safety wire on the flop tube?

tmbg · Post by **tmbg** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 10:40 am

Anyone know offhand if you're expected to safety wire the flop tube fittings on the inside of the tank? I'm at work, don't have the plans in front of me, but I can't imagine how it'd be physically possible.... it was hard enough just getting down in there to install and tighten the damn thing.

My tank's all closed up, so safetying it at this point would require doing so through the inspection hole. Even less fun.

cjensen · Post by **cjensen** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 10:47 am

I don't recall safety-ing mine. Don't think there is any way for it to come loose anyway...I'll have to look back thru my log.

Post by **Spike** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 11:20 am

The new kits come with a piece of stock that slips over the fitting and locks it into place. Not so with yours? Or is this a case where it won't work with a flop tube?

cjensen · Post by **cjensen** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 11:29 am

Not for the flop tube...

Post by **bullojm1** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 11:35 am

Van's indicates in their SB06-2-23 the end of the flop tube needs to be safety wired to the AN833-6D bulkhead fitting. [/url]

cjensen · Post by **cjensen** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 11:39 am

Oh yeah, I remember doing that now that I see the picture.

Yep, has to be done...

cjensen · Post by **cjensen** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 11:49 am

Here's the two versions of the SB-

tmbg · Post by **tmbg** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 11:54 am

well that's going to be a giant hassle

Wicked Stick · Post by **Wicked Stick** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 1:18 pm

All that's involved is to remove the access plate, remove the tube at the fitting, and saftey it up and then add some pro-seal to the brass fitting thread area. Then re-install it all.

Shouldn't be too bad if the wings are not mounted to the fuse.
I just got done doing my right wing a few weeks ago, and it only took me about 3 hours over two days to get it done.

Don't forget to order a new cork gasket and some fresh proseal if you need it.

Post by **Spike** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 1:19 pm

In the updated kits, that 90 flange that keeps the fitting from moving, is actually knurled, and slips over the nut of AN fitting, keeping the nut from spinnining and the pickup tube from moving. It alleviates the need for safety wire.

Wicked Stick · Post by **Wicked Stick** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 1:21 pm

Thanks Spike,

That's interesting, since that's exactly what I did with mine when I made the bracket. I shaped it to fit over the nut to hold it in place.

Hmmm... wonder if they stole my idea ...lol

tmbg · Post by **tmbg** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 1:24 pm

Spike wrote:In the updated kits, that 90 flange that keeps the fitting from moving, is actually knurled, and slips over the nut of AN fitting, keeping the nut from spinnining and the pickup tube from moving. It alleviates the need for safety wire.

that's only applicable to the fixed pickup. The flop tube doesn't use the antirotation brackets.

My pet A&P assures me it will be a relative non-event to get that nut safetied in the tank.

RV7Factory · Post by **RV7Factory** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 1:29 pm

Wicked Stick wrote:Don't forget to order a new cork gasket and some fresh proseal if you need it.

Ian, or anybody else, I've got two spare gaskets you can have. I didn't use mine.

tmbg · Post by **tmbg** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 1:37 pm

thanks Brad, but I actually opted to seal mine with FuelLube rather than proseal. If it's good enough for certificated birds, it's good enough for mine, and it'll be far less of a whore to remove in the future.

Post by **Spike** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 1:52 pm

tmbg wrote:The flop tube doesn't use the antirotation brackets.

Is there a reason why it couldn't ?

RV7Factory · Post by **RV7Factory** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 1:56 pm

Ease of installation I guess.

I guess you could countersink the doubler on the inside of the tank to install it, but othewise you are going through the doubler, rib, and tank attach angle.

Keep in mind too, you got a bunch of rivets to buck up there (in the corner). Anything else in the way, will just add complications.

tmbg · Post by **tmbg** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 2:20 pm

as I understand it, the antirotation bracket exists primarily to keep the pickup tube from rotating in the bottom of the tank to a position other than the lowest point in the tank. Since the flop tube's entire raison d'etre is to move around the tank, it needs no such assistance.

Post by **Spike** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 2:34 pm

> as I understand it, the antirotation bracket exists primarily to keep
> the pickup tube from rotating in the bottom of the tank to a position
> other than the lowest point in the tank. Since the flop tube's
> entire raison d'etre is to move around the tank, it needs no such
> assistance.

Yup, that was the original purpose. Now it does double duty in that it
keeps the
AN fittings together. Use one of those, place it higher up so that it does not
impeded the ability of the flop tube from flopping, and viola, no need for
safety wire. Its almost a dead even trade off, but I liked that idea better
than drilling the AN nut for a safety wire.

Submitted via email

tmbg · Post by **tmbg** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 3:18 pm

I'm having a hard time picturing how one would assemble a tank with a flop tube and an antirotation bracket though....

I dunno about everyone else, but I had to seal the end rib in place first, then rivet in the tank attach bracket and reinforcement plate, THEN install the AN bulkhead for the flop tube, seal that up, THEN install the flop tube. if there was an antirotation bracket added into that mess, it would keep you from being able to tighten the nut down on the bulkhead in the first place!

Wicked Stick · Post by **Wicked Stick** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 4:35 pm

Ian,

Here's a pic of how I did mine. It gives support to that area, and gives me something to lock wire the blue nut to. (lockwire not done yet in this photo)

In the service bulletin, it also mentions putting some pro-seal on the brass pickup/thread area to prevent the brass pickup from unthreading.