My Savannah S model rebuild Blog

[IBob]

I need to qualify my previous outburst:

 

1. First, most of the manual is pretty good, though as we all know there is a certain amount of head-scratching and uncertainty along the way. Most builders on here comment on it at some stage.

 

2. With regard to the S rear fuse, the manual is excellent an the build is a delight.

 

3. However, if one has the extended baggage area, parts of this should be built in BEFORE skinning the rear fuse. (This may be the case with the standard baggage area also, I wouldn't know). Unfortunately, the instructions for the rear fuse move directly from frame to skinning, with baggage area after that. Which is almost certainly how Mark's aileron covers ended up without their rear rivets (although those particular ones are not so hard to reach, apart from the very top and very bottom rivet).

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

It would have been done on purpose I feel. Danny's S that he is repairing is exactly the same and there was 13 built I am told by the same people. Surely they couldnt have made the same mistake 13 times

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Or just being lazy

 

 

[IBob]

I would say lazy...that and the assumption that the cover has no structural value. It's actually very easy to reach round the back with the rivet gun (as I had to do)...them's the easy ones!

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Well almost back to a bare kit :) Will be making a new top deck dash skin and make a new dash frame..the old one has a lot of dents and the frame for the dash has no supports in it they were both cut out. I have a new front floor skin already made and all brand new stringers for the front floor and sides. Trying to decide if I replace the 2 front side skin sections yet. Need to see if I can panel beat it or just bite the bullet and replace them. Rudder peddals are slightly bent so need to fix them and also add onto the tops of them for my big feet like I did on the XL. So its all ready for the rear section at the baggage area to start coming apart and cleaning it all up. The seat area and back rest etc will all come out. Need to look at the main flap control arm box and the control shaft and bell cranks need to all come out and be inspected for damage and straightness. Just shows also how much wiring goes into these aircraft. it is surprising how heavy the dash panel with all the instruments and wiring attached is. Oh and the left hand main engine mount bracket at the front side you can see there has a big extra hole in it....me thinks someone didnt measure twice and cut once....so looks like I may have to replace it or at least tig up the extra hole

 

Mark

 

 

 

 

 

[FIL65]

Mark,

 

What is your plan for painting Mabel? Are you going to etch prime everything before you assemble the components? I want to start alodining this weekend and a bit of assembly, so looking for some advise. Still working out what I’m going to do about the skins, considering brushing the alodine.

 

Cheers Phil

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Hi Phil

 

I will be priming the outside before painting. Danny got onto some aircraft paint that was used by Virgin. Its spe'cd for 50,000 ft :). They apparently have changed colours so got rid of what they had as it was close to use by date. Can you guess the colours?...yes red and white. Not sure about the skins myself yet I will try to brush it on but if not I will make up a temporary tank and dip them

 

 

[FIL65]

So I’m guessing Mabel will be Red and White also.

 

Are you etch priming all the internal components also?

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

No its all alodined so no need to. The outside will be primed with a special primer that is also a etch but just over where the rivet heads go. You may have seen some pics of it done on some of the other builds. I didnt do that on mine I primed the lot. This etch is only a light coating though and its really only for the rivet holes and under the heads. The paint is a base coat system so you put your colours down then the whole lot has a clear put over it all. Yes it will be red and white. The wings really need to be mostly white as the sun gets the wings so hot they go boingggg all the time if they are a darker colour. The colour scheme will be similar to mine now as I like it but the big tick I have on the back sides will be a bit smaller.

 

I havent done much on Mabel lately as I have been building this ignition module tester out of a Rotax generator its been a bigger job that I originally thought. probably thats why no one has done it before. I have had a few hurdles to jump over with getting it to turn at 5800 rpm. I can not believe how much grunt is required to turn the shaft with the generator all inline. The magnets are so strong. I have 2.2kw electric motor that does 2800 rpm and it goes through a 2 to 1 pulley to bring the shaft rpm up to what is required and I need to be able to speed control it. The starting current is unreal 42 amps on start and 6.7 amps running. I do have a few issues with the shaft and bearings I made so am doing another shaft but it has to be far more accurate. Like 1 thou accurate and the alignment has to be far better than I have it now which is about 6 thou. The shaft emulates the engine crankshaft and in the Rotax housing it has a bronze bush so the clearance has to be really spot on otherwise you either get a bit of uneven running in the bush and it heats up which is what I found. By getting it more accurate the start and running current should come down a lot. Because its a complete Rotax system I can check the regulators and also tachos for calibration etc as well as complete ignition module starting rpm issues as well.

 

Reg has got a few more parts that he will drop off next week and that will mosty be it for any parts

 

So thats all be a mission. I am off to NZ on thursday morning for 9 days when I get back I really need to start on getting the rear cabin area pulled apart then cleaned and alodined and also the flaperon control bellcranks all checked to make sure they are not bent then I can do the front floor and get the twin sticks in....while also working on the Rotax unit. I want to have it mostly completed and ready for painting at the end of this year.

 

Mark

 

 

[FIL65]

Thanks for the info Mark.

 

I have read that some builders have replaced the elevator brass hinge bushings with nylon, have you done this on yours?

 

I think I will be going with the twin stick option. Can you remember how much the kit was from Reg?

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Teflon bushes is that I heard but Reg doesnt know anything about them. I was thinking of doing them for mine. I ordered new brass ones for the aileron hangars for Mable but may look into making my own teflon ones but havent seen any here at all that have been done with teflon

 

The twin stick mod is about 1K from memory...but that is without the electric flap actuator. Not sure about your version. Yours has the new front crossmember that is a lot lower for the adj seat arrangement. I am not sure if they do a twin stick mod for that model.

 

 

[FIL65]

Thanks Mark, I will get onto Reg about the stick upgrade.

 

I thought I had read somewhere that people were replacing the bushes. I read that many post now I can’t remember where I read it.

 

Phil

 

 

[eightyknots]

Thanks Mark, I will get onto Reg about the stick upgrade.I thought I had read somewhere that people were replacing the bushes. I read that many post now I can’t remember where I read it.

Phil

Are the teflon bushes a standard size so that they are commercially available?

 

(I would imagine that teflon bushes would be lighter than brass ones as well )

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

I am not sure if JG bought them or got them made. But they were 10mm outside dia..maybe you can buy them other than that you need to make them yourself or get someone to make them. preferably on a cnc lathe of course. I am looking into it and may do it on Mabel yet. I have a few other things I want to do on a cnc lathe like the washer/spacers for the rubbers in the ring mount to make the rubbers actually work. The way it is the rubbers are almost a waste of time. I am thinking of doing a website to sell the ignition modules and flap brackets also the engine mount washers and possibly the teflon bushes and also another project we have been working on to monitor ignition on any engine

 

 

[IBob]

Hi Mark, on your recent visit, we spoke about the S nosewheel assembly, which is a potential weak area.

 

I have mine assembled now, with some adjustments and changes.

 

The nose leg slides through upper and lower plastic 'bearings'.

 

At the upper bearing assembly:

 

1. I found this bearing tight on the nose leg and opened it up to allow free movement.

 

2. The various metal plates securing the upper bearing are cut to the same ID as the hole in the bearing. It seems to me this could jam or bind. I opened these up to be slightly larger (D + 2mm? ) than the hole in the bearing to ensure the nose leg is riding against the bearing, not rubbing against these plates.

 

At the lower bearing assembly:

 

1. As with the upper bearing, I ensured the noseleg would ride on the plastic bearing, not the metalwork.

 

2. See pic 1: the various plates etc holding the plastic bearing should stack neatly together prior to bolting up. However, there is a gap of 2-3mm with the parts supplied, so I cut and fitted an aluminium packer at each side. In the pic it is the second layer down.

 

3. See pic 2. The front and back bearings respectively are held in place only by one bolt at each side. These are the cadmium coated bolts.

 

With this arrangement the bearings may flex backwards or forwards, allowing the nose leg to rub (bind?) against the mounting plates.

 

Perry spotted this, and also made a solution: he turned 3 aluminium pegs, which fit through the matching lightening holes in the bearings and the plates, held in place with a bolt through the centre and oversize washers top and bottom. These are the stainless bolts in pic 2.

 

 

[IBob]

Bother, missed pics:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[IBob]

PS While looking at Sav pics for colour ideas, I noticed one with a rubber boot on the nose leg. Might help to reduce the risk of small solids jamming the action???

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Hi Bob

 

I forgot I said I would get those pictures to you on that small strength mod at the bottom floor...Its on my computer at home I will send them to you and Perry to show what we did. My XL I didnt seem to have the issue with the lining up like you and Perry did. I dont know why though but I do not have the new side/front strengthener bracket like on yours. I am not up to that on Mabel yet. I have my wing spar back together now and am about to solid rivet the new bottom angle that I made to replace the original. Danny came over last night and we rescued a spar from a old set of wings we drove up to Mackay to get with a lot of other VG parts. Also getting the ribs out to replace the broken ones in mine and Dannys S as well

 

We had a great trip and it was fabulous to catch up with everyone. Had good weather the last 4 days. Denice was a cranky pants the first day after we got back...she didnt want to leave either. The last 5 days of our trip she has been planning the next one at the end of the year to go to the south island..she wants to do the Trans Alpine railway.

 

I hope to be doing a lot to Mabel this weekend to make up for some lost time.

 

Mark

 

 

[IBob]

Hi Mark,

 

That side/front strengthening bracket may have evolved further. Mine was in my kit, Perry had the flat fronted version in his kit, so sourced one like mine from Reg, I think. Since then they may have improved the fit.

 

It seems to me that the noseleg benefits from some 'fitting' or adjustment to make sure it slides freely. Any binding may tilt a bearing, causing it to momentarily jam tighter, and punishing this vulnerable part part of the aircraft.

 

Look forward to seeing what you did to strengthen the floor/firewall. Thanks.

 

And good to hear you're back on Mabel. Must be really good to have Danny on a similar journey, also a supply of second hand parts.

 

Keep in touch, someone over here will get you onto a shingle bed yet!!

 

Bob

 

 

[Marty_d]

Keep in touch, someone over here will get you onto a shingle bed yet!!

Bob

He needs a dhouble or a quheen size if he's going to keep taking his wife over, a shingle won't cut it.

 

 

[IBob]

He needs a dhouble or a quheen size if he's going to keep taking his wife over, a shingle won't cut it.

That'sh either a very poor Sean Connery impersonation, or you need to get your false teeth looked at.......)

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

There is a seat belt attachment issue on older savannah builds for all models including classic and VG that has come up for details see below

 

Go to post 1224 on this page on my original blog Another NEW Savannah XL on its way

 

Mark

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Wow its certainly been a while since I posted here. I have been flatout at work and also here with getting a house block and house built organised for my grand daughter. Finally things are settling down so this weekend I cleaned off the build table...well sort of and got some work done on the rebuild. I started putting the rudder frame together. I put a small reenforcing plat at the top hinge point attachment in the main rudder post. There was a little wrinkle there so thought it would be an idea to do so. Just piece of mind really. Got the paint buddly roller out to put the black stuff on and started putting it together. One or two holes will need 5/32 rivets but that no drama they are just a bit loose for the 1/8 rivets. It went back together nicely I just have to acid and alodine the skins for the rudder and it can go back together.

 

 

Next i got out the eco paint stripper ans started to get the paint off quite a few parts while I had it out. This stuff eats away epoxy paint really well although the trick is to keep the air out so you paint it on and then cover the parts in glad wrap. leave it 24 hrs then literally wash it all off with a pressure cleaner. 99% of the time it all comes off sometimes a spot or 3 may need a reapplication and it comes off. All of these bits will also get acid and alodined

 

 

I want to fit flush tank filler fittings to Mabel. Its easy to do because the tanks are all out. I have been searching for something that is reasonably priced and will also fit the current tanks. I finally found one and supplied locally in Australia as well It will entail cutting off the thread on the top of the tank and this fitting will go straight in the hole ..just. I will machine up the clamping rings as it only comes with a cork gasket but thats the advantage of having your own cnc machine :). The only thing i need to do is modify the top a little by drilling a hole in the cap to fit the breathers

 

 

So thats it for today. But at least I am back to it again...

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Marty_d]

Lovely work Mark!

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Oh Marty I didnt make the body...I need to make the ring that goes inside the tank to clamp that body to the tank. Although I am sure I could come up with something similar but its a lot of work to do so....much easier to buy those parts :)