Wing Clearance - 0.5 hours (294 Total)

I put the wings back on the plane for the first time since I wired up the engine. There are several wires and hoses that are rubbing the roots of the wings: the fuel lines to the carbs, two of the four spark plug wires, and the fuel line to the pressure sensor.

The carbs have banjo fittings on their fuel inlets. I'll be able to rotate the fittings to increase the clearance on the fuel lines.

The fuel pressure hose will need to be re-routed with a couple of 90 degree fittings.

The sparkplug wires will need to be re-routed. I will remove the clamps that are holding the wires to the intank manifolds and secure the wires to the balance tube with wire ties and standoffs.

Here are some pictures of the items that are rubbing on the wing roots.

Oil Valve - 1 hours (293.5 Total)

To make changing the engine oil easier. I purchased a Fumoto engine oil drain valve. This valve will allow me to change my oil without the hassle of removing the oil plug. I have heard stories of people dropping the hot oil plug into the funnel they were using to collect the oil. The funnel then overflows and makes a huge mess.














I purchased the F-106 model which fits the 14mm by 1.5mm thread used on the oil tank.















Unfortunately, the valve ran into the oil temp sensor when I tried to install it. I had to remove the temp sensor with the intent of installing it after the valve was fully installed. As luck would have it, the valve seated with its larger end interfering with the temp sensor hole.

To alleviate this, I combined the gasket type washer that came with the valve with the copper washer that was used with the orignal oil plug. This allowed the valve to seat with it's large end pointed in a slightly different direction. I will need to watch the valve for a while to make sure the combination of the washers remain leak proof.

Instrument Panel - 8 hours (292.5 Total)

Today I started out by cutting out holes in the back side of the instrument panel. In the picture below you can see two holes on the left for the wiring. Below that is a large square hole for the fuse block. On the right side you can see a rubber grommet for pitot tube.


























Below you can see the installation of the switches and Stratomaster display. Above the Stratomaster is a coordinated turn indicator. It will be bolted into place when everything is done.















Below are some pictures of the wiring inside the instrument pod.


























Below is a picture of the powered on system. You can see that some of the switches are illuminated and the Stratomaster display is turned on.














I tested all of the switches and their functionality except the starter. I don't want to engage the starter until I have the oil system complete.

With the Stratomaster functioning, I tested all of the temperature sensors. I used my hot air gun to verify that I didn't have any of the wiring crossed.

Instrument Panel - 4 hours (284.5 Total)

Today I started cutting into my instrument panel. Over the past few months I have been playing with the layout of the panel.

The holes you see on the left will accommodate seven switches, an indicator light, and a key-switch. I drilled these with a drill press and step-bit which I bought specifically for this portion of the project.

The holes in the rectangular pattern were drilled to allow me to use a nibbler tool to cut away a large portion for the Stratomaster instrument display I will place in the dash.

EGT Sensors - 1 hour (280.5 Total)

Today I attached the EGT sensors to the exhaust.

I had previously located and drilled the 5/16" EGT sensor holes into the exhaust prior to bolting it to the engine. I positioned the sensors' holes so the wiring would point directly towards (at an angle) the egress into the cockpit. I ignored the recommendation to have the holes downwind of the exhaust pipes. A fellow HKS owner has his sensors in the same configuration and doesn't have any problems.

The EGT sensors are almost too long for my exhaust pipes. There is about a millimeter of space between the tip of the sensor and the opposite wall of the exhaust pipe.




























Above you can see that I needed a wire clamp to hold the left EGT sensor wire in place.









































I made sure that the right cylinder has both EGT1 and CHT1 probes connected to it.

Exhaust - 4.5 hours (279.5 Total)

Earlier this week I received my exhaust from Earthstar. Below are some pictures and details of its installation.














I purchased an exhaust from Earthstar that was already ceramic coated. Unfortunately, no finishing was done after the coating was applied.













I would have been happy with the light gray coloring and powdery texture but the exhaust had several polished spots on it. During shipping, portions of the exhaust that were in contact with the cardboard box or styrofoam polished themselves due to the vibrations.













Another problem with the unpolished ceramic coating is that it picks up dirt very easily. There were hand prints on the exhaust left by the Earthstar people.


























After consulting with Earthstar and Finish Line Coatings, a company in Portland, OR that does ceramic coatings, I started polishing the exhaust with some steel wool. This was surprisingly easy to do.














Here is a picture of the fully polished exhaust. It took me about three and a half hours to polish the entire exhaust.













Here are some pictures of the installed exhaust.






















































To mount the exhaust, I bolted the exhaust to the exhaust ports first. I used some AN washers and supplied gasket. The nuts seem to be self locking (triangular threads) so I didn't use any locktite. Prior to bolting it to the engine, I did drill the holes for the EGT sensors while the exhaust was on the bench.














I then loosely bolted the bracket (pictured above) to the engine.














I then bolted the Lord mounts to the exhaust and bracket.














I torqued the nuts on the Lord mounts very tight. You can see the metal plate on the Lord mount popped up and against the bracket. After the Lord mounts were nice and tight, I tightened down the bolts that hold the bracket to the engine using Locktite.














I then repeated the process on the rear bracket.

Fuel Flow Sensor - 1 hour (275 Total)

I received some quick disconnects for my fuel lines. I intended to place them above and below my fuel filters to make them easier to replace. Unfortunately, the quick connects are too large to fit where I wanted them to.

I re-routed the fuel lines around the fuel flow sensor to alleviate the rubbing issue the fuel line was have with the oil tank bracket. I also added a wire clamp to hold the fuel flow sensor in place. The directions for the fuel flow sensor suggest that you route the sensor on it's side with a slight amount of angle. This give the internal spindle the least amount of friction since it is only resting on one bearing but allows air bubble to escape. My mounting has a little more angle than they specified but it does accommodate my fuel line routing.

Strobe Wiring - 1 hour (274 Total)

Today I routed the wire that will power my strobe. I used the same three conductor, shielded cable that I used before.

I made sure that the cable did not wrap around or interfere with the push-pull tube or trim cable within the boom tube.



























The wire enters the boom tube in the same hole used for the trim cable.













I placed a rubber grommet inside one of the existing holes in the frame to prevent damage to the strobe wire and trim cable. The grommets I had were too small for this hole so I cut a couple of them up and pieced them into the hole. They seem to be snug and secure but I may need to glue them if they start falling out.














I hesitated before routing the strobe cable below the boom tube. I wanted to route it up and over the electrical panel but these seemed excessive and I did not have a wire clamp on the top edge of the panel to provide strain relief.