Canopy wiring harness and red/white strip lights going in.
Here’s a hint: don’t even bother with the WH-00126; it’s a generic harness and isn’t likely to match anybody’s requirements exactly – or even very closely. Just use the supplied Molex shells and pins to quickly fab your own.
In my case, I needed to wire the defrost fans, the strip lights, and the canopy warning switch. Easy-peasy. Except, of course, for one task…
Canopy wiring harness and red/white strip lights going in.
This is the beginning of the ugly task/odyssey revolving around running the two wires aft through the left-side canopy frame to the warning switch.
Van’s suggests using a length of safety wire to “fish” the wires down the channel. I tried two thicknesses of safety wire and both got kinked/hung up.
This time around, the safety wire made it through, but got hung up when pulling the copper wires.
Harness and Molex connectors in work.
Another iteration of the effort. No luck.
I tried using old plastic cards (credit cards, driver’s licenses, etc.) to pry the canopy side skin away to make a little more room in the channel. No luck.
Eventually, I had to suck it up and drill the side skin mostly off in order to place the two wires. Then re-riveted and re-screwed. I managed to drill out something like 40 rivets without buggering a single one, so that’s good.
My Stein Air panel in as-received condition – just removed from the crate for the first time since it arrived about four months ago. What a rat’s nest!!
A slightly wider view of the panel showing all of the radios and other miscellany. Lots to do.
Oil door drilled to the hinge gooseneck and the hinge door lugs drilled to the cowling.
Oil door and all components riveted and ready to fly.
A little gently relieving was necessary along the upper edge of the recess in order for the door to hinge properly.
Oil door and all components riveted and ready to fly.
A little gently relieving was necessary along the upper edge of the recess in order for the door to hinge properly.
One of my pending tasks finally checked off:
Empennage fairing and gap covers screwed down for keeps – or until the airworthiness inspection!
One of my pending tasks finally checked off:
Empennage fairing and gap covers screwed down for keeps – or until the airworthiness inspection!
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.
