If you follow the Europa way of cutting the hole using a soldering iron, it
takes a long time to clean up the holes but doesn't generate any swarf.
(though totals your soldering iron bit!) You really need a right angle / 45
degree one - a straight one will be really hard going).
We contemplated long and hard to try and find easier ways to do the job but
the most tricky bit by a long way is putting the split ring in while working
inside the headrest and there is no easy way of doing that. The sender has
to go here due to the shape of the tank so no easy way around this.
One tip is to use a dremmel or other small cutter to cut the hole in the ply
seatback to get access to the tank. Andy (or the instructions) recommended
using a starret type cutter on a lever arm and trying to cut the hole this
way but there seemed to be no way to get enough pressure to get the thing to
bite. Drill a pilot hole to gauge how far in the dremmel can go before it
touches the tank (if you drill this in the middle of the ply hole you're
going to cut out, if you hit the tank, it doesn't matter as you're going to
cut this bit of the tank out).
If you're not dexterous and happy with spending several hours kneeling on
the stbd seatback, I'd probably try someone who has done the job and see if
they could 'give you a hand' (do the job while you make them lots of tea).
It really, really wasn't a fun job (though it really does work very well
indeed!).
----- Original Message -----
From: "GLENN CROWDER" <gcrowder2@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: Europa-List: Fuel sender etc.
>
> You guys be real careful about getting out any residual nylon "swarf"
> that
> falls
> into the tank as a result of cutting the hole. I thought I would be real
> clever
> when I did this and made a long skinny and curved nozzle for my vaccuum
> cleaner to clean the tank but turns out that static electricity causes the
> swarf to adhere to the corners of the tank (top and bottom).
> If you get the Canard Aviators list, you would find several engine outs
> on
> takeoff have been caused by this exact situation on VariEZ's and LongEZ's.
> I taxi tested for an hour after making this mod and changed my fuel
> filters and was shocked to find all these bits of nylon in the filters and
> gascolator!
> Glenn
>
>>From: "Dan Bish" <n914rb@earthlink.net>
>>Reply-To: europa-list@matronics.com
>>To: <europa-list@matronics.com>
>>Subject: Re: Europa-List: Fuel sender etc.
>>Date: Tue, 6 Dec 2005 10:43:51 -0700
>>
>>
>>Patrick,
>>
>>
>>I did this mod after the CM was installed and I can verify to the
>>difficulty. It can really be a major *$#@#!!! I'll be glad to send you
>>some
>>photos of the process when you get the bits and pieces from Phil. But
>>you'll
>>have to position the sender in the left side of the tank, not in the
>>center
>>as you mentioned doing. I put it inside the port headrest. How? By
>>removing
>>a hefty portion of the headrest that will be glassed back in later. It's
>>going to be upholstered later anyway so that'll cover any cosmetic damage
>>done.
>>
>>
>>Anyway, just let me know when you get the parts and I'll start looking
>>around for the photos.
>>
>>
>>Also, order yourself a couple of mirrors on a stick if you haven't got
>>them
>>already. They're for finding the nut plate when (not if) you drop it
>>inside
>>the tank a couple of dozen times!
>>
>>
>>Later,
>>
>>
>>Dan
>>
>>
>>Dan Bish
>>
>>N914RB
>>
>>Kit A144 - About 50%
>>
>>Tucson, AZ, USA
>>
>>
>
>
>
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