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Dave's RV-7A Builder's Log
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Date:  10-20-2012
Number of Hours:  3.50
Manual Reference:  
Brief Description:  Gear mount and fuel vent line installation

Today was spent reinstalling the left main gear mount and starting work on the fuel system. I've read that some people have kept the gear mounts intentionally loose until they have run the fuel lines through them--the thought being that it is easier to get the fuel lines in without scratches or damage if the gear mount can move a little bit. I have decided that these people are building a different kind of airplane, because when my gear mounts are in place...without bolts...they don't move very much. So, I installed the bolts and put the nuts on finger tight--just in case they are right.

Once the gear mount was in, I took the fuel selector face plate and enlarged the holes to accept the fuel selector valve stem and attach bolts. Since I had the Unibit out, I went ahead and enlarged the holes in the fuselage to accept the fuel vent lines and the brake lines. That done, I rigged up the fuel selector and moved to the fuel vent lines.

The fuel vent lines are designed (I surmise) to allow the tanks to vent without creating a siphon out the bottom of the fuselage. As a result, the vent line runs a fairly circuitous route from just aft of the firewall, up the front bulkhead, back along the longeron, and finally down the next bulkhead to the fuselage exit point. I suppose there are people who can eyeball this and get all the bends correct without any challenge. I am not one of these people, and so I spent about 45 minutes each side carefully bending, checking, bending, measuring, etc, until the lines were close. Next session will be final bends, flaring the ends, and installing for good.
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Fuel selector

Fuel selector

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First test fit of  fuel vent line

First test fit of fuel vent line

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