Building a Javron Cub

[skywagon8a]

Yep....you guessed it.....more nut plates. Have I told you today how much I like nut plates?

Hope this helps

Bill

Very nice Bill. You do realize that those nut plates can acquire surface rust due to the moisture in the floats. It may be wise to leave the S/S screws in the threads when the floor boards are not installed to prevent rust from accumulating on the threads, making screw insertion and removal difficult. A worst case scenario would require destroying the floorboards in order to remove them if the screws became shall we say stubborn? A dab of anti-seize on the threads might help.

[mvivion]

Folks

In the continuing saga.......Wip issued a Service Bulletin for the pump out tubes and so I am replacing all my pump out tubes in order to bring things up to par.



The original tubes had a flat bottom and I guess it was possible (pretty unlikely but possible) for the tube to suction seal itself to the bottom of the float so that it would not let the water in.



So Wip recommended shaping the bottom of the tube like this, so that it would not suction seal itself up.



The tubing they use (for the 2100's at least) is available from McMaster-Carr. It is part #5181K27 Crack resistant Polyethylene tubing 1/2" ID and 5/8"OD white.
But, as you might be able to see, it needs to be flared to fit the pump out fitting.



I used a piece of dowel rod. I heated the end of the tubing with a heat gun and then while it was soft forced to onto the dowel which expanded it enough to later fit on the pump out shaft. It actually worked out pretty well.

So......another SB complied with.....and the floats are coming together. Next up = putting a floor in the float lockers.


Hope this entertains or helps

Bill

Bill,

i prefer soft tubing, attached with hose clamps. Unless these are a near perfect friction fit (and maybe even then) the tubes can slip off over time with temp changes, etc. Then, you will pump happily, thinking you have really dry floats, but in fact you're sucking air from the top of the float.

I've always kept a small diameter wood dowel handy to slip down the pump outs occasionally, just to verify dry floats.

The tubing you're using may be soft enough to use hose clamps......or, drill a small hole horizontally through the lower part of the pump out and the pickup tube, then put a cotter pin or?? through to prevent the tube from dropping off. It's a PITA to have to remove covers to check these things....a simple pin works great.

FWIW, I've seen this on several models of floats using this "hard" tubing for pump outs

MTV

[Bill Rusk]

Pete - Thanks. Good point. I'll keep that in mind and dope them up good.

Thanks Mike. I definitely appreciate your inputs. I guess I'm not really ready to go out on my own. I'm just putting it back to factory specs, right down to their clamps. I will keep a dowel handy to make sure I'm not "sucking air".


Thanks gents

Bill

[Bill Rusk]

And speaking of clamps........



This is the clamp that Wip uses on their pump out tubes. It is a Snapper ....link here....http://www.hellermanntyton.com/site/...np16/190-00271
Unfortunately I broke one while trying to figure out how too get it off so I needed a replacement. Could not find them ANYWHERE except in bulk (1000 units min order) but Wip has them for a buck a piece. Not bad. At first I did not like them but they have grown on me. Mine are 17 years old and show no signs of embrittlement, wear, fatigue etc. Once clipped on they are REALLY tight and secure.



The trick to getting these things undone, is to separate the ends vertically. Push down on the outside part with a flat blade screwdriver and it will pop off. Don't try to pry it apart. Won't work.




And finally, I am putting some varnish on the paddle and the floorboards and this is the best varnish I have ever found. I've used it many times over the years for a variety of things and it is REALLY tough and holds up well. Stits also makes a Urethane varnish but I feel the Epoxy varnish is better. This would be my varnish of choice if I had plywood floorboards in my Cub.


Hope this helps


Bill

[Bill Rusk]

Update

My friend Larry Vetterman tells me that Aircraft Spruce has these clamps under the name Herbie Clips. So now you have a good source, in addition to Wipaire.

Here is a link....https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catal...clickkey=72028

Thanks Larry


Bill

[Bill Rusk]

Folks

Most all the work is done on the floats, things are starting to go back together.



All the old hardware (on the right) is being replaced.



It sure is nice to have it all purrrrdy. It won't last but it feels good for a while.



I needed to make new hydraulic lines (actually in this case just shorten the ones I had) and I was pretty intimidated by this. I went to a local hydraulic shop and they were very friendly until I said it was for an airplane. Then they promptly refused to make or even sell the materials. Sigh.....I could go on a long rant....but we all know it so why preach to the choir...
But it was not hard to make them and I'll show you how. You can get the fittings from Spruce, Earls, etc. The hose is #666 (don't like that), and there are several sources for that as well. Mine originally came from Wipline so it has a shrink wrap layer as well. Normally it is a teflon tube with a stainless mesh weave on the outside.
So.....I have marked the length, clamped it gently in the vice and will now cut it with a Dremel with a cutoff wheel.



Try to get the end as square as possible.



This is REALLY important. REALLY REALLY IMPORTANT. Put the nut on and slide it down out of the way. If you mess around at all the braid will expand and you will not be able to get it on, and you will bleed profusely and curse like a sailor trying.




Now you insert the handy dandy tool you bought to push the braid away from the inner, teflon, tube.



Looks like this....



Looks like this when you are done.



Now push the little brass feral (some call it an olive) on to the tube. Be sure it seats well.



Now insert the rest of the fitting into the brass and teflon tube.



Looks like this



Bring the nut up......



Tighten the nut up and "BAM" you just made a hydraulic line.

NOTE - I have not tested mine yet so this may be a big mess. I'll let you know if it does not work.


Also, just for fun and because I'm weird, we weighed the airplane again. This time with the fuel pod and plumbing = 1087. I weighed the pod before install at 31, and this means the airplane gained about 4 pounds somewhere along the way ( the original W&B came in at 1052). The new hydraulic fittings might be worth a pound. I put on a spin on oil filter adapter and that might be worth 2 pounds. So we are within a pound of our calculated weight. Thats pretty cool.
Also weighed the floats with EVERYTHING. All fittings, hardware, nuts, bolts, hydraulic lines, etc. even including the paddle. = 409
My gear is worth 125 so my exchange weight is 285 pounds. So, in my case, it costs me 285 pounds to have amphib floats.

Hope this helps (or entertains)


Bill

[skywagon8a]

It sure is nice to have it all purrrrdy. It won't last but it feels good for a while.

You did lather these bolts with a water proof grease prior to installation? I don't see evidence oozing out from under the washers. This helps prevent the bolts from rusting. Then after you are finished you will be painting the bolt heads and nuts with Par-al-keytone? http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalo...aralketone.php

[Bill Rusk]

Thank you, Pete. Yes and yes. They have grease now (and will get more at final assembly) then AV-30 Paralkeytone. That stuff is a pain and messy. MMR thinks it is just pine tar. It is just as sticky that's for sure. LOL


Bill

[mvivion]

When I flew an amphib Beaver in Kodiak, the mechanics in Anchorage would clean the floats all up during the 100 hours, and I would promptly coat everything in paralketone as soon as I got the airplane back in Kodiak. The mechanics all whined about the mess.....but our Chief of Maintenance always smiled when he saw the plane come in from all that salt exposure.....and he'd give me another can of paralketone.

MTV

[skywagon8a]

...MMR thinks it is just pine tar. It is just as sticky that's for sure. LOL


Bill

I don't think so since it is thinable with petroleum, kerosene, gasoline etc. Thin it to a consistency that is easy to brush on without running. An advantage is that it doesn't dry and chip off. Well maybe a little if exposed to sun for an extended period of time. Yes it can be messy but you can wipe around the edges so that it is pretty. And it does dry enough so that it doesn't mess up your white shirt, too much.

Sounds like scary stuff, but I've been using it for half a century without any harmful effects. https://industrydocuments.library.uc...s/#id=fnmm0141

[aktango58]

Boeing T-shield is much easier to apply and remove that other products, worked well for me.

That clamp looks just like ones used by plumbers for some of the Pex tubing.

Please tell me you are still willing to fly this and get it dirty. That of course will give you next winter's project: cleaning it again!

[Bill Rusk]

Thank You Friends.....

Yes George, the reason for all this work is so I CAN fly it, and hopefully, A LOT. And I'm not worried about it getting dirty........that is where the fun is.......




Step One.....




Step Two.........




Step Three......


Still lots to do but it is self supporting and back on floats.

And finally......I am planning to be at the Alaska Airmans Trade Show, with my airplane inside the Fed Ex hangar. Jay of Javron will be there (peddling his wares) and using my Cub as a demo. I hope to arrive in ANC on Wednesday, Apr 27th. It would be really nice to have a heated hangar, at the ANC airport, to go into wed evening until around noon Thursday. That way I can spend some time trying to clean it before it goes in the Fed Ex hangar on Thursday. I would be happy to compensate, I am not looking for a freebie. I know hangars are in really short supply there but I would appreciate any leads. Thank you.

More to come.......

As always....Hope this helps


Bill

[cubdriver2]

We used paralketone at Rhinebeck, put a tablespoon or 2 in an old soup can with a couple drops of turpentine and heat the can with a torch, thins just like flux when warmed and brushes on easily then thickens as it cool. Stays put for a long time

Glenn

[DR-109]

Hello Bill,
I did all of my fittings by hand and only had one leak, which is one too many! Where did you get that tool from, I want one?

[Bill Rusk]

DR

I got it from Chicago Conection. A local company (near Midway Airport) that has a good selection of Earls products. http://www.chicagoconnection.us/inde...facturers_id=6

Here is a link to the Earls website
https://www.earls.co.uk/earls/access...spreaders.html


It is called a Braid Spreader. Well worth the money. This company has it for 25 bucks. http://www.appliedracing.com/brake-c...-spreader.html

Google search Braid Spreader and you will find it.

Hope this helps

Bill

[Bill Rusk]

MISTAKE






Hey folks

I made a mistake, and though it pains me to air my dirty laundry, I am going to throw this out there so other builders can avoid this mistake. Sometimes it seems like everyone already knows this stuff except me, so if you do, please be kind and try not to disparage my name too much.



When I put my rear seat rudder pedal inspection covers on, I put them about as far to the outside as possible. Then when I redid my hydraulic lines to accommodate the pod, I put the lines in the inspection cover. It seemed like a good idea at the time and the for/aft location is excellent, no problem there, but the lateral placement did not work, as you can see. Put a plate in front of the cross tube, flush with the fabric to give you a permanent, firm place to mount your bulkhead fittings. When I redid my hydraulic lines the floats were not on the plane and, as you can see from the photo above, I located the fittings in the wrong place. When I put the floats on the outside fitting interferes with the flying wire.




The solution is to put the first fitting about 3" from the center of the attach bolt. This then gives you room to attach the hydraulic line without hitting the wire.




This is how the right side came out. It is close but will work fine for this season and I'll tackle it next winter to make it better.



This is the left side. Not pretty but it will have to do for this season.

I am a little pressed for time, to get everything done in time for the Trade Show, so I am having to prioritize my do list. One of the items that got dropped off the list for this year is the fuel pod. I will not need it this season based on my routes and plans (it would have been nice but not really necessary) and I don't have time to work out all the plumbing issues. So this summer will be on floats, and if I feel like I need a little extra margin, I will carry a couple of gas cans in the float lockers.


Hope this helps someone


Bill

[TurboBeaver]

Wow. Bill looks like you can eat off your hanger floor! Very nice old boy, the Cub is looking great!
E

[wireweinie]

Lol. Welcome to the club. One of 'those things' I've learned (very slowly) is to ask why something is done in a certain way. Sometimes that great idea runs afoul of reality. If this is the worst think you do on this project, Bill, you're better than most of us.

Web

[mike mcs repair]

it's not imprint knowing WHAT/HOW to do something... It's knowing what NOT to do... some call me a pessimist...

if you were around my shop, you'd hear me muttering to myself on how I managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory once again....

[tempdoug]

Just wondering, the fittings the hoses fasten to are they made in a 90degree version?

[Bill Rusk]

tempdoug

Yes, you can get bulkhead fittings in 90 degree. That is what I have, but the 90 is inside. If you reversed it and put the 90 outside it would solve one problem but cause another. There is not enough room under the floorboards to connect the lines if reversed. What you need is an "S" shaped bulkhead fitting. I don't think they make that. You could try to connect different fittings (like playing with Legos) but unfortunately that ends up being too big to fit. MMR suggested machining a manifold. That would be a great solution but I don't have time to do that. Next winter I will come up with a better solution, but for those building now, or in the future, you know where to put your fittings. Forward of the cross tube and 3" from the gear attach bolt. That is the message I'm trying to get across. I will talk to Javron about this as well to make sure, if you order float fittings on a new kit, he knows about where to put the fittings. (Unless you know you want something different).

Hope this helps

Bill

[Todd long]

Bill,
Noticed in a post way back you mentioned hand reamers. I'm familiar with them, but you said you got them for about$5 each. That I'm not familiar with. Can't even find super cheap China Freight ones for that. Any help would be appreciated.

[Bill Rusk]

Todd

Yeah, you are right. I used to order from a company called J&L. They are no longer in business (maybe cause they were too cheap and did not make a profit). I now use MSC http://www.mscdirect.com
They are excellent, very fast, shipping, etc..... but reamers are not 5 bucks any more. Bummer. You will need, and use, them a lot so ask for an early Fathers Day gift.

Hope this helps

Bill

[flyanozira]

Found this site the other day looking for tools;
https://drillsandcutters.com/straigh...-reamers-wire/

Nelson

[Larry G]

I orderd some reamers a couple weeks ago and this how one of them came. They where very nice about it and got a new in two days.

[Bill Rusk]

Folks

Got a couple of more things checked off the "do list".

1) Using the "bare wire" accessory from Garmin to connect the Garmin 796 to the radio - you can get it to interface pretty well using Appendix D of the manual. Main Menu>Tools>setup>Interface ......set "Aviation in/ NMEA &VHF out"
I can now touch a freq on the 796 and it will auto transfer to the radio. Cool!!

2) If you want to test the audio alerts from the 796 (things like "Terrain", "Obstacle", "Traffic" and other audio alerts) and insure you have wired it all in correctly, you can enter the "test" part of the 796 menu by turning it on, letting it boot up, then press and hold the battery/charging symbol at the top right to put it in the test mode. I held the button for about 5 seconds to get it to work.

Hope this helps

Bill

[Bill Rusk]

Folks

Still just working on cleaning up things on the do list, and also doing the Annual Condition Inspection. Although it is not due until June, I wanted to get it into a better part of the year, and I did not want to try to do it while in Alaska.
So......here are a few things that might help.



This is looking from the rear towards the aft side of the lower baggage and toward the right in the photo is my ELT antennae. This mount worked fine on the 121.5 ELT but I was getting a self test code that indicated it was not getting a good signal strength out. So, I added a ground plane. It is a chunk of .016 AL mounted at the base of the antenna. Boom!! Problem solved. Bottom line. Ya gotta have a ground plane for the newer 406 ELT units.



You could just make a star out of .016. My ELT instructions recommend each leg of the star be 1" wide and as long as the antenna itself. That won't fit so use more, and wider legs, and keep them shorter. Whatever works but you will need something.



My fuel sight gauges were not very helpful. The fuel was bouncing all over the place.



So I took a #5 rivet and drilled a .090 hole in it.



Put it in your squeezer and squeeze it until it expands enough to be a good tight press fit into the fuel sight gauge fitting. Thus putting a restriction in the line and damping out the sloshing in the gauge.



In the end of the fitting. I have not tested this yet.



Hey Mike S. - I appreciate your inputs, and every one else.


Other things I've been doing.

All the hydraulic lines I made seem to have worked fine. No leaks.
Made new water rudder retract cables. Javron has the tool to crimp on the ball fittings. Pretty slick.
fixed right fuel probe (it was touching the tank bottom, thus grounding out). Recalibrated it.
Defroster
Weight and Balance stuff. Reweighed the plane, it came to within 1 pound of expected weights. We tried to get weights and stuff with different folks in the plane but the scales did not handle that. I guess you need to reset them between each weighing. Oh well....we still have all the data we need.
Checked operation of flap handle.
Fixed muffler extension - not as long as Std Sutton - but not as short as it was
fixed a headset plug issue
fixed a place where the muffler was hitting the cowl. I guess the engine settled a little. No surprise there
relocated the EIS display and set it up as a back up to the GRT (very pleased with this)
redid the ground wires for the mags - thanks Buck
fixed the rear seat velcro
AND LOTS of other small junk.

Also had a couple of other life events to attend to so I have been super busy and have not posted much. Hope someone finds something useful in here.
See you soon and HAPPY EASTER!!!

Bill

[Bill Rusk]

GONGRATULATIONS to Brad Thornberg - for the cover photo!!!






Bill

[Bill Rusk]

Folks

Finally, the weather and my schedule, coincided and I got to fly this thing. The fuel sight gauge restrictor works great. It does not stop the sloshing but it sure dampened it and it helps a LOT. I recommend that.

Still no Hydraulic leaks - thats good. It says you too can make your hydraulic hoses. Not that hard.

Sealed a couple of minor leaks in the floats - they seem to be dry now. Thats good.

In short, at this point, she seems ready to take a long and epic trip.

Bill

[Bill Rusk]

I was fortunate to have a visit from my good friend Mike. We flew the cub with clear water and an outside air temp of 21 degrees. Iced it all up. Great fun. Boy, I'll tell you this, I wish I had half the skills and knowledge Mike has.



Sorting and packing gear



Early departure, that did not work. Took off and immediately said "This is NOT clear and 10". Landed. Total flight time 4 minutes.


A number of folks suggested to make the rear seat back narrow, and they made good arguments, but this is why I made it full width. On a long trip the back seat is where you put all your stuff. The white thing is a piece of posterboard........
On a long day flying directly into the sun it can really help



Chinook, MT. After a late start for weather, made pretty good progress. One 18 min fuel stop and one 12 min fuel stop.
Gotta make hay while you can.

Bill

[DENNY]

I would put all that loose stuff in a gym bag or backpack belted to the seat. If you hit turbulence it could end up on the floor blocking something you don't want blocked. Looking forward to seeing you at the show.
DENNY

[Hardtailjohn]

Smile when you fly over, Bill! "Hanson" on the GF sectional.
John

[cubdriver2]

Where's Waldo

Glenn

[OLDCROWE]

Where's Waldo

Glenn

Whitehorse.

[Mike Woodson]

Bill made it into Wasilla this afternoon is staying at Bob Cassel's on Visnaw Lake. He will move the airplane into the FedEx hangar on Thursday. Congratulations !! Bill

[Bill Rusk]

Folks

I appreciate your friendship, kindness and well wishes. I will post a little when I have time and Internet access (this is from my phone). I look forward to seeing you guys at the Alaska Trade show this weekend.
I did not start a trip thread as I figure most of you fine folks are a little burned out on this whole thing. Figured you needed a break.

Thanks everyone

Bill

[tcraft128]

I did not start a trip thread as I figure most of you fine folks are a little burned out on this whole thing. Figured you needed a break.

That was an obvious joke right?! I personally still read everything that is posted on this thread. Glad to hear that you have arrived in Alaska, safe and sound. You journey was an adventure for many, glad to be along for the read.

[scout88305]

that was an obvious joke right?! I personally still read everything that is posted on this thread. Glad to hear that you have arrived in alaska, safe and sound. You journey was an adventure for many, glad to be along for the read.

ditto

[aktango58]

My interpretation:

Guys, you would not believe it, but the night before I was leaving a lady, (we will call her Miss X), asked to join me on the trip. (Please see SI cover, issue xxxx for her picture).

Anyway, we have been enjoying the warm sun, tailwinds and cheap gas on the trip up. Miss X loves to fly, and has offered to finance an additional fleet of aircraft to ensure we have one for every purpose.

While traveling, she has offered to clean my cub at every stop, and pose for photos (tasteful of course) for people liking the plane. She also has been giving me tips on my fly casting to ensure I have the talent to catch those 40" Steelhead AKTrouble suggests exist.

Well, Miss X is telling me it is time for my nightly neck massage before dinner. Talk later and God Bless!

Bill (Lucky Dog) Rusk

[Bill Rusk]

George - Dude - you have a heck of an imagination!!

It is no where near that good. Mostly just lots of work to get here this time. But the last day from Whitehorse to Northway and to Bob's place was superb.



Customs and a little refueling in Northway (saved a trip to Tok)


Love the mountains. Video of this is pretty cool. When I have time (haha) I'll post it.


Looking out the cabin at Bob's place and seeing your Cub on the water in Alaska is about as good as it gets.


Life is good. PTL


Short final to RWY 15 at Anchorage International


Big hangar, little airplane. Time to clean 40 hours worth of snow, rain, gravel, sand, oil, Etc. and get it ready for the show. See You there!!

Bill