So now what.

2 hours.
Finally got what I needed from Spruce to finish the wing conduits, and those are now done. Proper aluminum Adel clamps all around, no interference with the pushrod. Also temp-installed the fuel senders. After a lot of agonizing about how to do this, I decided to bag the fuel return lines for now. If I get into a situation where I need a new engine and that engine needs a fuel return, I’ll pull the tanks off and plumb it then. I could do it now, but why? I guess the advantage is being prepared for an eventuality, but it’s still going to be a lot of extra work, and those fittings are pricey, from either Van’s or Spruce. And another thing: trying to correlate Van’s AN SPACER 6D with a spruce part number was nigh impossible. Not only that, I’m not sure what sizes to use for a return line. The Eggenfellner site says to use 5/16, the fuel feed line is 3/8’s so returns of that size would make sense, but a lot of guys on VAF would have done it 1/4 if they had to do it again. I don’t need it that badly, so screw it. Moving on.
I’ve ordered strobes, nav, and landing lights. I went with CreativAir’s LED nav light and 75w halogen landing light combo, and a 60w/6 way strobe package from Strobeguy. I also got the Archer nav antenna from spruce. All this crap is going to go into the wings and so is the wiring. I still have to proseal the fuel stuff and test the tanks (dread), but wiring the antennae, strobes, and lights should be fun, and not in the usual snarky way I say things are fun. I’m looking forward to it.
What this means is that I can’t yet shove the wings into a dark corner for a long time and go full tilt on the fuse. I need all that above-mentioned crap to finish up the wings, but if I can get the tanks sealed, then maybe I can save that wingtip stuff for much, much later. I’m not worried; I’ve got a 3/4″ wide conduit down each wing. Wiring wingtip goodies is going to be a snap.
This is the PVC conduit running along the pushrod. No clearance issues here.

Top of the pushrod’s arc. No way is this going to clang.

This is the conduit sticking out way past where it should at the wing root. I’ll trim it, eventually. The red crap around the edge of the lightening hole is irrigation drip tubing, split down one side and fit over the edge so the pushrod doesn’t bash around and ding up the primer.

A look at the tank access plate, with the sender temp-installed. The little blue AN fitting below toward the leading edge is for the vent line. The two clecoes on each side are holding on to an anti-rotation bracket that slips over the tubing nut on the other side of the plate where the big blue fitting is. That’s where the fuel pickup is. That will get prosealed and riveted.

Comments (0)

› No comments yet.