From: RWolf99@aol.com
Message-ID: <80c1dddb.36994974@aol.com>
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1999 19:44:36 EST
To: lancair.list@olsusa.com
Subject: LC20 Middle Gear Door Bracket Mystery
Mime-Version: 1.0

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I went down to the airport today to look at a Lancair 320 under construction
there.  His was an earlier, non-fast-build kit.  He has middle gear door
brackets just as pictured in the manual. His fit perfectly.

It turns out that the bolt patterns at the base of the gear casting are
different between his kit and mine.  These are the four bolts that hold on the
axle and the spacer plate to which the brake calipers mount.  (There is an old
Service Bulletin on the spacer plate, if you don't already know.  It is
actually written against the brakes, but it's the spacer plate that's the
issue.)

One of his bolt patterns is rotated 45 degrees with respect to its counterpart
on the other gear leg.  This has the effect of having the bolt pattern look
like a diamond on one side and a square on the opposite side.  This is why two
different brackets are required.

HOWEVER, the bolt patterns on my gear are not rotated.  That is, they truly
are mirror images.  That's why the one gear door bracket is oriented so
wierdly (i.e. 45 degrees off).  I don't know why my gear is this way.  The
brakes are mounted properly and nothing seems out of place.  I have a fuzzy
recollection of addressing the aforementioned service bulletin by flipping
over one axle spacer and drilling a new set of holes.  Perhaps I just have a
gear leg that is misdrilled, I oriented the brake properly by redrilling the
axle spacer, and now I have to redrill the door bracket (only I can't because
there's no material through which to drill two new holes).  

The only solution is to make or buy a new bracket, but other than that I
should be fine.

- Rob Wolf
rwolf99@aol.com