Author: Corsair

Firewall forward systems progress

Two of three duct tee SCAT hose hookups in place.

Final fuel line (from firewall to engine-driven pump) connected!

Last of the duct tee SCAT hose hookups in place. The large Adel clamp suspending the hose from the engine mount is another of those cantilevered clamp arrangements and its screw/washer/nut were a first-class bitch to get started, even with all of the usual “tricks” in play.

Various oil cooler inlet and support components being primed.

Cooler inlet assembly riveted together.

Cooler inlet assembly tape masked for application of RTV.

Oil cooler fittings installed.

Oil cooler ‘P’ seals installed.

Firewall forward components underway

First two heater system SCAT hoses installed. Still need to run a bead of RTV down each one.

Duct tee installed. It looks so benign, so harmless, but it’s one of the toughest items to install that I’ve yet encountered, especially the inboard side with the spacer tube. Just…ugh…

Two of the heat shields installed. These will protect the fuel flow transducer and fuel hose from the exhaust pipes’ heat. Theoretically.

The third heat shield installed. This one will protect the throttle cable (not yet installed in this photo) from the exhaust pipe’s heat. Theoretically.

Prop governor cable bracket installed.

Oil breather hose and tube installed. This was another unexpectedly challenging installation. The two Adel clamps on the firewall – especially the lower one – are a screaming BEAR to get nipped up tight. Eventually, a little help from my wife and some ingenuity with available tools won the day. As usual.

Oil breather hose and tube installed. 

Firewall forward continued…

Exhaust hanger bracket and one of the exhaust hanger tubes.

Exhaust pipes all torqued down with lock washers inserted.

Exhaust pipes all torqued down with lock washers inserted.

Heat muff assembly innards awaiting their turn to play.

Heat muff assembly innards installed on the exhaust pipes. I really hate MS21042 nuts and the smaller they get, the worse they are to tighten. Wrenches and sockets don’t want to stay on them with any force applied and working in the ever-more-restricted confines of the FWF area makes it an order of magnitude more difficult.

Just have to get through it…

One heat muff assembly installed.

Both heat muff assemblies installed.

Firewall forward component assembly progress

Tailpipe extracted, ‘Y’ turned 180-degrees, and tailpipe reinstalled & cotter-pinned (fun!).

I had a bad feeling (which turned out to be correct) that the bulkhead fuel fitting through the firewall (which will shortly be connected to the engine-driven fuel pump) would have to be removed to facilitate installation of the tailpipe in its correct orientation. Not fun, but all done now.

Also, ball-joint spring retainers installed and tightened.

Right-side exhaust pipes loosely in place.

Left-side exhaust pipes loosely in place.

Ball-joint spring retainers installed and tightened.