Brief Description: Pulled Nosewheel Strut To Install Wheel Pant
Puling the nosewheel strut tonight to start the nosewheel pant and strut fairing installation.
After pulling the lower cowling, I measured the extra length required for the new shorter oil cooler hose since moving the oil cooler slightly aft. Removed the short hose. New hose portion needs to be 1.5" to 1.75" longer to complete the installation.
Spent a while getting the wheels chocked, the nose raised, and a jack support stand under the fuselage along the front edge of the firewall. The bottom edge of the two nosewheel fork tines must have at least 10" of ground clearance to be able to slide the nosewheel strut down and out of the engine mount for strut removal.
While I have the nosewheel off, I dissassembled the wheel and applied Tire Talc to the tire interior and the tube exterior, then reassembled the nosewheel and reinflated.
Layed out the 2" hole in the top of the nosewheel pant in the plans specified 11 1/2" position from the trailing tip of the pant. Verifed it was centered side-to-side and cut the hole.
Tried to install the pant on the nosewheel strut, but the curvature of the pant at the top of the pant would not allow the fork to fit to the pant as appears to be indicated in the plans. This also places the axle holes that go in the pant very close to the opening at the bottom edge of the wheel pant.
Decided to address the pant fitting issues after talking to Sonex Tech Support, and move to bending and and installing the nosewheel strut fairing.
2" strut opening hole marked per plans and ready to be cut.
Nosewheel pant will not fit down onto the wheel fork as much as seems indicated in plans.
Forming the nosewheel strut fairing around a dowel before final wrapping around the strut.
