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Thread: bbs428 Build

  1. #111
    Senior Member bbs428's Avatar
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    Default Re: bbs428 Build

    Lift struts have been a challenge, but they are finally done. Does everything take three times longer than expected?
    The great news is that the wings can be permanently attached! Just have to let them cure for a week, especially in the colder weather. Paint booth is heated to 65 deg.

    IMG_1223.jpg

    IMG_1245.jpg

    Wheel pants will be the next challenge as were in uncharted territory with the Grove gear and Beringer wheel/brake setup. I will have to make a custom aluminum plate to attach the pants. My original "wheel pants kit" was for the stock tube gear. Not much use except for some of the hardware. I'm thinking about a retro fin on the wheel pant to match the new rudder profile. Not as big as the 1959 Cadilac, but maybe like the 1963! Might be a foot hazard though. Lol.
    Anyone with some pic's of how they did theirs would be appreciated.

    IMG_1242.jpg

    IMG_1243.jpg
    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

  2. #112
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    Default Re: bbs428 Build

    Great work. I'm going to have to look back to see what you did for your rudder profile.

    I'm quite sure I have the mounting hardware for the pants to Grove gear. Yours for the asking.

    And yes, about 3x not including the time I just spend staring at it planning out my next moves
    Kitfox 5 (under construction)
    Commercial SE/ME, CFII

  3. #113
    Senior Member bbs428's Avatar
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    Default Re: bbs428 Build

    Thanks for the offer Alex! Not sure if I posted the rudder mods. I'll download something on that today.

    I'm not sure how the Grove, Cleveland wheel/brake setup will translate to the Beringer wheel/brake setup but hey, it just might work!

    Could you pm me with some pics of what you have and what you want for it so I can decide?

    Here's how Kyle Franklin did his:

    kitfox_speedster_08.jpg
    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. #114
    Senior Member bbs428's Avatar
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    Default Re: bbs428 Build

    About the Rudder

    The mod started when the completed rudder fell and punctured a hole in it! Arg! The attempted patch looked awful
    IMG_0272.jpg

    So, I peeled off all the covering and started once more. Wasn't happy with the way I did the overlaps this time, so I started again from scratch. Sigh.
    Must have been meant to be as I then vaguely remembered something about the rudder control horn that was different from the 5 series and 7 series. A search though the Team Kitfox archives led me to this nugget of info:

    Modify rudder control horn? (teamkitfox.com) Thanks guys!

    Now, after thinking about all this I'm not so torqued off as I can make the rudder better and while it's all apart why not make the rudder profile different as well?
    And I wonder why it takes me so long to accomplish anything! Lol.

    The old control horn was cut back but still provided a nice mount for the new chrome-Molly horn. If you look closely, you'll spot the balsa boxes I built to contain the rudder hardware when attempting to install the rudder with big clumsy fingers. They came in very handy! Made the new profile out of balsa, filled and shaped it with super-fill.

    IMG_0365.jpg

    IMG_0370.jpg

    IMG_0373 (2).jpg

    IMG_0375.jpg

    So here it is all mounted and ready to go!

    IMG_1254.jpg

    IMG_1255.jpg
    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

  5. #115
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    Default Re: bbs428 Build

    Brett, your rudder horn mod looks great and you'll be glad you did it once you start flying , so like you stated there was a reason for the rudder puncture wound that prompted your rudder redo. I applaud your attention to detail, because a lot of guys would have left that initial patch job and moved on. Sounds like your the type that would have noticed it on every preflight and thought- "shoulda fixed that!" Plane is lookin great, keep pluggin, Bruce N199CL

  6. #116
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    Default Re: bbs428 Build

    Brett,

    I got your PM but I can't attach a picture to the reply. This is the backing plates, the axle spacers and all the hardware.
    PXL_20221203_222315260.jpg
    Kitfox 5 (under construction)
    Commercial SE/ME, CFII

  7. #117
    Senior Member bbs428's Avatar
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    Default Re: bbs428 Build

    Quote Originally Posted by alexM View Post
    Brett,

    I got your PM but I can't attach a picture to the reply. This is the backing plates, the axle spacers and all the hardware.
    PXL_20221203_222315260.jpg

    Looks good! I'll take it. I sent you a pm.
    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. #118
    Senior Member bbs428's Avatar
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    Default Re: bbs428 Build

    Back on page 6 of this build I roughed in the cowling. When I finally started prepping for paint, I found the need to work on the cowling quite a bit more, but the plane fuselage was on my rotisserie, so I came up with a support structure to prepare it for paint. I rummaged around the shop and came up with some stuff that could work. 2- 90deg shelving brackets, An old card table, A Harbor freight furniture dolly, 2 Clamps, Five-gal bucket of sealer for a counterweight and some scrap 2x6's. That little ceramic heater under the table kept everything nice and warm during the cold snaps!

    IMG_0192.jpg IMG_0408.jpg

    IMG_0415.jpg IMG_0404.jpg

    Made it real nice to do the prep because the fiberglass parts have lots of minor flaws and their fair share of pinholes. Would have loved the carbon-fiber cowling but its way outside the budget for me so we have to make do. As other will attest to, the cowling fit leaves a lot to be desired. Mine was no exception. It caused a lot of colorful language and many hours of work. I used super-fill for the flaws, a high-quality auto-body filler for the pinholes and a grey 2-part epoxy primer. 400grit for sanding. With a little attention to detail, you can get an acceptable outcome for all the hard work.

    IMG_0417.jpg IMG_0418.jpg IMG_0419.jpg IMG_0420.jpg IMG_0421.jpg

    I was able to lay out the paint lines and get the white shot first, then the blue, because you can overlap the blue just a smidge onto the white, not the other way around. Once the white graphic was on the cowling, it was disassembled for further painting as it made it easier to maneuver the parts around. I use the cheap throw away paint cups from our local Chi-Com tool store. About ten bucks for the 30-piece refill kit. They work well.

    IMG_0455.jpg IMG_0476.jpg IMG_0475.jpg IMG_0512.jpg IMG_0496.jpg
    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

  9. #119
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    Default Re: bbs428 Build

    Ahhh....... the ole Fiberglass rodeo. Turned out very nice!

    It's almost like a rite of passage when you make it the other side of completing the fiberglass parts. Like you should get an award, or certificate, or maybe a picture on a billboard somewhere? Ha.

  10. #120
    Senior Member jiott's Avatar
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    Default Re: bbs428 Build

    Brett,
    It looks to me that you have a very nice outcome on your cowl fit. For me it was the most difficult part of the whole project, so when it was done it was a great feeling and satisfaction.
    Jim Ott
    Portland, OR
    Kitfox SS7 flying
    Rotax 912ULS

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