Winding down for the year...

Lazy fall day, unseasonably warm in the day but the nights are in the 40s and it takes a while for the hangar to warm up in the morning. Good thing is that the gear legs were dry when I got home, and have been reinstalled.

Continuing to reinstall the elevator reversing horns, the boom tube bushing has a lip to keep it from being pushed into the tube. However, this lip requires the plastic spacers to be drilled out a little bit, since the lip on the bushing is not as thick as the spacer I didn't want to drill the whole thing out.

The solution was a step drill bit enlarging only part of the hole to 0.5".

The manual calls for a plastic cap over each end of the elevator pushrod, I used Delrin rod inserts both to block water and to keep the pushrod from being crushed when the nut is tightened.

A couple photos of the transom all sealed up. Like I said, the 3M 5200 is messy stuff.

The artificial feel system for the rudders. ;-) Springs keep tension in the rudder/tailwheel cables.

And fitting the tailwheel required trimming the spacers down just a little. 

Some general pics of the tailwheel system with aluminum pulley and pinned nuts. 

The tailwheel retract cable is not secured inside the bracket and can pop off the pulley, so the bracket should be drilled for a SS cotter pin to keep that from happening.

I thought I'd be further along this year than I was, but I'm also happy with the progress I made. Over the winter I'll be working on the electrical system and planning for a push next year. There are now 4 SeaReys being built in the Puget Sound area, a fifth will be delivered next week, one more being rebuilt, not to mention a couple over the border in BC. I don't want to be left out of the fun.

A new phase begins

It was kind funny, after working so long for so hard on mate, to be now working on other things. I got over it quick.


The elevator pushrod retaining ring/rubber boot is mounted in place with screws, Weldwood contact adhesive, and 3M 5200 Marine sealant. Nasty stuff that gets everywhere and sticks.

A little soap helps the pushrod oversleeve slide into place,

while a nylon bushing plugs the front and keeps the tube from being crushed in the next steps

A little grease helps the oversleeve/pushrod assembly slide in the push-pull giude under the bulkhead. 

 

 

I now pronounce you elevator control tube and pushrod. Note the pinned bolt, and remember the bushing previously inserted.Yes, I need to crimp the cotter pin.

Riveting the oversleeve into place took some gymnastics with the rivet gun.

And the pitch trim springs were attached. 

On the aft end, the pushrod attaches to the reversing horns. Note the bushings.

A final d'oh. I had all summer to get some Boiled Linseed Oil into the gear legs as an anti-corrosion device, I forgot. Gonna take a while to dry in the cold temperatures we're now getting.

Shamelessly copying from Dan Nickens, I've replaced the phenolic pulleys in the tailwheel retract mechanism with aluminum ones, and applied (everyone) par-al-ketone to the bolts. At least the ketone smells good. 

And that's all up to date, folks!!!!

Proper prior preperation....

Waiter, I'll have another order of bolts in Par-al-ketone, please.

Doors closed, I checked everything over one last time....

And carefully lowered....

snap, snap, snap.... placeholding bolts into the bulkhead channel brackets and reinforcing doublers.

Place holding bolts were gradually replaced with final, brand new bolts with rubber spacers or stainless steel fender washers taking up any slack in the front.

After struggling to fit the washers in the back of the side channel brackets I finally removed the support angle to allow my hand to fit in.

And it was time to remove the aft place holding bolts and replace them with the new bolts coated with par-al-ketone.

Soft dock.   

Now to the sides. Dremel out the hull and insert the bolts.

Hard dock.

Bellingham, we have a SeaRey.

As it happened, the QBs were having a meeting at the airport the night, I was invited to attend as a guest and brought OspRey along.

We stopped in and said Hi to Mike and his RV. He's got about 60 hours on it now after a very successful first flight earlier this summer.

Having Osp at the QBs was a bit poignant, many asked if she was the kind Richard had been flying and how he was doing.  

Back at the hangar at the end of the night, we took some time to be thankful, and think of what comes next.