Hi Folks, Lancair 360, third fuel tank in
the wing, what size pipe(s) and material are people using to connect the
tanks? Any one way valves used? My Vent is already in.
Also, did anyone encase the bellcrank nuts on the gasoline side?
I can't find anything on the archive.
I built my 360 wings with the extended tanks. Bofore doing so, I called
Lancair and they faxed me a rough drawing of the system.
The drawing from Lancair suggested that the lower channel be made some
3" wide and 1/2" high. The upper (air) channel should be made of one 1/2"
aluminum tube (revised from a 3/8" tube). Lancair suggests incorporating
slosh doors, but I do not like the idea of having moving parts built into
the wing, they won´t be serviceable in any way and it is impossible
to see whether or not they get clogged up with Hysol at close-out. Imagine
the fun you´d have, if they got stuck closed! Talking to other builders
convinced me, that slosh doors are not needed.Unfortunately I no longer
have the drawing from Lancair, some other builder got it a while ago, but
my system is built according to Lancair´s specs with the following
modifications:
1. Slosh doors skipped
2. Lower channel some 3.5" wide (I made the channel over a piece of
1/2" foam, edges rounded, glued to flat table and covered with release
tape).
3. Upper channel made of BID instead of aluminum. I covered a piece
of broomstick with release tape, put 2 BID around it, split the bid with
a utility knife thus producing two pieces of channel, fuel sealed the inside
of the channel and the wing skin area covered by the channel with two coats
of resin, micro´ed the channel in place and covered it with 2 BID.
This is all together easier and less leak prone than the aluminum tube.
4. The drawing did not mention how to fuel seal the nutplates for the
aileron bellcrank. I covered them with a piece of 1/2" foam, edges rounded,
and 3 BID.
One word of advise: Fabricate and reinforce your cap strips first! Then
incorporate the lower channel and secure it in place with 2 BID on both
sides of both bulkheads.
Regards
Tim Jorgensen
360FB / 50%