Sender: <marv@lancaironline.net> (Marvin Kaye)
To: lml@lancaironline.net
Date: Wed, 07 Jul 2004 16:39:20 -0400
Message-ID: <redirect-246668@logan.com>
From: "Dan Schaefer" <dfs155@adelphia.net>
Subject: 235 nose gear door
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Welcome to the real world of 235 building, Greg.

From your email to the list, I'm assuming you're building a 235 ( I knew
there were some still out there)!

I had elected to make my nose gear door out of 0.062 Aluminum (can't say why
now, it was a long time ago) and initially thought I wouldn't need a "bump"
when I retrofitted the oleo strut either. WRONG! The original nose gear
strut fork (non-oleo) apparently was raked back a bit more than the new one
and necessitated the ubiquitous bump. Fortunately, with the Al. door, it was
easy to cut the appropriate size hole and rivet on a bump manually formed
from a softer alloy. If you are using the composite door, the task should be
even easier.

As far as the mains hitting the inner door horns, there are a couple of
things you can do. First, try inflation pressures of 42 PSI (max) on the
tires, assuming you have the small tires installed. This was the recommended
pressure at the time I built my 235 ('88 - '93). Second, take a look at how
the rubber donuts extend the lower part of the gear. It's possible that they
are not compressed enough so that with the weight off the wheels, they
extend too far. I had to fiddle with this dimension some to be sure to clear
the edge of the wheel well. In fact, I had to shave the thickness one of the
donuts about a quarter of an inch to make me feel safe. I guess I could have
merely cranked down on the bolt but felt it woild make for a harder ride on
an already stiff set-up. You should also remember that that clearance can
decrease at altitude a bit as the ambient pressure goes down (tires will
expand slightly) - so be sure to provide plenty of clearance on the ground.

Regards,

Dan Schaefer
LNC2   N235SP