been working more and not cleaning up after each task and the mess grows.

  Oct 18, 2023     GSA 28 Pitch Mount, Antennas and tubing - (4.9 hours)       Category: Fuselage

Arranged for help from Brian Decker on my Garmin pitch servo mount.

Researched and ordered pipe thread sealant.

Looked at transponder and GPS antenna requirements in the Garmin GNX375 installation manual. Decided to discuss location with Brian on Friday.

Looked at COM antenna mount requirements in the Garmin GTR200B installation manual. Decided to discuss location with Brian on Friday.

Ellicia and I set one rivet to block an unused hole and three rivets attaching the GSA28 pitch bracket to the fuselage skin. It has been awhile and we were a little rusty, but didn't have to drill out any rivets. I squeezed the four rivets along the bell crank rib stiffener. I had to drill out and replace one since the rivet was too short and didn't meet spec after I squeezed it. I'll set the final four rivets when Brian brings over a long reach yoke.

Opened, inspected and tried the SMC soft nylon and polyurethane tubing with the SMC push to connect fittings. I think I will use the polyurethane.