Fuel selector plate, gear weldments & fuel lines.
Time to start on the gear leg weldments but before I can do that, I need to figure out the fuel lines.. and before I can do that, I need to make my fuel selector plate.

Here I go again, deviating a bit. I want to put a center console in, similar to what the RV-6's had but it will run to the sub-panel instead of the panel. I also need to make it a bit wider, as I want to put the fuel gauges on it. Here is a perfect example of what I'm going to do.. almost identical to this.



I picked up some .065 last week to make this. Here is my new piece next to the standard piece. I need to bend the forward edge up. I'll put a couple of nutplates on the back side so I can screw the post to it.

New fuel selector plate.

I also pulled out the fuel selector itself and mounted it to the plate. (You have to move the plug in the selector to the other port.)

Assembled fuel selector.

Time for some fuel lines! Everything I've read says to run the fuel lines while the gear leg weldments are still off. (Nosewheel only... tail draggers don't have to deal with this stuff.) So I took some ball park measurements and studied the plans trying to figure out the best way to do all this. Here is a condensed version off all this:

1) Cut a 35" piece of tubing. Mark 6" from one end and put a 90 degree bend in. Mark over 3 3/8" and put another 90 bend. This forms the S-bend.

S-bend in fue line.

2) Take off the outboard cover support rib from the center section.

3) Insert the fuel line from the outside through the fuel line hole, thread it through the gear leg weldment. Slip on the cover support rib. Continue threading the tube through the inner cover support rib.

Threading the tubing through weldment.

4) At this point you have to get the s-bend through the hole, which requires some bending of the tubing. Just bend it enough so you can kinda joggle the tubing through. You also need to bend the end on the inside forward a bit to clear the oppopsite side cover suport rib. Then you can kinda drop the gear leg weldment in place.

Weldment in place with tubing.

Wide angle shot showing end-to-end.

With that all in place, I went ahead and bolted on the gear leg weldment. (I'd suggest not doing this until after you flare/bend the selector end of tubing in case you mess it up and need to pull it out.)

The AN-12A bolts called out are a bit short as others have noted. I used -13A's. The bolts on the bottom of the bulkhead are difficult to reach at best. I didn't have a long wrench, so I had to improvise.

Trick tools - The tape I used to put the washers on with, just stick the washer to the tape, drop it down, use a long screw driver to push it on the bolt. The wrench I taped to the end of a metal clamp. Worked pretty good.

Tool in use - You can kinda see how far down it is inside.

I bent the right side fuel line and got it routed through the weldment on in place then called it quits for the night.

Right side weldment in place.

(Time: 7 hrs)
- posted by Matthew @ 9:15 AM