3/5/2008
Tonight I started out by using the longer of the two jettison pushrods that I made too short to remake the shorter one. I have another one foot piece of 4130 3/8" tubing on order from Spruce, so the long one will have to wait.
Since this one is now the correct length, and I have the slots lined up (!), the fit is perfect, and it "locks" over center now.
Then I started on the canopy release latch. The C-607 and C-609 come very rough from Van's, so I deburred and cleaned those up first. The 607 part also gets distorted a bit in the punching process, so I straightened that out too.
The C-712 angles are next. The lower one is done first...but the drawings only depict the upper one. Go figure. Anyway, I didn't get very far on the lower one when Brit called to let me know she was on her way home, and that I needed to get dinner started. Looks like it's frozen pizza tonight!
The punch marks will be drilled to #12, and the half moon just a mark so I know this is the lower angle. It does get notched close to that, but it's not measured out yet.
One thing I forgot to mention the other day, was that I bought a Sam James cowl from a builder in North Carolina. He has the same setup as I do with an O-320, and he ran in to interference with the alternator. There needs to be a small bump 'glassed on the cowl for clearance, and he was not willing to do that. I don't mind it one bit, and I saved $400 on a new cowl from James! He is going to deliver it to me this summer on his way to Oshkosh. This way, I'll have the cowl and buy the plenum from SJ, and will have spent as much as one new cowl costs.
1.75 hours