Tonight I started deburring the parts for the cowl flap, which is a modification for the EXP119 engine I am going to install.
The cowl flap has a door that can be rotated into an open position to help cool the engine. The door mounts onto a sheet of thick aluminum that covers up the original exhaust channel. The exhaust is re-routed so it comes out of the engine compartment forward of the channel. At least, I think that’s how it works, we’ll find out.
Tonight I was able to set the plane onto it’s wheels, which was a big milestone! It’s awesome to see the way it sits on the ground, the angle of the fuselage, and to be able to move the whole thing more easily.
First, I torqued up the wheel nuts to 220 inch pounds and installed the cotter pins. I had been waiting on a socket adapter that finally showed up. I had anticipated needing help to set the plane on it’s wheels, but I found a solution that worked well with just one person. I slid some lengths of 3/4 inch plywood under each main wheel, 3 per side, and then chocked the mains. That allowed me to raise the tail a couple more inches, and hold it in place using a step ladder. Then I could remove the bench that the fuselage had been sitting on, and the saw horse that was holding up the tail. It was then simple to unchock the wheels and roll it off the plywood boards.
Tonight I was finally able to install the right axel and wheel.
On the right wheel I ended up with the following:
– 2×0.75 degree toe shims, shimming toe-in
– 2x NAS6604-27 bolts on the aft two holes, with standard 1x thick washers
– 1x NAS6604-27 bolt on the forward bottom hole, with 1 thick plus 1 thin washer
1x NAS6604-22 bolt on the forward upper hole, with two thick washers
All secured with standard MS21044N4 nuts, torqued to 95 inch pounds per the Beringer manual.
The close tolerance bolts required some tapping with a dowel and hammer, and torqued using a crows foot on the harder to reach nuts.
I used Bel Ray grease instead of CA1000, as advised by Beringer tech support.
Banjo fitting and the bleed port were torqued to 148 inch pounds per the manual and Beringer support (I asked about the bleed port because I had to switch it from one side of the caliper to the other).
I taped the brake line to the gear leg using 3M Temflex friction tape.
I used some short lengths of spiral wrap, secured with a high-temp zip tie.
Tonight we installed the main gear legs, and used tank sealant to install the firewall fitting for the cowl flap control.
The gear legs went were relatively easy to install compared with the tail wheel difficulties. Some grease and some gentle force were enough to insert both gear legs. Using drift pins we located the holes, then reamed the single bolt holes in both legs. With that done, caps were installed with silicon, and then the firewall fitting was installed.
I don’t have the right length bolts to install the Beringer wheels at the moment, so we are stalled on next steps.
Today was a big day, we were able to get the tailwheel installed and the engine mount installed.
The tailwheel took some work. Before I had installed the tail wheel tube into the aft fuselage, I had primed the inside of the tube. This was a problem, and the finely machined flanges inside the tube were coated in paint and the tail wheel spring would not go in. We had to carefully sand the paint out of the tube before the spring could be installed and correctly positioned. Once that was done, we used a drift pin to locate the bolt hole, then carefully reamed the hole. With the bolt in place, we were able to finish installing the tail wheel components and torqued everything up.
The next task was drilling a hole through the firewall to accommodate the control cable for the EXP119 cowl flap modification. Using a step drill, I stepped up the hole, then carefully located and drilled the two smaller bolt holes used to clamp the fitting onto the firewall. Everything came out looking good, so we mixed up some tank sealant and installed the fitting onto the firewall.
With that job complete, we moved onto the engine mount. We installed 4 nut plates, found the right hardware, carefully framed the holes, and then installed the engine mount. Would have been impossible without a helper, so I was glad to have my dad assisting. We torqued up the 6 bolts, then called it a day/night.
Today we were able to fit and ream the U-01421 and U-01431 parts, countersunk, prime, and install nut plates on the U-01418 attach brackets.
With the sticks finished, the project is to install the wheels. With my dad visiting for a week, it was a great project for us to work on together. First I located all of the components we needed. Since I’m installing Beringer wheels, and using Aircraft Specialty brake lines, we had a few different sets of hardware. No progress today, just locating components.
Tonight I wired up the d-sub pins on both sticks, using a d-sub connector on the right stick, and heat-shrink insulation instead of a connector on the left.
I’m not sure how much of a service loop is going to be appropriate here, so I may need to make some adjustments in the future to sort out the wiring runs.
Tonight I finished making a fitting to hold a d-sub connector, which will allow the right hand control stick to be easily removed. The fitting is made of three sheets of aluminum, and slips over the existing steel fitting for the molex connector. It’s held in place with rivets and is very solid.
On the left stick, since I don’t plan to remove it, I’m going to skip the d-sun connector and just use insulated d-sun pins held together with heat-shrink.
Tonight I finished the left hand control stick. I still need to install connectors on both wiring harnesses, and plan to use d-sub connectors, vs the standard molex from Vans.
Having already done the right stick, the left stick was faster. I cut and fit the sleeve, installed the grip, routed the wires and checked the buttons to ensure they were working as specified.
My concern with both sticks is the possibility of chaffing on the wiring where it exits the tube. To counter the possibility, I covered the wire bundle with mesh, used (electrical grade) silicone around the hole, and will zip-tie the wire bundle to minimize movement. I wish there was more I could do, but I’m out of ideas. I may need to research this more…
