This is the last day before a trip; I managed to get the vertical parts of the tail pipe hangers mostly done. Of course this looks like it will complicate even more my engine control set up. I will not know until the fuel servo gets back from Air Flow Performance.
Larry Vetterman had suggested I hang the tail pipes from the engine mount but on the -8A it would require really long hangers. Guy Provost who has been flying a couple years had good luck using the sump bolts so that is what I used. I tried two different locations for the sump end of the hanger but need to get the servo to be sure which one will work best. Almost 4 hours just to get this done, not good for the timeline!
Like Guy I have biased the pipe location to sit a little low in the limited opening, the thought is that the airflow hitting the tail pipes will tend to lift them a bit in flight. Guy has not had an issue with his pipes hitting the exhaust ramp or engine mount so let’s hope I have the same luck.
Larry came up with an interesting method to take into account the engine movements, the hangers are two sections of stainless tube connected with some fuel hose, and this allows the two sides to flex. This should soften the forces on the pipes and prevent cracks in the exhaust system.
