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Dave's RV-7A Builder's Log
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Date: 2-12-2017
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Number of Hours: 6.00
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Manual Reference:
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Brief Description: Alternator, spinner hub and prop installation
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I started today by working on the alternator bracket which has several bolts that must be torqued and safety wired after fitting the alternator. One of these bolts is only tightened after the belt is on, and in order to do that, the starter ring gear must be in place with the belt on it. This leads to the requirement to have the prop on so that the whole assembly is properly aligned. So with that, after attaching safety wire to the first three bolts, I started working on finishing the spinner hub. That process required pretty standard sheet metal work, to include breaking the edges of the hub and backing plate, match drilling 22 holes into the hub, sanding, cleaning and priming, before riveting them together. Once that was done, I bolted the hub onto the prop assembly and started thinking about how I was going to get the prop on.
The next step was to remove the plug in the front of the crankshaft that is installed at the factory for shipping (and also must be in place for a fixed pitch prop). Various methods for removing this plug have been utilized, and I used the “punch and pull” method with a metal punch to make a hole, and then inserted a screw to allow me to pull the plug out. It actually was a fair amount of work as the plug was very securely in place, but after about 30 minutes and a lot of whacking with a ball peen hammer, I got it done.
The challenge with attaching the prop is less about weight (although at about 60 lbs, it’s too heavy for one person to hold during installation), and more about balancing the whole thing while trying to thread six bolts installed in the hub. Not having an extra set of hands around, I used a tall table with plenty of padding to hold the prop while I got the bolts started. It actually was pretty simple. The most time consuming part is that you can only tighten each bolt about 3 flats at a time, and must go around the hub in a sequence that brings the hub into place in a uniform manner. It took awhile, but the prop is on!
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Plug is out but it wasn't easy
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Completed spinner hub in place
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Prop is on, hopefully for good
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