Wendell Folks RV-8 Project - Page 31.

October 17, 2006:  The work ahead of the firewall continues.  The starter cable has one of two clamps installed to secure it to the engine mount.  To help Wendell in securing his cables, I took the cowl off my engine again to expose all my wiring in the area underneath cylinders 1 and 3.  I had forgotten exactly how I secured the large starter cable to the engine crank case until I crawled under my airplane and took another look.

Over on the RIGHT side, the cable heat air duct is installed between the heat muff and the heat door assembly.  I foresee a small heat blanket getting wrapped around the scat tube to keep the heat away from fuel line, which is already covered with red fire sleeve material.  The wires from the fuel flow sensor have been checked for length to be sure they can get through the firewall before splicing to the engine monitor wiring harness.  Behind the fuel sensor is the aluminum crank case vent tube which now has two clamps securing to the firewall.  The bottom end of that tube is directly over the LEFT exhaust pipe to insure any dripping oil is vaporized on the hot pipe.

The tachometer sensor is ready for electrical connections to be made soon.   The coil of white wire behind it comes from the oil temperature probe which is also headed for the engine monitor.  The two black cables from the Lasar ignition controller going to the mags are now clamped on one of the bolts securing the controller to the firewall.  A black tie-wrap secures the cables to the tachometer extension cable.  All three of those have some flexibility between the firewall and the vibrating engine.

Here is a view of the ignition control cables from the other side.  Both cables pass through the blue clamp.  The prop governor is in the foreground, along with a view of the engine ground cable secured to an unseen aluminum angle on the other side of the firewall.  Look carefully and you will see two rivets, one on each side of the bolt securing the ground cable.  The camera angle is looking up at about 20 degrees from level to get this shot in macro mode (close focus).

I have instructed Wendell to start putting the insulating boots on the ends of the various electrical cables.  The starter cable is the first one to get a boot.   The spark plug wire is just hanging around until it is time to install the engine cooling baffle kit.  That is a long way off right now since Wendell wants to concentrate on wiring as much as possible in the weeks ahead.

October 19, 2006:  I spent a short time with Wendell tonight to check on his recent work.  He had a short session since he had other family duties that kept him out of the shop part of the time since my last visit.   He was in an auto parts store a few days ago when he found a heater hose that was perfect for connecting the crank case vent tube to the engine accessory case.  As you can see, it has several bends instead of the single bend in the hose that was provided by Van's in the firewall forward kit.  This new hose provides the needed clearance around the oil filter and the oil cooler return line to be installed on the large blue AN-fitting you see near the center of the photo.

As our session came to a close, I pointed out the correct battery to get for the airplane in the Van's Aircraft catalog.  We also selected positions for additional holes for wiring that must penetrate the firewall.  I got out the wiring harnesses for the engine monitor and showed Wendell where the wires for the EGT and CHT probe connections must go.  I also installed the CHT probe temporarily in cylinder number one.  This demonstrated to Wendell how these cables should be routed on their way to connect to the engine monitor cables coming through the firewall.

October 21, 2006:  I stopped by Wendell's shop to check on his recent RV-8 activities.  Here are three new photos to show the minor changes.  The second cable clamp has secured the starter cable to the engine mount.  The clamp on the crank case enroute to the starter is in place.  It was too hard to get a good picture of it under the cylinders where it attaches to the crank case.  The large boots are on the ends of the cables.

The manifold pressure lines going to the Lasar ignition control module and Van's restricted firewall port are now installed.  The hose fitting on the end of the brass "T" is a restrictor fitting provided with the Lasar system.

Here is the view of the AN fitting going through the firewall.  I see that Wendell has already put on the red RTV to seal the firewall.  The fitting will have to be removed when it is time to rivet the firewall to the fuselage side skins.  This location is one of three suggested firewall penetration points for the manifold pressure line.

I provided instructions for the installation of the brake lines between the brake fluid reservoir, rudder-pedal-mounted master cylinders, the parking brake valve, and the right-angle AN-fittings installed down in the bottom of the gear leg towers.   Each of my technical sessions with Wendell is about checking his recent work, then providing guidance from Van's drawings and instructions to assign tasks for HIS next working session.  I want to make sure that he qualifies for the 51% construction rule legally.  The most I will do for him is hold the bucking bar when he is on the other end of the rivet gun in places where his arms are not long enough.