Lazair II

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Postby uscgairdale » Sun Dec 10, 2006 8:08 am

John, thanks, but I do have it. Like you said, If anyone out there needs it let us know and we can get it scanned in for everyone to see.

Dave
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Postby uscgairdale » Tue Dec 12, 2006 10:39 pm

More progress! I got my instrument panel in and installed it yesterday. I'm not to fond of the metalic sparkle so most likely I will paint it the same color red that I'm using on the plane. This set-up uses Adel clamps to secure it to the 1/2" tubing along with a rubber shock mount attachment to my "lower console" to absorb any vibrations. The console is a departure from the stock Lazair II, but it will both secure the instrument pod and provide a nice area for an intercom, gps, and starter/kill switches.

Dave
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Postby uscgairdale » Tue Dec 12, 2006 10:40 pm

The wheel pants are soming along nicely too. The other day I got the right one painted up red.

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Postby uscgairdale » Tue Dec 12, 2006 10:49 pm

Here you can see how I've had to make the fiberglass wingtips fit onto my wing. I've had to cut them at the seams on both the leading and trailing edges so I could remove material for a good fit. A lot more work for the wingtips than I expected.

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Postby aroguetrader » Mon Dec 18, 2006 9:03 pm

Nice work Dave. I have the wing tips to install as well, and have made a note of the changes you've made...that will be helpful to know. Did you go with the sharp trailing edge material?...if you did, are you planning to blend that into the the wingtip somehow?

btw...I came across an ad from Don Black...he's selling a KFM 107e...not cheap though...

http://barnstormers.com/Glider+&+Sailpl ... f763520a43

...here is the text from the ad...

KFM 107 ENGINE 0 TTSN • $1,050 • FOR SALE • New, in factory carton. 107E direct drive 25hp complete install package less exhaust system. • VISIT MY WEBSITE • Contact Donald D. Black - located Fort Myers, FL USA • Telephone: 239-690-0366 • Fax: 239-690-0366 • Posted December 10, 2006

- John
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Postby uscgairdale » Fri Dec 22, 2006 10:12 am

John,

I did put the trailing edge mod onto my wing and the wing does seem much more rigid. I will blend the wingtips with some fiberglass epoxy to match them up with the ailerons.

Since we're talking about wing restoration, I can't help but reinforce the topic about inspecting the foam ribs inside your d-cells. Shannon has posted some good pics/info about it and I threw one or two pictures on this thread about mine. It looks like a very involved job, but if you have even the slightest doubt about your d-cells, you need to open them up and take a looksie inside. Mine passed the squeeze test, but there was "something in there rattling around" so I broke down and took a look. The ribs themselves were fine, but all of the glue had become brittle and fallen off...thus the rattling around noise. I cleaned everything up and reglued them in place and now I have full confidence in that d-cell with nothing left to chance.

I finnished up one wheelpant the other night and I think that it looks pretty good. I haven't decided if I'm going to put a Lazair decal on it or not. I figure that the strut will block it anyway.

Dave
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Postby russell » Fri Dec 22, 2006 10:43 am

I think they look good also and a decal would add to it if you could down size it to fit just aft of the wing strut fitting.

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Postby aroguetrader » Tue Dec 26, 2006 8:20 pm

Dave,

I must admit that I had originally not intended to crack open the D-Cells, but have since decided otherwise, thanks to you and Shannon. It looks as if my plane saw quite a bit of air time and wasn't one of those pampered machines as is the case with many of the owners in this group. As I give it the squeez test, I can feel all the ribs, but typically not without 1/8" or so of travel, indicating an either failed or non-existant bond.

My biggest aprehension with the process has been getting it back together without screwing up the washout. I'll look through some of the old posts for any tips on the subject. Regardless, I'd rather be safe than sorry.

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Postby JPXman » Wed Dec 27, 2006 10:32 am

John, once you get proficient at removing rivets, i wouldn't worry about the washout - you can just re-assemble everything in the same holes and it *should* go back together just as it came apart! (i'm talking about the ribs)

buy some "cleco"s and a pair of cleco pliers to make it easier when reassembling.

its a lot of rivets to remove to open up a D-cell but well worth the repetitive effort. I would say the process turns a D-cell from an unknown to something of value...

Tyler
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Postby uscgairdale » Thu Dec 28, 2006 7:54 am

John,
Your description of you d-cells sounds exactly how mine was. There was a small amount of movement in the skin and the ribs felt like they were still in place. As a matter of fact, every nose rib was in place, but on each one the glue had become brittle and there was no bond to the aluminum whatsoever. From what I understand, the strength of the d-cell is from the shape of the d-cell and not necessarily from the foam inside. However, it's important for the foam to help hold the correct shape. I am not trying to become the "nose rib nazi", but considering the age of most Lazairs, people should serioiusly consider opening up their d-cells if they have any concerns.

The process wasn't that bad. I first opened up the outboard section so I could see what was going on. It was at that point that I could see that the glue had failed and not the foam ribs. Of course I then removed the rest of the rivets and pulled out the ribs and cleaned everything up. Once I was satisfied with the clean up, I used some PL Premium construction adhesive to glue it back together.

A few pointers about the job:

1. If you don't have clecos, get some yesterday! You want the #30 ones that are copper in color. Take a few minutes and shop around because some places will want an arm and a leg for them. They're around 40 cents each or so, but will last a long time. I've got 100 of them that I got about five years ago through Wicks Aircraft Supply. Not only do you need them for this, but you'll see just how important for the rest of the plane (the center section and ribs on the center section especially).

2. Be sure to always use a sharp drill bit to remove the rivets. Not only will this remove rivets faster, but it will also help to minimize making all the rivet holes larger.

3. The Avex series rivets work really nice for when you put it back together. They are good because as the mandrel is pulled it also expands in the hole. Very desireable for when you are riveting up previous holes. On the Lazair II wing, there is a factory flush mount rivet about 3' from the root end so be sure to get a couple of flush rivets too.

This job looks intimitating, but it really isn't a complicated job.

Dave
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