All right gentlemen(Do we have any ladies in the group?), well, ladies and gentlemen,
If I don't start posting something about my own project, there will likely be no record whatsoever of my build. For starters, let me describe the project I purchased, and then, where I plan to go with it. As you all know well, where I will end up is another story entirely.
The project was purchased from Bob Jenkins in Phoenix. Bob was not the first builder...nor the second. The fuselage was welded and on its gear with elevator and rudder controls mostly complete. It is currently fitted with a mid-wing carry through. The project also included a low-wing carry through. The rear spar support is yet to be fabricated. It came with Plexiglas but no canopy frame. The turtle deck had been modified to accommodate a fighter style canopy (rear hinge). Bob had already started removing that apparatus due to the impossibility of getting in and out of the back seat and encroachment in the head and shoulder area. The wings were complete. In fact, Bob had stripped the skins and incorporated the modification. It still has 9 ribs each. One wingtip is on. The ailerons needs tips, balancing, and installation. The engine is a Revmaster 2100D with the blue dual Bendix magneto. It appears, and I was told, that the engine is zero-time.
What I am planning:
I plan on removing everything that has to do with the front seat. I am going to modify the canopy by drawing a straight line from the spinner to the trailing edge of the canopy. I considered bringing the skirt from the cowl all the way back to above the spar and then a small canopy like the Sonerai I. However, sitting in the cockpit, I can see that any extension of the cowl line that is not transparent will greatly reduce forward visibility and obscure the runway (more) on landing. Two inches of skirt fore and aft will allow me to make a canopy with a 4x4 sheet of acrylic. I will also need to stretch the nose of the cowl enough to fair with the spinner because of the long Revmaster prop flange.
Forward of the firewall there will be no electricity not generated by the magnetos...and subsequent enlargement of my left arm. I have spoken of it before, but I plan on using an updraft cooling system. I have offroad VW cylinder covers and the only way for air to leave the cowling (except for leaks) is through the cylinders and heads or through the oil cooler. I like the idea of dumping the hot air overboard immediately rather than have it linger under the cowl. The oil cooler will be top-mounted. I am still wavering on the oil filter question. However, I plan to run the engine on the ground for a few hours with the filter installed either way. To make this work on the Revmaster, I am drilling a hole through a pressure relief piston and installing it in the normal position. This is where the Revmaster full flow system re-enters the engine case. The drilled piston will direct all the oil through the upper gallery and oil cooler. If I remove the filter and port the oil through the stock passages, the drilled piston will do the same thing....no pressure relief and no bypass of cold oil....but that is how external oil coolers work anyway.
Enough for now. Pictures in my gallery.
Chucker
If I don't start posting something about my own project, there will likely be no record whatsoever of my build. For starters, let me describe the project I purchased, and then, where I plan to go with it. As you all know well, where I will end up is another story entirely.
The project was purchased from Bob Jenkins in Phoenix. Bob was not the first builder...nor the second. The fuselage was welded and on its gear with elevator and rudder controls mostly complete. It is currently fitted with a mid-wing carry through. The project also included a low-wing carry through. The rear spar support is yet to be fabricated. It came with Plexiglas but no canopy frame. The turtle deck had been modified to accommodate a fighter style canopy (rear hinge). Bob had already started removing that apparatus due to the impossibility of getting in and out of the back seat and encroachment in the head and shoulder area. The wings were complete. In fact, Bob had stripped the skins and incorporated the modification. It still has 9 ribs each. One wingtip is on. The ailerons needs tips, balancing, and installation. The engine is a Revmaster 2100D with the blue dual Bendix magneto. It appears, and I was told, that the engine is zero-time.
What I am planning:
I plan on removing everything that has to do with the front seat. I am going to modify the canopy by drawing a straight line from the spinner to the trailing edge of the canopy. I considered bringing the skirt from the cowl all the way back to above the spar and then a small canopy like the Sonerai I. However, sitting in the cockpit, I can see that any extension of the cowl line that is not transparent will greatly reduce forward visibility and obscure the runway (more) on landing. Two inches of skirt fore and aft will allow me to make a canopy with a 4x4 sheet of acrylic. I will also need to stretch the nose of the cowl enough to fair with the spinner because of the long Revmaster prop flange.
Forward of the firewall there will be no electricity not generated by the magnetos...and subsequent enlargement of my left arm. I have spoken of it before, but I plan on using an updraft cooling system. I have offroad VW cylinder covers and the only way for air to leave the cowling (except for leaks) is through the cylinders and heads or through the oil cooler. I like the idea of dumping the hot air overboard immediately rather than have it linger under the cowl. The oil cooler will be top-mounted. I am still wavering on the oil filter question. However, I plan to run the engine on the ground for a few hours with the filter installed either way. To make this work on the Revmaster, I am drilling a hole through a pressure relief piston and installing it in the normal position. This is where the Revmaster full flow system re-enters the engine case. The drilled piston will direct all the oil through the upper gallery and oil cooler. If I remove the filter and port the oil through the stock passages, the drilled piston will do the same thing....no pressure relief and no bypass of cold oil....but that is how external oil coolers work anyway.
Enough for now. Pictures in my gallery.
Chucker