Status Brantel #72823

Bob Barrett · Post by **Bob Barrett** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 8:22 pm

I highly recomend that you do not rivet the boot cowl on until you absloutely have to. I am building a slider but even with a tip up it is really nice to be able to reach in from the top. I had all the engine compnents wired, all hoses etc from the cocpit to through the firewall, throttle, mixture, car heat, etc. installed. Finally I was ready to put the wind screen on and started riveting the left side of the boot cowl on. Then someone convinced me I needed to put two computer 12V cooling fans above the radio stack. So I carefully got them installed and wired, which would have been a lot simpler to do before I started riveting the boot cowl on.

I managed to get it done but it took about six extra hours before everyting was hooked up poperly. DON'T RIVET ANYTHING UNTIL YOU ABSOULUTELY HAVE TO!

dpansier · Post by **dpansier** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 8:33 pm

"I am sure you can get it to work if you can come up with some way to push the rear window against the aft skin from the inside. If you think about it, you would need to do that anyways to apply an outward force to hold the window against the skin while the sikaflex is setting. Since I was going the screw route, I didn't put much thought into making this jig."

I will be doing the Sikaflex process soon and I plan to use a large inner-tube to keep pressure on the rear portion of the window. I will place plywood on each side of the cargo section to minimize any flexing of the cargo area side walls and plywood and a few blocks on the bottom to allow the top portion of the tube to reach the upper window section.
I will carefully inflate the tube till I get a good push on the window surface, should not take more than 3 to 5 psi to do the job.

D. Pansier
RV-7 Tip Up
IO-390
7497 BA Prop
AFS3500EE

Brantel · Post by **Brantel** » Fri May 02, 2008 7:21 am

Spent all evening cutting these 8 holes, sanding the powder coat off the front and rear because of scratches made by the conduit punch and the dremel sanding drum, and painting this box.

I sure hope my battery appreciates it!

Brantel · Post by **Brantel** » Sun May 04, 2008 7:41 am

Since I am down to working on little detail things while waiting for the finish kit, I decided to do as much as I can to the firewall now instead of later.

Do yourself a favor and install the gascollator doubler when building the firewall, as a matter of fact, do all of this stuff while building the firewall. Do it then and later you will not have to drill out rivets and reach on both sides of the firewall while trying to dimple and rivet these doublers. The firewall is very easy to ding and dent when dimpling and riveting solo so be carefull.

The pic makes the bat box look crooked but it is really straight.

Post by **Spike** » Sun May 04, 2008 6:00 pm

So without the finish kit or the engine, how is it that you are so sure about penetration and equipment locations?

John

Brantel · Post by **Brantel** » Sun May 04, 2008 8:14 pm

Research my friend, research....

No really.. It is all shown on the firewall print and the print for the battery box kit.

I am using a bone stock O-360, carb, vert. induction, mag ign, fp setup, using Vans control cable brackets, which is exactly what the FF kit and the plans are set up around.

Doing it this way lets me use all the knowledge of those that figured it out before me. It will also assure me that most of the remaining parts that I might buy from the FF kit will fit correctly.

I still need to find the best place for the ground block, current limiting fuse blocks and sensor manifold.

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Sun May 04, 2008 8:17 pm

Well said Brian!

A little homework ahead of time helps you to build the plane of your dreams!

Nice work!

CJ

weezbad · Post by **weezbad** » Sun May 04, 2008 9:05 pm

carb or fi..if carb you will find the mixture cable hole to be in the wrong spot. it hits the fuel pump when drilled. also you may want to install the sender unit manifold with the fittings in it before riveting the f/wall to that rib....lest you install the rivets for nought just to drill them back out and install nuts and bolts.
what are you going to do for a fuel flow transducer?? you may want to install a double for that as well near your gascolator.see

and last are you going to use a matco parking brake valve? if so incorporate it into the firewall where your fittings are now and not have to fuss with custom length hoses...even if you do go bonaco or similar the lengths will be correct. sorry t sound like a know it all (cause i'm not) but every time i thought i was gonna get x done today i had to order somthing??

Brantel · Post by **Brantel** » Mon May 05, 2008 7:49 am

weezbad wrote:carb or fi..if carb you will find the mixture cable hole to be in the wrong spot. it hits the fuel pump when drilled. also you may want to install the sender unit manifold with the fittings in it before riveting the f/wall to that rib....lest you install the rivets for nought just to drill them back out and install nuts and bolts.
what are you going to do for a fuel flow transducer?? you may want to install a double for that as well near your gascolator.see
and last are you going to use a matco parking brake valve? if so incorporate it into the firewall where your fittings are now and not have to fuss with custom length hoses...even if you do go bonaco or similar the lengths will be correct. sorry t sound like a know it all (cause i'm not) but every time i thought i was gonna get x done today i had to order somthing??

Carb, do you have a pic that shows this? Are you talking about it hitting the engine pump or the boost pump?

Thanks for the heads up on the FFT.

No parking valve for me.

No problem, I love these tidbits from people who have already been there done that! Makes my life easier to build on your knowledge!

Brantel · Post by **Brantel** » Mon May 05, 2008 7:55 am

One thing I forgot to mention for those that have not fabed up their copper bars that connect the master to the starter relay. The plan dims are way to short if you use the recommended mounting locations and holes. Do yourself a favor and measure the actual distance before cutting the bars.

Either the camera or the rescaling of webshots is making all my pics look like everything is crooked. The starter relay is level, the pic makes it look bad crooked.

weezbad · Post by **weezbad** » Mon May 05, 2008 8:11 am

Carb, do you have a pic that shows this? Are you talking about it hitting the engine pump or the boost pump?

[/quote]

i do. but not with me. It hits the boost pump...keep in mind, mine is an A model. i had to move it about 1/2 inch to the pilots side. (left) it does cut into the doubler. and the plans didnt show the alt air cable penetrations. i can post a pic later today if you like.

cjensen · Post by **cjensen** » Mon May 05, 2008 8:35 am

Looks fantastic Brian!

With the gascolator mounted in that position (which I assume is to plans), how do you drain it for a water check?

Digital cam's have a thing for making some things with straight lines look crooked...

Brantel · Post by **Brantel** » Mon May 05, 2008 10:04 am

cjensen wrote:Looks fantastic Brian!

With the gascolator mounted in that position (which I assume is to plans), how do you drain it for a water check?

Digital cam's have a thing for making some things with straight lines look crooked...

It is a few inches from the cowl but with the gascolator doubler (if you use Van's plan and doubler), it can only go in one spot. I have seen people use a longer push rod on the end of the fuel test vial and they have a hole in the cowl right under the quick drain of the gascolator.

weezbad · Post by **weezbad** » Mon May 05, 2008 3:11 pm

i plan on putting some type of extention w/nipple on the gasc to get ot to be flush w/ the bottom the cowl.

Bob Barrett · Post by **Bob Barrett** » Mon May 05, 2008 5:34 pm

You may want to use the #2 insulated wire between the Master solinoid and the Starter Solinoid. The way you have them connected now you have a bare copper conncection, which will be hot any time the Master Solinoid is on! I can't spell good!

weezbad · Post by **weezbad** » Tue May 06, 2008 7:23 am

Bob Barrett wrote:You may want to use the #2 insulated wire between the Master solinoid and the Starter Solinoid. The way you have them connected now you have a bare copper conncection, which will be hot any time the Master Solinoid is on! I can't spell good!

i didnt use wire but i did cover the bar in heat shrink. although not installed at the time of my pic. these are to plans BTW

Bob Barrett · Post by **Bob Barrett** » Tue May 06, 2008 9:18 pm

Glad to hear that you put heat shrink over the copper. Today I finished up the odds and ends of the wiring and wraped my Grand Rapids Engine monitor wires or cables so there was no danger of them shorting out on master solionid . (I still don't know how to spell solionid!)

jim_geo · Post by **jim_geo** » Tue May 06, 2008 10:54 pm

I'm glad someone mentioned putting a piece of 2awg wire between the master and starter solenoid. Iâ€™ve been noodling about doing that and believe Iâ€™ll be replacing mine tomorrow with 2awg welders wire ala Bob Nuckolles. I think Iâ€™ll be switching all of the 2awg wire firewall forward over to welders wire, itâ€™s nice and flexi. Also Iâ€™ve got fuel injection and the bulk head fitting for the fuel comes out really close to the hot side of the starter solenoid. So close in fact that I would worry about an arc if it wasnâ€™t for the wire booty. Anyone else had this problem, I did use the optional Odyssey battery setup.

Post by **bullojm1** » Wed May 07, 2008 10:15 am

jim_geo wrote: ...Iâ€™ve got fuel injection and the bulk head fitting for the fuel comes out really close to the hot side of the starter solenoid.

I have seen this to be a common problem in most of the builders logs I read - the fuel passthrough being right next to the starter solenoid. With knowing this, does anyone see any issues moving the passthrough a little up/down/over to eliminate this issue?

So close in fact that I would worry about an arc if it wasnâ€™t for the wire booty.

I saw some people shorten the post on the solenoid to eliminate the interference. Might be a quick/easy/cheap solution! Also, I don't think you need to worry about arcing 12 volt. You gotta be pretty close to make that happen.

jim_geo · Post by **jim_geo** » Wed May 07, 2008 1:22 pm

There's actually no reason that I can see for the bulk head fitting to be exactly where it is. I should have been checking builder sites during this part of the construction but a problem in this area wasn't even on my radar. I'm considering making changes to the area around the bulkhead fitting somewhat and somehow. I probably will just shorten the threaded post.

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Status Brantel #72823

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