bcg Posted October 25, 2023 Report Share Posted October 25, 2023 My annual started a couple of weeks early in August when I had a valve stick and managed to bend a push rod. We had the cylinder replaced in a couple of weeks but during the inspections discovered the muffler had no flame cones left so that had to go out for overhaul and the paint was completely gone on my prop so I sent that out for repainting and an IRAN on the hub. I'm one of the few that still needs the 100 hour eddy current inspection and the prop shop said they weren't going to do them anymore until I got the prop painted. I planned to install just an EDM 930 this year and had ordered it a few months earlier but, as so often happens with avionics, scope creep got it's hooks in me and I ended up adding a 2nd G5, the GAD13, GAD28 and GMU11, replacing my Narco MK12 with an SL30 and completely rearranging my panel because once all the engine instruments got pulled out ti left a lot of holes. Figured in for a penny, in for a pound so I also pulled the interior to repair the plastic and paint it all to match, recoated my yokes and removed all the old and abandoned wiring. It took me about 30 hours to get all the wiring out, that ended up being somewhere around 8 pounds, plus another 28 pounds in old avionics. I took advantage of the opportunity to have a fully labeled and blueprinted harness built and took the time to label every wire I put back in on both ends so that nobody would have to deal with the rats nest that was in there again. While I was working on all this, I had someone that was supposed to be making a new panel for me, they had promised it in 7 - 10 days but, after 7 weeks with nothing to show for it except an acrylic template that was cut from the wrong file, I decided to just do that myself as well. I bought a laser to cut my templates in wood and etch the lettering and got after it. A friend of mine has routers and cuts 6061 all day long so I had him cut the final panel for me once I had everything where it needed to be, that finally showed up Monday and I got it powder coated and labeled Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning. Yesterday I finally started putting the panel back together. It ended up taking me just under 3 weeks to get the panel done, which included time to learn to use the laser and the design software, cutting a few templates to get it all exactly right, having the aluminum cut and coating/labeling it. I'm pretty happy with the way it's turned out. Hopefully, I'll have this all back in this week so we can finish up the annual stuff and send the plane over to the factory to get reweighed next week. If it all goes as planned, I can get an 11/1 sign off and be back in the air by the end of next week. I'm really happy with how this is all turning out but I hope I never have to do avionics work again. It's not that it's a bad job, it's just a HUGE job and a lot more work than you would think it would be going into it. Of course I say that at the same time I'm telling my CFII that if he decides to do something with his J, I'll help him with the project... I'm really looking forward to being done with this and getting back in the air. It's taken longer and cost more than I expected but, airplane... 10 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M20F Posted October 25, 2023 Report Share Posted October 25, 2023 Excellent work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fly Boomer Posted October 25, 2023 Report Share Posted October 25, 2023 2 hours ago, bcg said: I took advantage of the opportunity to have a fully labeled and blueprinted harness built and took the time to label every wire I put back in on both ends so that nobody would have to deal with the rats nest that was in there again. What did you use to label the wires? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcg Posted October 25, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 25, 2023 What did you use to label the wires?DYMO Industrial Label Maker https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002M1HKLCSent from my Pixel 6a using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PT20J Posted October 25, 2023 Report Share Posted October 25, 2023 Really nice to see a rehab well done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KSMooniac Posted October 25, 2023 Report Share Posted October 25, 2023 Well done, congrats! I love the sweat equity, and a year from now you won't even remember the time and effort you spent in a negative way... it will be well worth it. Nobody would take the care you have shown except you, to make it exactly right. Only nit I have... get rid of that old fiberglass insulation! Hopefully you haven't put the interior back in yet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcg Posted October 25, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 25, 2023 Well done, congrats! I love the sweat equity, and a year from now you won't even remember the time and effort you spent in a negative way... it will be well worth it. Nobody would take the care you have shown except you, to make it exactly right. Only nit I have... get rid of that old fiberglass insulation! Hopefully you haven't put the interior back in yet.We talked about it but decided it's dry, the plane doesn't leak, there's no corrosion, I keep a cover on it when it's outside and I'm already way over budget. Maybe next year...Sent from my Pixel 6a using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcg Posted October 26, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2023 Before and after. Just lack the Icom A200 COM1, pins showed up for that connector today so I'll have it in tomorrow.Sent from my Pixel 6a using Tapatalk 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliffy Posted October 27, 2023 Report Share Posted October 27, 2023 Don't forget to do the control wheel AD for cracks before you put the yoks back on Saves taking it off again for 500 hrs What did you use on the control wheels? They look good. Be careful! The dye goes everywhere! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcg Posted October 27, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2023 Don't forget to do the control wheel AD for cracks before you put the yoks back on Saves taking it off again for 500 hrs What did you use on the control wheels? They look good. Be careful! The dye goes everywhere!The control wheels? Not sure what you're referring to.We did that AD about 70 hours ago but, I'm going to go ahead and do it again since they're off, like you said.Sent from my Pixel 6a using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliffy Posted October 27, 2023 Report Share Posted October 27, 2023 I guess I'm too used to Boeings! :-) :-) I guess its too old of a term? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcg Posted October 27, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2023 I guess I'm too used to Boeings! :-) :-) I guess its too old of a term?You mean the yokes? I powder coated them. Getting the old coating off was a beeeatch. Took me 8 hours, had I known it was going to be that much work going in I doubt I'd have done it.Sent from my Pixel 6a using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Echo Posted October 27, 2023 Report Share Posted October 27, 2023 Amazing transformation. Really well done. Very impressive work. The guy with the J is LUCKY to have you. Enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
47U Posted October 27, 2023 Report Share Posted October 27, 2023 1 hour ago, bcg said: The control wheels? Not sure what you're referring to. I think @cliffy is referring to the spray chemicals used to perform the NDI of the yoke shaft… I need to repaint a piece of the interior and reprint a placard after I finished with the 500 yoke AD. And I thought I had covered up everything really well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliffy Posted October 27, 2023 Report Share Posted October 27, 2023 1 minute ago, 47U said: I think @cliffy is referring to the spray chemicals used to perform the NDI of the yoke shaft… I need to repaint a piece of the interior and reprint a placard after I finished with the 500 yoke AD. And I thought I had covered up everything really well. YUP! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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