Construction Blog and Builder's Resource
I swapped the Van’s-supplied (incorrect) nosewheel with the proper one from Matco and picked up their axle kit, too. Shown ready for disassembly here.
The nosewheel & axle have been taken apart and the tube is ready to go into the tire.
All done here and ready to mount on the airplane. The bearings were greased, of course, before final assembly with the axle.
Main gear wheels fresh out of the box.
Main gear wheels have been split here, their brake discs separated, and their bearing/washer/felt assemblies removed. Tires and tubes await installation.
Here the tires, tubes, wheel halves, and brake discs have been assembled, torqued, and inflated. The wheel bearings await cleaning, greasing, and installation.
Main gear wheels and tires are ready to mount on the airplane.
Canopy micro-switch installed. Wiring and adjustment will be done later.
Defog fans installed. Wiring to be neatened, obviously, and connected later.
Remaining canopy seals cut and ready to go. Main wheels and brakes on deck…
Gear attachment angles and upper gear braces being primed.
I’ve been sick as a dog for the last week and am only just starting to feel more like myself. Sorry for the lack of updates. Now back to our regularly scheduled build!
Rudder & brake pedal assemblies mounted to fuselage. I choose the middle of three positions and am hopeful that, in combination with the three possible seatback positions, I won’t have to move them. Ever.
Sets of longer-than-standard rudder cable links which I had waterjet from .050 4130. I only needed one set of four, but the shop managed to cut 11 sets from the sheet of steel I supplied, so I’ve listed the other ten sets for sale. Five have already sold.
Brake lines going in. These are the slave lines from the firewall-mounted reservoir to the right-side master cylinders.
These are the crossover brake lines connecting the left and right sides.
The main brake lines running from the left-side master cylinders out to each gear leg. From there (on each side, of course), the gear leg lines will run down to each main wheel brake.
The left-side rudder cable sleeve securely Adel-clamped to the tunnel side. Securing those clamps with their severely access-restricted nuts was a bear!!!!
Right-side rudder cable sleeve secured in position.
The final version of my panel. I expect to give the go-ahead to the avionics shop very shortly. Currently tracking a late March delivery.
