OK, so this is mostly an I’m-still-here type of post. I spent a week at Oshkosh, plus all the pre- and post-vacation stuff that tends to happen, and while I don’t have a lot to physically show on the build, I have been making small progress. The thing is, there are lots of knowledge cliffs I have to climb for the FWF stuff.
First, let’s revisit the topic of my last post – the oil filter adapter conundrum. After some research, I decided that my best bet was to get some parts from B&C, the same folks who made my alternators. They specify a particular oil filter adapter, as well as a drive extension for the alternator, that will work together. The combination wasn’t cheap, but knowing that they’d work is worth some money to me. Unfortunately, the drive extension is backordered for some indeterminate period of time. I’ve got the new filter adapter, so I guess I can at least install that, but I should probably just move past the standby alternator installation for now. Maybe I can figure a way to mock up the alternator just to make sure I don’t cause problems while working on other stuff.
Outside of that, I’ve been thinking through some of the other concerns I have. A big one is the routing of the fuel line from the mechanical pump to the throttle body. As provided from Titan, this line just passes down under the sump, which puts its uncomfortably close to the exhaust. I got a look inside the cowl of a couple planes at Oshkosh, and saw where some folks had routed this line above the intake runners. I think this is a reasonable course, but I’ll probably need a new fuel line. And before I could even think about that, I wanted to verify that the orientation of the throttle body was correct for my expected mixture/throttle cable routing. Cue some more digging into plans drawings…but hey, good news, the current orientation is correct.
Then there were other menial tasks. For example, the CHT thermocouples – I know they get installed into the cylinders, but where? More documentation diving. Oh, it’s that little hole by the lower spark plug. Also, where do I tap to get manifold pressure? Oh, apparently these little primer ports. Also I need to think about getting MAP to both the EMS sensor as well as the SDS CPI ignition unit. I spent some time mocking up where the vacuum block and sensor might get mounted.
So that’s where I’m at. Not a lot of “shop hours” logged, but plenty of time diving into documentation and doing research. It doesn’t feel especially productive, but it’s stuff that has to get done.