| day |
notes |
hours |
| 3 |
Rip out poor stitching on battery strap buckle, pin with 50mm fold-over and take to alternative mending shop. They say it will be ready on Tuesday. |
|
| 7 |
Go to collect webbing strap but again my request for about 6 rows of stitching has been ignored, although at least the overlap length is as I pinned it. They ask me to call back in a few minutes and then, with apologies for forgetting my original instructions, it's done as I wanted it. |
|
| 9 |
Draw up the 600mm piece of SRBF (Tufnol) in CADintosh and mark the wanted pieces on it, allowing a kerf of 3mm between each. That leaves over 90mm spare, so I could do a final test piece on the real material without risk of loss. |
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| 11 |
Cut the webbing strap in the centre to yield 2 lengths about 1m each with a buckle on the end. Seal the free ends with a flame to stop unravelling. |
|
| 14 |
Cut the remaining length of webbing into 2 pieces. Cover the blue foam male mould for the battery box with polyethylene sheet, using a piece on each of 5 faces, overlapping each edge and securing with insulating tape (which I hope will release from the epoxy better than masking tape). Find a suitable-size offcut of worktop and drill 2 pilot holes through it 5.5mm. Knock through 6" nails. Impale foam mould on nails, on the uncovered face. |
2573.0 |
| 15 |
17C, 70% RH. Start fan heater on floor. Mark and cut 4 pieces of BID about 270mm x 210mm. Mix a peg-3 (60g) batch of standard epoxy. Drape apiece of BID over the battery box mould, stipple to spread evenly and wet out. Paint epoxy onto surfaces of wooden base piece and lay it onto mould. Drape 2nd piece of BID over and wet out. Lay over the BID-covered mould the 2 webbing straps with the buckles fitted, ensuring they are positioned to clear the battery terminals. Mix another peg-3 bath of epoxy. Drape 3rd layer of BID and wet out. Drape 4th layer and wet out. Cut and apply peel-ply to all surfaces. Leave to cure overnight on floor near fan heater. 22C, 61% RH on floor. |
2574.7 |
| 16 |
25C, 45% RH on floor, layup cured, turn off fan heater. |
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| 17 |
Remove male mould and layup from nails. Knock the nails back out of the board for safety. Remove the peel-ply. Trim the sharpest edges off the layup with Tuff-Kut scissors. Dig blue foam mould out of the layup with an old chisel - quite easy, comes out in 4 pieces. Take out the polyethylene sheet pieces and peel off some bits of insulating tape stuck to the layup. The epoxy has run down the webbing free ends and they have taken an unwanted curve. Soften them locally with the heat gun and straighten them up. Trim the edges of the layup with the diamond blade in the Minitool jigsaw. Smooth off with Perma-Grit block. Scrape epoxy off where it has run into one of the buckles and is affecting the operation. Try battery for size and it fits well. Mark the free ends of the webbing straps for cutting, leaving enough free end to grip for tightening. Remove battery and cut straps to length then heat-seal the ends. Drill through base of battery box 4.8mm in 4 places for 10-32 UNF screws. Countersink holes. Screws won't fit so open up holes to 5mm. Position battery box on firewall shelf and drill through 5mm, inserting a screw in each hole after it is drilled to maintain alignment. Check position of lower starboard mounting screw for F14 instrument module and mark battery box for access hole. Drill hole on aft side then use a long 5mm drill bit to make a matching hole on forward side of box. I would like to fit anchor nuts for easy fitting of the battery box but am unhappy about fitting anchor nuts direct to the firewall. Find an offcut of aluminium that would be big enough to take all 4 anchor nuts. After a break, consider that the battery box is unlikely to be removed and re-fitted very often, so large washers and stiffnuts would be OK. I can reach to do up the fasteners single-handed while the windscreen is absent, but it would be a 2-person job to fit and tighten the nuts with the windscreen in place. Enlarge the holes in the aft face of the battery box to clear the AN525-10R screw head and find a #2 Philips driver long enough to reach across the battery box. Enlarge the hole in the forward face to clear the driver. The 1.25" countersunk 10-32 UNF stainless screws I have in stock are a bit long for securing the battery box to the firewall shelf, so order some stainless 1" screws, stiff nuts and washers from Westfield Fasteners. |
2577.7 |
| 21 |
1" countersunk crews received from Westfield Fasteners. Check number of washers required to offset the bulges on the bottom of the battery box where the webbing straps pass - 2 washers on each screw. Assemble stacks of washers over the holes in the firewall shelf, insert the 1" CSK screws in the bottom of the battery box and carefully lower them through the washers and into the holes. Fit M5 penny washers underneath and secure with plain nuts. Alas, the 1" screws are too short with no thread protruding; I should have stuck to the 1.25" screws after all. Put battery into box and check position for coolant overflow bottle. The bottom of the bottle needs to be no more than 250mm below the expansion tank outlet but that will be no problem as the firewall shelf is barely that far below anyway. Measure bottle for the retaining strap - length needs to be 3 x 85mm + 2 x 25mm = 305mm and width 17mm. Get out a part-used piece of the 18AWG 6061 aluminium sheet from the trailer and mark a 17mm strip along the long edge. Cut along the line with snips and deburr. Look out the stainless steel pop rivets that I got from Halfords some time ago, but the nominal 5mm ones are only 10mm long which is probably too short to grip through the firewall. They are also a bit shy of 5mm (4.8mm) so would need to expand quite a bit to hold a M5 penny washer. Unclip the fire extinguisher and remove the F14 instrument module from the firewall. Check the 5mm x 10mm pop-rivet length through one of the firewall holes with 2 off M5 penny washers and a piece of 18AWG aluminium under the head - definitely not enough length for a secure grip. The 4mm SS rivets are 16mm which would be fine for length but I don't have any M4 penny washers and I'd prefer the thicker rivets anyway. I do have some aluminium rivets 4.8mm x 16mm in stock so that would be the fallback position; after all, they would not melt any sooner than the strap itself - but I'd like to use the stronger SS rivets if I could find some the right length. Mark and fold a 25mm length of the strap at a right angle by holding it in the vise soft jaws and tapping it into final shape with the plastic mallet. Clamp that bent end to a piece of melamine chipboard, lay the bottle on the chipboard aft face down and offer up the starboard side of the bottle to it. Clamp the bottle lightly in place then bend the strap by hand over the curved recess at the corner of the bottle. Unclamp the strap and overbend slightly to get good conformity with the front face of the bottle. Re-clamp and make another bend to take the strap down the port side of the bottle. Unclamp and adjust several times to get best conformity to bottle shape. Holding firmly in place, mark for final right-angle bend. Make that bend in the vise soft jaws as before then trim to 25mm. Try it for fit and it requires a bit of pressure to get both mounting tabs flush against the surface. That's OK as I don't want the bottle to be loose and chafing against the strap at all. |
2580.3 |
| 22 |
Start looking for stainless steel pop rivets online and find eBay seller About Town Bolts offering small quantities. Order a pack of 25 off 4.8mm x 16mm closed-end stainless rivets. Order 10-32 CSK SS screws from Westfield Fasteners in both 1.25" and 1.5" lengths. Grind a tiny bit more off the sides of inserts on the 3/4" end mill. Bandsaw off a piece of the 1" thick SRBF about 20mm x 40mm. Bandsaw it into 2 slices about 12mm thick. Square up all edges in turn using 3/4" end mill, with wavy parallels to support at different heights as required in vise jaws. |
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| 23 |
Clamp both pieces together slightly proud of vise jaws with good face down and bring to same thickness (~12mm). Each piece is ~39mm long. Clamp end to end long-edge up, supported on wavy parallels. Use edge finder (10mm shank, 6mm end) to find rear face then set X dial to zero. Find left-hand end face and zero Y dial. Wind in Y feed 1 turn + 40 div to centre bore on edge then 3 turns (6mm) to centre bore on workpiece. Lock Y axis. Wind X travel in 1 turn + 40 div to line up bore on edge. 1st hole will be 5mm in from end so wind X in 2 turns + 40 div. Fit 3/16" drill bit in 5mm/4mm collet and drill through. 2nd hole is 5mm in from right-hand end of first workpiece, which is (39mm - 10mm) = 29mm travel from 1st hole. Wind X axis in 14 turns + 40 div. Drill 2nd hole. Wind X axis in 5 turns (10mm) and drill 3rd hole. Wind X in 14 turns + 40 div and drill 4th hole. Remove from vise and push in dowels. Pretty tight fit, but faces of SRBF now lining up better than before. |
|
| 24 |
Receive 10-32 CSK screws from Westfield Fasteners & 4.8mm x 16mm stainless closed-end pop rivets from About Town Bolts. Ease dowel holes in SRBF test pieces slightly with 4.8mm drill bit. Insert dowels and press parts together. Place in milling vise with split line on X axis, supported on wavy parallels to bring it slightly proud of the jaws for edge finding, and clamp up. Combined depth is 40mm. Find back edge with 6mm edge finder. Reset dial then advance Y axis 1 turn + 40 div to align spindle bore with edge. Advance Y 20mm (10 turns) to align with split line and clamp Y travel. Find left-hand end, advance 1 turn + 40 div. Width of test piece is 39mm so half-way is 19.5mm. Advance X travel 9 turns + 60 div. Slot drill 12mm and then take 3/4" end mill through; seems harder work than before and the tool is getting quite hot. Looks as though the 12mm hole is not quite large enough and the central annulus is not actually being presented to a cutting edge - will need to see if I can find a 16mm slot drill. Assemble on rudder pedal shaft and it is a tight fit - turns only with difficulty. Dismantle and give the bearing surfaces attention with a 3-square scraper. Quite quickly comes to a fit where it can be turned, so I am satisfied with that. Have not been logging the hours on this test piece work, but turn on the clock now. Replace, one at a time to avoid disturbing the washer stacks, the 1" CSK screws holding the battery box with 1.25" ones. For now, fit plain nuts. Drill the end tabs of the overflow bottle strap 4.8mm then open to 5mm to allow the stainless steel rivets to enter. Position bottle on firewall slightly lower than original marked position to keep mounting tabs well clear of adjacent electrical items, then drill through firewall using hole in port tab as a guide. Fit rivet and M5 penny washer from aft side of firewall with M5 penny washer on forward side of strap. Push firmly against firewall with hollow tool over end of rivet and pull rivet with air riveter. Press starboard tab firmly against firewall and side of bottle and drill firewall. Fit rivet with washers as before and pull rivet. All looks satisfactory and bottle is held firmly. |
2581.1 |
| 25 |
Order 16mm long-reach slot drill from Tracy Tools. Check position of hole for magneto leads pass-through, making sure that the washers will be clear of F14 instrument module mounting brackets etc. Needs to be slightly outboard of original marked position. Drill through firewall 8mm. Insert drilled M8 stainless bolt from aft side with stainless penny washers both sides of firewall. Fit Aerotight nut and do up firmly. Check positions of other nearby items. Had reserved Nyloc nuts for fitting but it would be much better to use anchor nuts. Will need to countersink quite deeply for the rivet heads as the firewall is thicker than the usual layup where anchor nuts are fitted. Mark and drill holes 4.8mm for regulator, a bit outboard of original markings, but still leaving plenty of free air both above and below regulator heat-sink. Fit temporary screws to hold anchor nuts in place; because of the thickness of the firewall, need to use either 1 or 2 M5 washers as spacers on the 3/8" screws instead of the usual plain nuts. Drill through rivet holes 2.5mm. Countersink carefully on forward face with 4.8mm drill bit. Set the rivets using the extension piece as usual. Mount the regulator using 1/2" button-head 10-32 screws. (May need to order more 10-32 screws for firewall items.) Leave the port screw finger-tight as it will have an earthing lead attached later. Change the capacitor clip screw from 10-32 to M5 x 16mm button-head with Aerotight nut as I don't have any all-metal stiffnuts in 10-32. Offer up capacitor in clip to firewall, keeping clear of other proposed items and the adjacent F14 instrument module mounting screw, and mark hole positions somewhat outboard of original marked capacitor location. Drill 4.8mm. Fit anchor nuts with temporary screws and drill through rivet holes 2.5mm. |
2583.1 |
| 28 |
16mm slot drill received from Tracy Tools. Countersink rivet holes with 4.8mm drill bit for capacitor anchor nuts. Fit and pull rivets using nose extension as usual. Fit capacitor with 1/2" button-head 10-32 stainless steel screws. Look at relative locations of crowbar assembly and firewall feed-through fitting and mark holes for crowbar assembly. Drill 4.8mm, fit anchor nuts with temporary screws and washers, drill and countersink for rivets, fit & pull rivets. Don't want to fit crowbar assembly properly now as there is a soldered connexion that would be much easier to make away from the firewall. The firewall pass-through expects 6-32 screws or 1/8" rivets. Don't have any 6-32 anchor nuts or all-metal stiffnuts so order some stainless steel closed-end rivets from About Town Bolts. Drill 1st fixing hole 3.2mm for pass-through fitting and insert 6-32 screw to hold it in place (no need for nut, screw self-taps into hole). Drill 2nd hole using fitting as template and insert screw. Drill remaining 2 holes and insert screws. Mark position of main hole on firewall by running felt-tip pen around inside fitting. Remove fitting and step drill main hole 20mm. Attach fitting again and hole looks well aligned with fitting. Check length of wires on manifold pressure sensor MPS1 and they will easily reach to any part of the panel when folded down. If sensor replacement is ever needed, the wires can be cut and butt-spliced on the firewall side. Drill 1st hole for MPS1 4mm and insert M4 screw supplied through MPS1 and firewall hole. Find a couple of 4BA washers that are larger than any of the M4 stock. Fit a washer and stiffnut finger-tight. Hold MPS1 level and drill 2nd fixing hole through. The supplied M4 x 30mm screws are not quite long enough to put the stiffnuts in safety so will have to get longer ones. Position the battery isolator & ammeter shunt assembly and mark 1st hole position. Drill 4.8mm. Insert temporary screw and holding assembly level drill through 2nd hole. Fit anchor nuts with temporary screws, drill and countersink rivet holes, fit & pull rivets. Fit the assembly with 5/8" button-head screws as the 1/2" as used for the capacitor and regulator are not quite long enough. Separate the 2 parts of the earthing block and mark the location of the hole for the large bolt. Drill 8mm. Insert bolt temporarily through engine side of earthing block and hold in place while drilling 2nd hole 4.8mm. Fit earthing block, using 8 of the 12 supplied washers on engine side to space nut clear of blade connectors. Fit 10-32 screw and stiffnut in 2nd hole. Tighten up 5/16" x 18 UNC nut on engine side. Check resistance from bracket on end of starter motor to various places on engine. Nothing measures more than 0.2 Ohm, and that is the lowest reading I can get between 2 points on the bracket itself so I think it will be fine for the engine block earth connexion. Holes on the bracket will admit 6.5mm drill bit but not 7mm, so will use M6 screw. It will need a 30mm screw but can't find any in stock of that length with a suitable head, although there are some Aerotight stiffnuts that can be used. Order some M6 x 30mm and M4 x 40mm capscrews, M4 Aerotight nuts and M4 penny washers from ModelFixings. |
2586.6 |
| 29 |
Print out main and regulator wiring diagrams plus wire lists and labels for expected area. Move small drawers of electrical terminals down from office to garage and hang on LH door of resin cupboard. Make up and fit wires 105, 102, 101, 104 & 112. Cutting the 4AWG Nyvin wire is easiest if held in the vee vise jaws so a junior hacksaw can be used. Stripping the insulation is neatest using a new razor blade with careful pressure. The 4AWG wire is pretty stiff so dressing is quite hard work; try to incorporate enough bends in the routing of wires 101 and 104 to allow for engine movement, but without allowing them to touch anything they could chafe against. Make up & fit A ends of wires 108, 306, 307 & 115, drawing them through the firewall pass-through to do an approximate check of length required. Make up & fit B end of wire 111. On all wires passing through firewall and most others, apply full identifying labels under clear heat-shrink adjacent to termination. Put adhesive flag labels with numbers on free ends of wires as they are made up. With the starter circuit now complete, can't resist the temptation to give it a quick check. Briefly touch the bare end of wire 111 to the battery positive and the engine turns over with great enthusiasm, blowing all 4 exhaust port covers off with loud pops. Will need to put some oil into the upper spark plug holes after that! Take key out of isolator for safety while continuing with wiring. Make up and fit wires 118, 124 & 131. Take crowbar assembly off firewall for better access. Make up and fit A ends of wires 125, 126, 128, 130 & 117, and B end of wire 120. Check size of screws that will fit in the regulator connector block. Find some M3 posts and screws that might do the job. Disconnect battery and put back on trickle charger. |
2594.1 |
| 30 |
Remove upper spark plugs. Squirt a little Castrol 10W-30 4-stroke motorcycle oil into each plug hole from a syringe. Turn prop driver over about 5 turns. Replace spark plugs and torque to 20Nm. Get exhaust system out of trailer to check pipe runs and where wiring needs to be kept clear. Remove exhaust blanking fittings and fit the 4 exhaust downpipes, doing up the nuts only finger-tight. Try to attach silencer using the springs but it's very awkward and I don't have the strength to support everything while extending the springs. Need to support silencer with ropes or straps. Anyway, it's not necessary to have the silencer in place yet as the downpipes are the main area that wires need to be kept clear of. The wires from the CHT and oil temp & pressure sensors will have to be routed clear of the baffles, so can't make final decisions on those yet. Alternator cable needs to be kept from drooping near the port aft exhaust pipe. Fit an anchor nut to the underside of the firewall shelf to secure a P-clip for the cable.
3.2mm stainless rivets delivered from About Town Bolts and screws etc delivered from ModelFixings.
Remove temporary screws from firewall pass-through fitting and open up holes with 3.3mm drill as rivets won't fit. Get out some 1/8" washers from the pop-rivet drawer. Open the firesleeve sealant tube and apply a a smear all around aft face of fitting. Position on firewall, insert rivets. Add a washer to the aft side and pull each rivet in turn. Try the firesleeve for size and cut off about 2" of it with tinsnips. Cut a second length about 2.5" and slit it lengthwise. Trim about 1/4" off slit edge and try it for size inside the fitting. Much too big. After another couple of trims it just goes in with a push and the edges butt together quite well. Push it back until it's flush with the front end of the tube. Apply sealant to aft end of outer firesleeve and slide it onto fitting, securing with clamp. Slide inner firesleeve forward again until protruding slightly both front and rear. The central hole looks quite small now. Get out the propeller brush cable assembly and try it in the fitting. Although it looks quite bulky, it's fine provided the sleeving is wrapped or compressed onto the wires. One of the rivets on the alternator cable clip anchor nut has lost its mandrel leaving a small hole. Open a tube of Pro Seal hi-temp RTV and fill the hole with a dab of it. Also apply some to one of the firesleeve offcuts to see how it works with that. Remove screws holding MPS1 and replace them with the M4 x 40mm stainless cap screws, with penny washers on the aft side and Aerotight nuts. Try M3 x 20mm capscrews on regulator connection block with short threaded pillars underneath - looks as though there should be enough thread to fit washer & nut underneath firewall.
Looking at pictures of the baffles in Neville's cowl, realise I've probably put the P-clip for the alternator cable just where the aft end of the port baffle is fixed to the firewall. Perhaps that spot could do double duty for both baffle and P-clip. Also, there seems to be an additional baffle piece aft of the engine between the two firewall shelves. Thinking more about the layout of various things, I probably ought to try fitting the water pipes including the alterations for the carb heaters.
Order some M3 Aerotight nuts and penny washers from ModelFixings. |
2598.4 |
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