Matt Dralle
Site Admin
Joined: 08 Nov 2005
Posts: 25204
Location: Livermore CA USA
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 Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2014 8:10 pm Post subject: Baggage Door Assembly and Lift Strut Install |
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Continuing the construction of the new, new baggage door for the RV-8, I worked on the hinge at the top and riveted the whole thing together. I am very happy to report that the fit of the door is nearly perfect! Frankly, it is pretty amazing that something made out of bent sheet metal could fit that well. But alas, I'm not complaining. I spent a fair amount of time and a couple of tries on the top hinge to get the bottom edge of the door to line up perfectly with the bottom of the top fuselage skin. The door comes down and lines up perfectly along both the front and back edges as well as along the bottom as previously described. I'm so happy I redid this baggage door no less than three times to finally get a perfect one! Such is that story of this project it seems...
The stock front baggage door on the RV-8 doesn't come with any means of holding it open other than your arm. Since I'd already experienced what happens when the latch pins are in the "latched" position and the door suddenly slams shut (dents and scratches), I really wanted to find a nice strut of some kind that would hold the door open, yet be relatively easy to install/replace/use.
Some browsing in the McMaster-Carr on-line catalog turned up what turn out to be the absolute *perfect* part for the job. The strut unit is made for tool box lids and has pre-installed mounts on each end that work perfectly on the RV-8 baggage door with no modifications whatsoever. Incredible, really. The best part is that in operation, the strut will securely hold the door open AND closed! Its amazing actually! At about 2" from closed the geometry of the system has nearly zero pressure open/closed and then at the last 1" or so, slightly pulls the door down. Note that the latch pins are still needed to hold the door securely closed. Conversely, after about 3" open, there is enough push in the spring to gently open the door all the way and then hold it open very nicely. If you have an RV-8 and want a baggage door strut, look no further. This is the just ticket:
McMaster-Carr Part Number:11615A14
Here is the on-line web page for the part:
http://www.mcmaster.com/#11615A14
At $53.00 (circa 2014) its a little pricey, but its stainless steel, a spring - not hydraulic, and did I mention - works PERFECTLY on the RV-8 front baggage door! Buy one now!
Next up is mounting the nylon blocks for the latch pins. Who knew this baggage door would turn into such a project!
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Matt Dralle
RV-8 #82880 N998RV "Ruby Vixen"
http://www.mattsrv8.com - Matt's Complete RV-8 Construction Log
http://www.mattsrv8.com/Mishap - Landing Mishap Rebuild Log
http://www.youtube.com/MattsRV8 - Matt's RV-8 HDTV YouTube Channel
Status: 172+ Hours TTSN - Rebuilding Fuselage After Landing Mishap...
RV-6 #20916 N360EM "The Flyer"
http://www.mattsrv6.com - Matt's RV-6 Revitalization Log
Status: 200+ Hours Since Purchase - Upgrades Complete; Now In Full Flyer Mode
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Check out the live ATC stream directly from my hangar at the Livermore
Airport. Includes both Tower and Ground transmissions. Archives too!
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