Mike, thanks for your comments on the nose strut bolts.

 

I only have an old borrowed copy of the build manual.  Mine is still backordered from when I picked up my kit @ Redmond last year.  (I can’t believe the trouble I’ve had trying to get one – but that’s another story).   The old copy I have doesn’t show drilled bolts and cotter pins anywhere on the front strut/mount.  Rather it shows standard ANx-xA bolts and AN365-x28A nylon lock nuts.  I was a little suspect of this arrangement since I was under the assumption that nylon lock nuts were taboo fwd of the firewall???  Especially with them being so close to the exhaust (on a Turbo).  The page I have (#21-19) is revision 0 /  7-12-1994, so it might be outdated.  However, I got it from Lancair.

 

Mike, can you check the date/revision in your manual for me (the front strut pages in Chap 21). Does yours show ANx-x bolts (with holes), castle nuts, and cotter pins?

 

As some/many of you may know, there is a new (draft) electronic (PDF) build manual for the ES.  However, it does not contain any reference to the front strut since that is supposedly pre-assembled/installed in the newer fast build kits (after mine).

 

FYI, my front strut bearing blocks were the wrong size by a bunch (over 1” on the front and approx ¼” on the top).  There was no way to get the front strut to anything near 1.5 degrees as specified.  See attached photos.  I spoke with TimO and sent him a ½ dozen pictures.  He said they never fit and I needed to cut/machine them.  No dimensions/drawings/specifications were available.  He didn’t say anything about sending them back for a replacement.  Perhaps something else has changed on the newer struts or mounts???  After cutting the bearing blocks to fit, the factory pilot holes in the engine mount don’t overlap correctly with the bearing blocks (too close to the edge).  Drilling a precision hole that is off center from the pilot hole is a pain, especially on something as large/awkward as the engine mount (not easily loaded/clamped in a drill press).  As long as the bearing blocks are so far off, it would be better if the factory had not drilled the pilot holes at all.  I messed up one bearing block trying to cut/grind it to fit (another $90 wasted for something that was wrong to being with).  It really sucks if these have been wrong for a long time and Lancair has known about it, and hasn’t tried to correct or document it.  Ok, I’m rambling – I know you all have been through this before.

 

JohnM,  My engine mount side plates (pads) are parallel to each other – no shimming necessary.

 

Any other current ES builders struggling with the nose strut and bearing blocks?

 

Rick Titsworth

Cell: 313-506-5604