My Dad and I continue to grind through the various electrical and plumbing tasks forward of the firewall. We also began working on the cowling which is lots of messy grinding and sanding.
![](http://www.brucelan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/IMG_2170-768x1024.jpg)
We installed the oil cooler and the hoses to it.
![](http://www.brucelan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/IMG_2164-1-741x1024.jpg)
We did the initial wiring to the right P-Mag. So far I decided to leave the other P-Mag off to give more access to the fuel pump until I finish the hose connections there.
We worked on running some of the ignition wires and putting the adel clamps where they need to be. Two big learnings here:
- The safety wire trick for closing adel clamps while you are trying to get the bolt through them is GOLD. Simply put a loop of safety wire around the clamp(s) and use your safety wire pliers to close them up. So much easier than trying to squeeze them with your fingers or a pair of traditional pliers.
- In the case where you need to enlarge the holes in the adel clamp for a bigger bolt, it is super easy to do with a uni-bit and painfully difficult with a traditional drill bit. In defense of Van’s they tell you this in the instructions.
I did some of the butt splices for things like the fuel and oil pressure sensors. I didn’t like the way some of them came out so I will likely redo at least some of them. I ordered longer pieces of heat shrink to slide over the splice to give them a cleaner look.
I broke down and ordered a Bogert tow bar from Spruce (significantly cheaper than ordering directly from the manufacturer). I had one for my RV-10 and they are good quality, but I think $200 is sort of highway robbery for one of these things. Just my opinion.
I realized that the trailer I had planned to use to transport the airplane to the airport isn’t wide enough to accommodate the landing gear. I have a couple of alternate plans and I don’t have to address this issue for a couple more weeks (my engine work is taking longer than I anticipated).
20 hours (2 people x 10 hours)