Page 70 of 109 FirstFirst ... 2060686970717280 ... LastLast
Results 691 to 700 of 1083

Thread: Building a Nieuport 11...

  1. #691

    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Alabama
    Posts
    2,236
    So for today's "ugly but it works" picture, behold my offset brake handle:



    Just a piece of scrap 1" tubing, annealed and beat on with a hammer, and then riveted to a fuselage tool.

    I discovered when removing and replacing the brake line sheaths that the old ones both had kinks in them where I had fed them through the gear legs that were pretty tight. The metal coil of the sheaths were both pinched tight.

    So add yet another potential cause for why the brake locked up. When I released them they might not have completely released.

    So the new lines will go along the outside of the gear legs, zip tied top and bottom and concealed somewhat by some aluminum tape that I'll paint.

    Still working out the brake drum holes to fit the wheels - my wooden jig system didn't work - and the brake assembly thingy mount as well.

    Here's something pretty, though:



    Engine all put back together and runs pretty darned good:

    The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.

  2. #692

    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Alabama
    Posts
    2,236
    Pretty enlightening day out at the airport!

    Apart from a lot of non-aviation fun and games (I saw a big wreck happen on the Interstate and a guy that was tased by the police at the airport), actual stuff got done on my Bebe.

    First, Mike decided to take a break from his gorgeous KR2 to see if he could help me out. This is good, as I needed a fresh set of eyes on my problems.

    My build planning process usually involves several Rube Goldberg type solutions that go through a series of removing unnecessary steps or parts or convoluted ways of doing things. Usually I turn the "fabricate a multi-angle folded piece of aluminum, alter a piece of a kitchen appliance, find strips of some sort of rubber or cloth, a rivnut, three sheet metal screws, two eighth inch rivets, safety wire, and a bit of velcro into "just drill a hole and put a bolt through it, along with two washers and nut."

    But sometimes I don't reduce things down as simply as they can be.

    We sussed out that my brake cables were best run down the rear gear legs to the brakes (I had them going down the front ones), and how to mount the brake to the assembly I made for the band brakes. Neato! Not only does it look better, but there are fewer bends in the cables.

    I did manage to get a little wink for coming up with a good swag for the brake cable ends, using some ferrules and shaping them with the belt sander. I can fabricate just about anything my plane requires with a blow torch, a Sharpie, a hacksaw, a drill, and a belt sander. It's the one skill I have learned I'm rather proud of.

    He strongly suggested we correct the fitting I have at the bottom of the fuel tank that goes to my drain, as it has a tiny leak. It's always been that way, and not a huge deal, but apparently having any sort of gasoline leak near the battery is undesirable. Who knew?

    Anyhow, how I had it rigged up was a 90 degree fitting with a barb end connector for the fuel line in it and to get it oriented close to the right direction it was a little loose.

    We drained the fuel and after cleaning the threads on both, Mike looked at me and asked why the hell did I have that 90 degree bend in there in the first place? The line just goes down and then to the bottom of the firewall...just put the barb fitting in there without it and it can be tightened up properly.

    "I dunno, I just did it that way," I admitted, "let's do it your way."

    So we did.

    Next time I'm out I'll bring my camera to show my work, if anyone is interested.
    The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.

  3. #693

    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Alabama
    Posts
    2,236
    Getting closer!

    Drum brakes installed. I had to do some thinking on this, though it looks dead simple.

    My original drum brake mounts, which was a bushing welded to a bit of thick sheet steel, were just too good to toss aside, as they answered so many questions.

    The problem was that the weld beads were on the outside, towards the brake. This didn't matter with the band brakes, as the drum was on the wheel and the bands went around the outside of them. With the drum brakes, they had to go flush against the steel plate, and couldn't with the bead in the way.

    My solution was to take a 1/4" thick bit of poplar and oversize the hole in the center to go around the bead, and use it as a big ol' washer. It worked out really well.



    Two bolts hold the brake assembly to the steel support, one on top and one on bottom.

    Happily enough, the bolt hole that had the band brake mount was in perfect position for the cable clamp for the new brake as well.



    There's some slack put on the cable to the rear of the mount to allow the arm to move forward as the gear rises in the bungees without tightening the cable.

    One of my EAA brothers has the drums for drilling holes that match the wheels, and I should have that by the end of the week. I have a basic inability with the tools at hand (and lack of skill) to drill them correctly where the drums are centered on the wheel.

    Some of y'all might not be aware, but the axle setup is, um, interesting in my airplane (and I think most Airdrome ones), in that the axle is a tube and the wheels rest on a 3/4" inch, 12 inch long bit of solid round steel stock that is slid into it. The bushing around it is PVC pipe.

    Both of mine are slightly bent, so some replacement stock is in place. I'm going to increase the length of them by about six inches. That should be here by week's end as well.

    I washed the wings yesterday evening and spotted a few things that need correcting. I cut a small inspection slot in the end of the undamaged wing to look at the spar and need to patch it, and do some touch up painting.

    But I'm damned close to putting her back in the air!
    The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.

  4. #694

    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Alabama
    Posts
    2,236
    At this point I guess I'm just posting to remind myself of the work, but here it goes:

    Whelp, lots done today.

    The axle inserts have arrived, and I took them out to the airport. Since the brake drums themselves weren't ready, no need in undoing the bungees and mucking around with the axle.

    So I patched up a couple of inspection slits I cut into the undamaged wing, touched up the paint on the wings, drilled the replacement spar on the top wing, put on the side sheeting on the fuselage, and was about to call it a day.

    My EAA brother called to say he was finished with the drums, so I hopped in the truck and made my way over there. Jack is a great guy and had a helluva career as a USAF pilot, so I got him talking about flying...I just sat there slack jawed as he talked about some of the stuff that happened to him in SE Asia in the '60's.

    One of the tales he regaled me with was flying a Cambodian AF plane over to Vietnam to have bomb racks retrofitted to fit US munitions. His introduction to the MiG 19 was a Cambodian pilot pointing stuff out to him and going through start up and shut down procedures, gear, flaps, etc., with everything labeled in either cyrillic or squiggly writing - and the inherent hazards of flying a MiG, regardless of markings, over South Vietnamese airspace. He had "friendly aircraft is armed and will respond in kind if shot at" put in the NOTAM for it.



    I did a down and dirty mounting of the drums to see if he got center right on the holes and it's on the money.

    But by that time it was late afternoon and I was wilting from the Alabama heat and called it a day.

    Once I put in the new axle inserts, it's time to mount the wings, re-time the engine, and do some taxi tests to ensure the brakes won't do anything hazardous.

    And then....
    The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.

  5. #695

    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Posts
    21

  6. #696

    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Alabama
    Posts
    2,236
    Okay, so brakes all good now - at least until taxi tests say otherwise!

    First, those 3/4" round steel bar axle inserts were bent, the right being the worst:



    Interestingly enough, they were bent on the outside of the axle, right after the bushing that holds the brake mount and at the wheel.

    New inserts cut and the plane up on blocks, bungees removed. I wonder who will spot the inherent reason for my difficulties in the picture - hint: it's a gaming joke.



    New inserts in, bungees in place, end caps to hold it all in place drilled, and just a little cleaning up of the cables needing done.



    A few notes:

    Note the cable routing along the inside of the strut with an easy loop for slack as the assembly moves up and forward on the bungees.

    The twisty ties are going to be replaced or hidden with some twine wrapping, which will then be painted, along with the cable. The cable is staying on the outside of the gear leg. I'm all over aesthetics at this point (not that it was ever high on the list, mind you), and since the entire aircraft is an exercise in drag, it's not like I'm spoiling the clean lines.

    There were two things spotted and corrected with the hardware: One of the bushings on one wheel wasn't seated properly at the factory. A little gentle tapping put it right. Second, one of the brake shoes on one drum was proud of the assembly and had to be taken down a bit to ensure a fit. It was tight fitting into the drum before placing on the aircraft.
    The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.

  7. #697
    Hey Frank,
    You are getting closer. Excuse me but my motorcycle fabrication experience still says to route the brake cables down the back of the rear legs and then loop out and down to the actuator arm. It should be pretty easy to just undo at the actuator arm and route the cable around the back. Why tighten up the radius of that cable after having a problem with brake seize once?

    Jim
    Last edited by Fokker Builder; 08-10-2017 at 07:36 AM.

  8. #698
    Sam Buchanan's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    KDCU
    Posts
    567
    Quote Originally Posted by Fokker Builder View Post
    Hey Frank,
    You are getting closer. Excuse me motorcycle fabrication experience still says to route the brake cables down the back of the rear legs and then loop out and down the actuator arm. It should be pretty easy to just undo at the actuator arm and route the cable around the back. Why tighten up the radius of that cable after having a problem with brake seize once?

    Jim
    ...and some more motorcycle fabrication experience.....

    While you are re-routing the cables, please consider a different method of securing the cable housing at the drum. That cable clamp is squeezing the cable housing and could result in the cable binding resulting in another unfortunate brake incident. It is much better to terminate the housing in a bracket that doesn't clamp the cable housing. Here is how I installed the O-Brien brakes on my D.VII:

    Name:  gear-28.jpg
Views: 701
Size:  36.1 KB

    This also provides an easy way to adjust the brakes.

    Here is the very simple bracket:

    Name:  gear-27.jpg
Views: 733
Size:  35.8 KB

    A similar bracket could be bolted together if you don't want to mess with welding.
    Last edited by Sam Buchanan; 08-10-2017 at 07:32 AM.
    Sam Buchanan
    The RV Journal RV-6 build log
    Fokker D.VII semi-replica build log

  9. #699

    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Alabama
    Posts
    2,236
    Time to fabricate a brake line housing stop...
    The opinions and statements of this poster are largely based on facts and portray a possible version of the actual events.

  10. #700
    Sam Buchanan's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    KDCU
    Posts
    567
    Frank, one more item to consider as you refine the brakes....mount the cable so it forms a 90* angle with the brake actuator arm (see my photo in previous post). This provides maximum mechanical advantage for your system, the brake arm only moves a small amount once everything is assembled and adjusted.
    Sam Buchanan
    The RV Journal RV-6 build log
    Fokker D.VII semi-replica build log

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •