Brief Description: Instrument Panel, Oil Sensors & Fuel System
Plans: 1. Convert BSPT oil galley sensor ports to NPT threads. Status: Complete. The as-built motor uses metric hardware with BSPT threaded pipe fittings. Basically nothing is standard threaded for U.S. parts. The U.S. oil sensors (pressure and temperature) are 1/8" NPT. The oil galley ports are 1/4" BSPT and 1/8" BSPT. An adapter for the 1/8" BSPT hole was provided by Aeromomentum with the engine. A 1/4" BSPT to 1/8" NPT adapter was purchased on Ebay. Removing the 1/4" hole plug from the engine required a torch and a metric Allen wrench (from Amazon). Loctite 567 thread sealant (also from Amazon) and it's done. Well no it’s not done. The oil pressure sensor now projects far out from the engine and interferers with the exhaust manifold. Back to Amazon for a 90 degree adapter. 2. Fabricate a rigid cable fuel valve extension. Status: 90% complete. This was probably the most difficult problem I had to solve--how to extend the buried fuel valve handle to be within reach of a seated pilot? A straight linkage was ruled out as it would have impaled the pilot in an accident. Placing it off to the side requires some sort of flexible linkage. But flexible linkage extended over two feet just kinks up when turned. The solution was to customize a 1/4" diameter 2 foot long flexible steel cable shaft from McMaster-Carr. The extension needed to be encased in rigid 5/8" pipe to hold the required contoures in the aircraft as it's routed from the instrument panel to the tank valve. That plus all the related issues took months to resolve. The total solution finally presented itself last week when the same cable sheathing as that used on the fuel line was used to line the inside of the rigid pipe. All the pieces now fit together snugly for smooth operation. I still need to hard mount the rigid pipe to the aircraft. More parts needed for that. Amazon! 3. Fabricate the fuel valve's instrument panel. Status: Complete. Along with the rigid pipe a valve knob/pointer and instrument panel section was added with markings.
