Brief Description: Ahead of schedule and doing well :)
When the doorbell rang this morning and I saw a new voltage regulator sitting at my doorstep I was quite happy. I headed to the airport with the cardboard template in hand, predrilled with 4 locating holes and a drill bit. I laid the template over the top of the 4ply Layup and drilled through the layup and Naca. I then removed the 4 ply flange and headed home. At home I realized the blue tape and foil was not going to come off as planned so I sanded it down as much as I could and decided not to finish it in paint or anything. No one will see this thing. I then opened up the guide holes to accept #6 screws and nutplates were riveted on the flange. I then took the nicely trimmed and sanded flange to the airport to mate it with the naca. I was amazed to find that all 4 screws fit perfectly through the naca and won't need to be opened up at all! The guide holes were a great idea. I then cut out the opening in the Naca to match the template and sanded them to be identical openings. I then dry fitted the old regulator to verify fit. When all was looking good, I head back home for some RTV lovin! Using a small bead of RED RTV along the inside border of the flange and regulator, I'm pretty certain the bond will be strong enough to negate the need for any other means to hold the regulator in place. By tomorrow, the unit will be cured enough to install on the naca and put the airplane back together again. I've also received word from UL Power that if this one fails while pulling up to 50 amps on the alternator, they will replace it under warranty. And they BETTER, this one cost me $330! Also, I will note that the flange fits perfectly to the naca for a really nice tight fit. I may run a very small bead of silicone around the flange if my oil temps are noticeably higher. Tomorrow she flies!
