bewarned before you buy!!!

[cap232]

I bought this out of Canada, thinking that anybody who attempts to build an aeroplane will do it properly, alas!!! They should not let this guy close to workshop door or maby I should stay away from buying, anything at all....!! It arrived looking like this, and I could not contain my excitement.

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After close scrutiny it now looks like this.I had to destroy it, what a sad day.
Fortunately Phil from Bundu helped me out with a fuselage he had taking up space in his hanger, and the previous owner did not attempt to assemble the wings and the tail feathers I can save with a few new spares and a lot of rivits.

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DANKIE BAIE, PHIL!!

[Sukkelaar]

What type of plane is it

cheers

[Scotsman]

A zodiac 601 by the look of it. What was wrong with the construction standards?

Make sure that you buy or it has the upgrade kit installed. Pm me if you need further details or want to see the one in my garage.

J

[Tailspin]

cap232

This happens ALOT - way too much actually.

You must Physically inspect what you are buying, if you are not sure take somebody with that knows.

Too many sharks in the Waters.

[cap232]

yip, it is or was Zodiac 601xl. Hi james, we spoke before, about your old canopy.
Nothing was done right edge distances stuffed, deburring became countersunk he even turned a facotory build centre into scrap.

[Scotsman]

Hi Cap, sorry short term memory issues...in terms of your question on the engine mounts I have attached a couple of web addresses to my kit log which might help (or not). I did have to grind the engine mount a bit so that the flanges of the mount did not interfere with horizontal brace.

http://www.mykitlog.com/users/display_l ... 841&row=33

http://www.mykitlog.com/users/display_l ... 018&row=19

If this doesn't help I can take more direct photos?

Cheers

J

[cap232]

J ,thanks for the pics. I found only 2 references and marginally at that, one in the plans and one in the construction manual and it looks to me like both the brs/engine bracket and the longeron lies ontop of the bottom lip of that channel/brace/stiffner.

[Scotsman]

Hi Cap,

You are right, I popped into the garage to take a look at my set up and I have attached a photo of it. As I recall it is quite tight to get the engine mount holes nicely lined up with the middle of the engine mount flange to provide the most edge distance...the tightness so to speak (no chirps please) is becuase the longeron forces the mount a bit higher than you would want it off the bottom flange of the horizontal brace.

Just before you mention it I know that they is paint peeling off the underside of the mount....the mount is not yet permanent and only bolted on at present. I want to powder coat it but I have heard different stories to whether or not to powder coat an engine mount from an inspecting for cracks purpose. Does anyone have any views?

[Tailspin]

Does anyone have any views?

James

Do not Powder Coat.

It looks nice lasts forever and hides any stress cracks and Corrosion.
Specially on such a structual part.

Just my $2zim

[cap232]

thanks James. What makes it worse is that the bolts for the lycoming engine mount is looong, and to get them to go in the back of the bracket with that silly angle I had to move the hole up a bit.

Heard the same about the powder coating, nice but not good.

[Scotsman]

Any progress cap?

[cap232]

Hi and a great 2012 to all.

James, removed all the solid rivits on the centre section, what a k%k job. Cleaned and checked all the parts, this guy managed to damage the factory reamed holes in 2 of the 4 centre spar caps, THE HOLES WHERE THE WINGS BOLT ON. I have got 2 new blanks on order from zenith and if that does not work then I will have to go to the next lager NAS bolts size as specified by the factory.

Here`s another pic of the stuffup/dead fuselage, edge distances on the lower left longeron!!!

Also did some work on the rudder. The rear skin was ontop of the front one, facing the airstream. Drilled out the rivits to swap the edges around and decided to disasemble the whole thing to see whats going on where i cant see. On one side of the rudder, it looks like primer was brush applied after the skin was rivited to the ribs or while the parts were still clecoed and this caused the primer to seep in under the parts and hardened uneven. Almost like bubbles that popped with only the residue at the edges of the bubbles that hardened.

4 liters of thinners later, all the parts are now clean primed and partly assembled.

Waiting for a taillight before I close it up completely.

[Scotsman]

I'm no perfectionist builder but those edge distances are way off...how can someone continue building further knowing that they have done such a dangerous job. I'm sorry that you are going through this as it must be very frustrating.

If it makes you feel any better I am going through the new canopy with no plans as Zenith haven't written them yet! The guess work not structural but really tedious. Keep at it.

J

[cap232]

After long absence, and what felt like a lifetime, all my fault, I finally got my engine back, Thanks A.E.P. WOW, is all I can say.
Still a long way off before fitting this to anything that resembles an aeroplane, and for now itt`l stay in the corner of the workshop as a motivator. I have fitted a ply template of the firewall, not in the pic, so I can fiddle with the cowl fit. Prop clearance problem, +/- 72in two blader, she`s gonna become tailly, parts on order, and yes, the taildragger gear legs stand taller.

[cap232]

here`s a pic of a tailly with a few mods.

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