lml@lancaironline.net Mailing List Archive

I purchased a Firewall forward baffling kit for the IO550N engine which I picked up at Lancair earlier this month. When Bill & I started to install the baffling kit we discovered that some of the basic parts did not fit well at all. We photographed the pieces clamped in place. I added text and mailed them to Scott @ Lancair. I was quite surprised at the answer I received. (They have been aware of this problem a long time). I have no doubt we can make them fit properly by modifying the parts, I am just looking for pictures of what others have done to accommodate the poorly shaped pieces. You can send the pictures to me directly. My plan right now is to just put them in the shear, chop off the malformed angles and use AND10133/34? .050x1x.075 (heat treated) to make new angles to attach the pieces together where we cut off the existing angles. Since there is not much need for strength in this joint, I may mill the angle down to .5x.5. I have this heat treated stock on hand. I was also surprised to see the kit is made from .062 (is weight not a problem?) instead of .032 or .025. All of the other airplanes I own have Lycoming engines in them and all have lighter weight metal baffles. I know, stronger is better, but I've not had any problems with any of the other Cessnas I own. I did notice that some of the angles had stress cracks on the outside of the angle indicating that the bend radius was too small for the thickness of the metal. None so bad as to discard them but they would not pass NASA inspection IF I tried to install them on a government aircraft. Bill is in Hong Kong and I will be in Hungary tomorrow so no need to rush in getting me your pictures. I will appreciate it. I am including the pictures (with text on them) resized to 800 pixels wide to reduce bandwidth. Any smaller and the text might be hard to read. Thanks. duane es39wg@comcast.net

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