Cheers,
Having heaped upon you the moaning of a frustrated builder, I
now beg you to follow some recalled events in the last two days. If you
don't wish to share the info (because you're now well ahead of me and don't
want the aggravation), leave this to those who be still be behind.
Thinking the making of wings and tail were landmarks, I
concluded early that the hanging of the engine was a one-morning job. Wrong.
I modified the footwells to accomodate the Wilksch and so the
firewall didn't fit properly and I've finally overcome that irregularity.
The next challenge came from the book which said, "don't put the
intermediate frame on the 'plane and then try to hang the engine on it. Put
the frame on the engine and then hang them both on the gear frame." That
screwed me first because the lower firewall so carefully prepared by Graham
Singleton actually covers both the gear- and intermediate frames so would
have to be fitted with the engine already hung. No.
Then came the info from helpful net buddies that one needs to
produce slightly longer bolts in order to cinch up the Lord rubber mounts so
that the AN5-41 bolts could be joined by a nut. I have circumvented that by
fabricating 1-15/16" clamps to hold the Lords till I can thread a -41 into
them.
However, then came the challenge to 'cant' the engine 1-1/2deg
to starboard per the book. Oh,oh. My carefully cinched up bolts left the
engine out by slightly less than 3/4 degree. The shim washers - MS24665-516L
are a measured 0.030" each and would require 4 to right thew wrong - top
and bottom. In spite of the book admonition to include 4 washers everywhere
(to accomodate the cotter pin positionning in the castellated nut) the fact
is that with no washers in the starboard side, the cotter pin fits perfectly
in the base of the nut slot - whereas the port pair with their 4 shim
washers now render the -41 bolt too short for a cotter pin!
Yes, in all instances the bolts are cinched up to hard metal
stops, so no more bolt can be revealed. In addition, be prepared to wheeze
and sweat to instal the bottom port bolt facing forward down amongst a
forest of frame elements asf.
So, thankfully I have emerged from the guts of the wheelwell and
minus the longer bolts, have turned to fuel pump matters for comic relief
while I contemplate where the nearest AN5-42 is. Nor can I say that you
should go through this because it may have been a glitch in the production
line - but I suggest if you're at this juncture, measure the length of the
frame holes plus maybe a couple of shim washers and see if the requisite
length of bolt provided satisfies the need. I should have done that.
....just another rant.........
Ferg
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