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Nice job Dan. Thanks for posting the pics.
The aluminum diverter likely keeps muffler heat from going directly into the radiator while simultanously directing cool air in.
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(Helping out a friend. Not my airplane)
For sale - Kitfox IV-1200
$20,000
This airplane is a very serviceable airplane, but not a show queen.
Power by a 912 UL 80 hp and warp drive prop
She has been rebuilt once after a ground loop in '95.
Currently needs some engine tuning after a carb rebuild from LEAF. The owner is not a 912 expert, so a little TLC is going to be required. I can supply further details and photos.
Open trailer is also available for $1000. -
My brother made a shroud and flap on his old KF that had a vernier control right next to the flap handle. It worked awesome and you could dial the temp to exactly where you wanted it. It was crude but very functional.
That is pretty much what I have planned. I already have the shape of the shroud built with insulation foam. I just need to get busy and start laying the fiberglass over it. Then I will make a simple flap at the back controlled by some type of vernier or push/pull cable.
I hadn't thought of putting it right below the seats but that might be a great location. I could probably make a simple rod attched to the flap with some type of detents or friction device to hold the adjustment.
Dan
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Thanks for the info! I wont hurt my feelings to leave the plane together to paint it. I can make a rolling scaffolding to paint the top of the wings. Stripping it is the biggest intimidator right now I guess its time to order more strippers than I can shake a stick at and just get to it. The tip on aluminum foil and foil tape is awesome, thats the kind of stuff that can can bite me in the ass.
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Funny Pics
in Jokes
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I use Sea to Sky eco friendly paint stripper. I buy it in 55 gal drums. It only takes about 15-20 gallons to strip an entire plane the size of your 180. I bought a stainless steel pnuematic pump to spray the stripper onto the airframe. I like the surface to be stripped to be as clean as possible so the stripper doesn't have to work through layers of dirt, oxidized paint and oil residue. I cover all plastics and areas I don't want the stripper to get into with aluminum foil and aluminum tape. There are specific stripping foils and tapes but I find that plain old heavy duty foil and 3m aluminum duct tape (not to be confused with average vinyl duct tape) work great. I usually cover the hanger floor with heavy construction plastic, pull the plane in, and start spraying the stripper. Use a white painters suit, goggles, rubber gloves and a resperator when you spray the stripper. I like to spray the stripper at the end of the day and let it sit over night. When you come back in the morning a lot of the paint will have fallen off and will be laying on the plastic on the floor. At this point I scrape as much of the loose paint off with a plastic scrapper. Be very careful because the floor will get very slippery. I will scrape the mush off the wings into a bucket to keep the floor from getting so slippery. Once I finish scraping, I apply another coat to areas that need it or power wash the residue if it comes clean in one application. Water is what deactivates the stripper. I usually push the plane out side and roll up the plastic from the floor. This plastic is taken by the hazerdous waste removal people. I pull the plane back inside and power wash every sguare inch and take extra time to wash in the seams to remove all stripper. This is the most important step because any stripper that is left between layers of aluminum skin will cause corrosion in the future. I also cover the landing gear legs with foil and DA sand them to strip them. If you chemically strip them you will have a rust issue when you are done. I like to keep the entire airplane assembled for the initial stripping then remove all the control surfaces, cowling , and wing tips once it is stripped and rinsed. It is much easier to power wash the control surfaces while they are attached to the airframe. Once They are removed you will have some touch up stripping to do in the areas that the stripper couldn't get to. I don't remove the wings most of the time unless the owner is doing a restoration and wants the plane completely epoxy primed inside. When I do remove the wings we mark where the wing attachment excentric spacers are so we can put it back as close as possible to keep the plane trimmed the way it was when it came into the shop. The next step is dent repair and then acid etch and rinse. For some one who doesn't paint professionally I would recommend using Aerothane paint from Poly Fiber to paint with. They have a great step by step paint guide and excellent tech support. I have painted a couple of planes with their paint and it lays out nice and is easy to spray. They have a complete system including Epoxy primer. Their step by step guide keeps the guess work out of painting your plane. I hope I answered some of your questions. Take your time and have patience, painting your airplane can be the most rewarding thing you can do to your airplane. You see the results of your hard work every time you open the hangar doors.
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My brother made a shroud and flap on his old KF that had a vernier control right next to the flap handle. It worked awesome and you could dial the temp to exactly where you wanted it. It was crude but very functional.
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Thats a pretty damn good price, I am sure shipping from here would be more than that. If Ron falls through, let me know and we can figure something out on shipping for ya.
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Guest
Crap I wish I would have known. Ida had you ship it to me!
Oh well....I think Ron is talking in the $150?? range to make the bottom and plans to ship greyhound so it should be real reasonable. Even if I am off on the price by a factor of 2 it is still not too bad. I believe Jim Chuck said he is paying like $350 for a complete jab cowl top and bottom.
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Sweet! I like the duct you made to keep the cowling air above the radiator!
I think I spy a MK IV fuse in the back ground...
The MK IV fuselage has been cut up and disposed of since that picture. It was severely damaged.
That duct made a 40 degree difference in my cooling temps.
Dan
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Got it! Just had to find the option. Should have been quicker but I had to run the dog to the Vet's office first.
I am working on a cowling/scoop to enclose the radiator and hopefully allow me to control the airflow with a small flap and control cable at the back. I might also try to add a slot to the floor in the cockpit with a slider to act as cabin heat for the month or so of winter we have.
Thanks,
Dan
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Sweet! I like the duct you made to keep the cowling air above the radiator!
I think I spy a MK IV fuse in the back ground...
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Congrats on your purchase of the airport, it sounds like a dream come true and a nightmare at the same time! My partner in the 180 has a Kitfox and a PA12 both on floats.. he much prefers the kitfox for his sunset cruises around the lake to ease the business tensions of the day.
I will hit you up on some tips for stripping the 180 and repainting it. Right now I am torn between pulling the wings off for the paint or stripping it and painting with the wings on. The tail feathers are off and will be painted separate as will the flaps and ailerons. What is your favorite stripper?? The kind that removes paint not clothes Do you have a primer or paint system that you prefer over the rest? I am a rag and tube kinda guy and have done lots of painting on fabric, but this is my first aluminum job. Any tips you may have I would welcome as I really only want to do this once
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click the "more reply options button" and it will have a button to add attachments. Click that and it will pop up a window for you to browse to where your photos are located on your computer. You can then select you pictures you want and upload them to the site...
Most sites make you put your photos on another site like photo bucket then link them to the forum. that is a pain in the ass so I pay (ok we the contributing members pay) for the unlimited band width so it is a one step click to put pictures on the site. If you need further help, drop me a PM and I will try and walk you through it.
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Dave, When you post something and want to add photos, click on the "More Reply Options" after writing, and it will send you to the complete editor where you can browse and add your photo - after adding the photo, you can also add it directly to the post.
Hope this helps,
From the Puter Neanderthal EDMO
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Thanks for the update Dave. What did you end up doing with your cowling? I still haven't done anything with mine. I have been flying another plane most of the summer.
I glassed in the hole that was in the side of the cowling now and finally got it painted.
I am trying to figure out how to attach pictures to these posts. As soon as I do I will post some pictures from the transformation. A major key to making the belly radiator work is a separating plate that I made to funnel the hot air from the cowling/muffler through the gap between the radiator and bottom of fuselage. Hot cowling air also exits the bottom of the cowling at the sides.
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I will let you know what I find out when I get back home. I will probly go with another key west so it's plug n play with the mounting.
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Sounds like you have your work cut out for you. You will have an awesome bird when you are finished. I am in the process of buying a private airstrip in south central PA, so I won't have time or money to do any cosmetic stuff to my 180. It needs a paint job in the worst way. I restore cars and paint airplanes for a living and am finally taking the plunge into airport ownership so I can do all my business under one roof. All my personal toy projects will be put on hold until I get my new shop up and running. I am pushing to get this Avid finished before I get too busy with real business and it ends up sitting unfinished for another 2 years. I will need it for my daily sunset stress relief flights once the work on my hangar begins. Good luck with your project , It will be worth all the effort.
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Chris, I am not sure how much shipping will be, but if Ron does not get it to you pretty quick, I have a new MKIV cowling that I would shoot your way if you need it. If has a couple dings from hangar rash, but it is in the raw so it would be easy match up for you I think.
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ours is a 63 F model. We are trying to lighten it up as much as we can. It has the MASA stol kit which as far as I can tell is about the same as the horton. She was a blast to fly and I cant wait to get her back in the air. The plan now is to go ahead and strip the entire plane and repaint it while we are waiting on the final few parts to get back from being overhauled.. as in the horizontal stab.. It will have all new control surfaces, engine and prop and a shiny new paint job on her when she sees the air again.
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Not sure what my issue is, but the ole 582 quit changing on me yesterday. I replaced the starter as it decided to hang up on me. I am hoping it got the regulator and not the coils... I wont be able to look into it further till I get back home from work in 2 weeks.
When I had issues with the FAA on my AW cert, it took them 3 months to get the inspector down to spend 5 minutes looking at my plane then handed me the pink slip.. that was only after I called the FSDO, got the gal in charge on the phone and told her I would be damned if I was going to let a perfectly good plane sit around not flying because they were too backed up to look at it and if they were not there within the week, I would just keep flying the plane with the "copy" of the original AW cert. and it would her fault that I was not an "outlaw" The inspector showed up at the house 3 days later and was awesome to work with! I wish he had not retired..
Towing Avid
in Technical tasks
959
Posted · Edited by 959
When towing a Avid on a open trailer Tail forward how high should the tail be off the deck of the trailer.
Or can I have the tail wheel on the deck.
The trip will be about 200 miles.
Thx Marv