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Thread: The Barn Find Build

  1. #61
    Senior Member jiott's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Barn Find Build

    I do have an inspection cover on the other side, but I have never cut them out; they are for if I ever have to remove/reinstall the trim jackscrew.
    I reach the front tailwheel spring nut by coming down from above and using "every socket extension". Actually it is very easy; I can even get a torque wrench on it.
    Jim Ott
    Portland, OR
    Kitfox SS7 flying
    Rotax 912ULS

  2. #62
    Senior Member Eric Page's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Barn Find Build

    More progress today. After finishing my rotisserie (see my post here about that), I got the right wing mounted and within an hour I had all of the fabric removed. It's a little hard on the fingers, but the Poly-Fiber makes a very satisfying sound when you rip it! If you ever have to do this, I recommend eye protection; little bits of adhesive pop off as you pull the fabric loose, and they have an uncanny ability to track direct to your eyeballs.

    In the first photo the wing is mounted on the rotisserie, in the second it's partially stripped, and in the third it's a bare skeleton.

    R Wing in Rotisserie.jpg R Wing Partially Stripped.jpg R Wing Fully Stripped.jpg

    In case anyone is interested, the weight of material removed was 4 lbs, 14.6 oz. The weight of fabric removed from the horizontal stabilizer and rudder was 2 lbs, 15.6 oz. I forgot to weigh the fabric from the fuselage, but it would probably be similar to a wing. None of the stuff I weighed had Poly-Spray on it; just a heavy brushed-on coating of Poly-Brush.

    I was happy to find that the neatly made adhesive fillets and perfectly spaced and set rivets inside the wing support the first builder's claim that it was a quick-build wing. You can definitely tell where the factory work ends and the first builder's begins. There are two 3-conductor cables running from root to tip for lights. For reasons known only to him, the first builder glued the cables to the neck of the fuel quick-drain with some sort of brittle, clear, amber colored glue. He also managed to get a bunch of it on the quick-drain, so it wouldn't open all the way. I removed the drain and cleaned it up to restore proper function and to get rid of the inappropriate (and probably ineffective) gunk that he used to seal the threads. Note to self: buy new o-rings for the quick-drains.

    I got a surprisingly decent photo of the inside of my fuel tank, but I'll post that elsewhere to seek opinions on whether it's already been sealed and if I can move ahead with no further action inside the tanks.

    I'm finally on the welder's calendar for next Sat, 10/24, to get the tail reinforcement and rudder torque tube gussets done, along with plug welding a few holes where the rudder brackets mount to the fuselage. Then I can prime, paint and begin reassembly.

    Kitfox sent me the Series 5 build manual on a USB stick, so once I get the other wing stripped, I'll sit down and go through it page-by-page to work up a hardware order. I didn't get inventory sheets when I bought the project, so I'll have to figure it out the hard way!
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Eric Page
    Building: Kitfox 5 Safari | Rotax 912iS | Dynon HDX
    Member: EAA Lifetime, AOPA, ALPA
    ATP: AMEL | Comm: ASEL, Glider | ATCS: CTO
    Map of Landings

  3. #63
    Senior Member bbs428's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Barn Find Build

    Not a huge shock there was no Poly-Spray but still... The weight of the covering was interesting.
    Somebody said that carrier pilots were the best in the world, and they must be or there wouldn't be any of them left alive. — Ernie Pyle

    Brett Butler
    Flying: 1998 Model 5 Outback, 912ul Zipper 110hp, G3x avionics, ss7 upgrades

  4. #64
    Senior Member Eric Page's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Barn Find Build

    BTW, I forgot to mention that I spoke to Debra McBean about my airplane recently, and it turns out that there was not a clean break between the 1,400# airplanes and the 1,550# airplanes. There were several kits that got the heavier wing spars but lacked other upgrades that were part of the higher gross weight improvement. Sadly, mine is one of those kits; it missed the cut for 1,550# MGW by six serial numbers.
    Eric Page
    Building: Kitfox 5 Safari | Rotax 912iS | Dynon HDX
    Member: EAA Lifetime, AOPA, ALPA
    ATP: AMEL | Comm: ASEL, Glider | ATCS: CTO
    Map of Landings

  5. #65
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    Default Re: The Barn Find Build

    Those wings actually look great! Weird on the MGTOW. 150 lbs is "real money". I don't suppose Deb gave details of the differences in the fuselage that might possibly be updated as long as you're hanging out with the welder guy?
    Kitfox 5 (under construction)
    Commercial SE/ME, CFII

  6. #66
    Senior Member Eric Page's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Barn Find Build

    No, Debra didn't tell me what the other changes were, but I'm very tempted to give them a call again and see if I can find out. As you say, if it's something the welder can fix, it'd be well worth the extra expense. That said, I'll be surprised if it doesn't take new wing struts.

    Yeah, I'm pretty happy about the state of the wings. They're going to take quite a bit of sanding to get the leftover adhesive knocked down to a smooth surface for re-covering, but the bones are definitely healthy. I knocked one false rib loose while removing the fabric, but I tagged it with a zip tie so I'll remember to re-glue it when I break out the Hysol.

    Speaking of sanding, today I made the mistake of being cheap by buying a triangular rubber hook-and-loop sanding pad for this tool, along with a package of six assorted pieces of sandpaper for it. It took about 60 seconds for the heat generated by the oscillations to melt the tip of the rubber pad (which I discovered when I blistered my index finger on it!), and under an hour to destroy all six pieces of sandpaper. It's a fantastic cutting tool, but not a great sander. I guess I'll have to break down and buy an R.O. sander, because I'm sure as heck not doing it all by hand and I don't think my Grandpa's old belt sander is the right tool either!
    Eric Page
    Building: Kitfox 5 Safari | Rotax 912iS | Dynon HDX
    Member: EAA Lifetime, AOPA, ALPA
    ATP: AMEL | Comm: ASEL, Glider | ATCS: CTO
    Map of Landings

  7. #67
    Senior Member bbs428's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Barn Find Build

    I found this tool to come in handy for the frame. Gets into some tight spots.
    Buy the HD belts as they last a lot longer. For some reason they were in another
    section of the Chi-Com tool store. I had to ask to find them.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Somebody said that carrier pilots were the best in the world, and they must be or there wouldn't be any of them left alive. — Ernie Pyle

    Brett Butler
    Flying: 1998 Model 5 Outback, 912ul Zipper 110hp, G3x avionics, ss7 upgrades

  8. #68
    Administrator DesertFox4's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Barn Find Build

    Brett, that sander came in handy throughout my build. Made shaping my acrylic windshield a pretty simple process also.


    DesertFox4
    Admin.
    7 Super Sport
    912 ULS Tri-gear


  9. #69
    Senior Member Eric Page's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Barn Find Build

    Yep, I've got one. Great tool, but not suitable for flat surfaces of the wing skeleton.
    Eric Page
    Building: Kitfox 5 Safari | Rotax 912iS | Dynon HDX
    Member: EAA Lifetime, AOPA, ALPA
    ATP: AMEL | Comm: ASEL, Glider | ATCS: CTO
    Map of Landings

  10. #70
    Senior Member Eric Page's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Barn Find Build

    Today I swapped wings in the rotisserie and stripped the fabric from the left wing (this time it weighed 4 lbs, 10.4 oz). My neighbor kindly loaned me a random orbit sander, which I used to sand the bottom of the wing smooth. There was considerable glue and Poly-Brush left on the ribs and trailing edge, so the sander took that down to a smooth surface. I'll need to re-varnish the cap strips, but it's a lot smoother now and should result in a nice finish when the plane is re-covered. The sanding took about two hours, so I think I should be able to have both wings completely cleaned up with another day's worth of work.

    I need to get an order going from Aircraft Spruce, as I'm going to need the pitot tube mast, the Dynon plumbing kit, and a lot of AN hardware very soon. I also need to order the Oratex that I plan to use for covering the plane, as I'm getting pretty close to putting fabric back on some parts.

    No photos today; it looks just like yesterday!
    Eric Page
    Building: Kitfox 5 Safari | Rotax 912iS | Dynon HDX
    Member: EAA Lifetime, AOPA, ALPA
    ATP: AMEL | Comm: ASEL, Glider | ATCS: CTO
    Map of Landings

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