Allen Sutphin

You've GOT to have hillbilly blood in your background!! LOL!  If we see a 327 sitting on it then we'll know it for sure!

Finally got some new intakes made and welded up.  Did not want them any shorter so turned the air filters up. So far everything fits, tight but fits. Oil hoses are mock-ups to check fit and clearance and then new ones made.

Not really no perfect engine for the older Avid/Fox birds it seems. Either too heavy, not enough power, problems, or some other issues. Appears that a lot of different engines have been used, tried, or experimented with. The old go to engine seems to be the 582 for the most of them. When the airframes are no longer being produced one is left to groups like this for ideas and advice. And yet, the Avid/Foxes are still airborne. Myself, I'll keep plugging along with the HKS and see how it does. So far, all reports are positive that I've read and heard about. The New Kitfox isn't too interested in the older Foxes and that is understandable since they support their kits. So we keep plugging along with our ideas and experimenting.

Thanks, services are over and the grueling task of clearing the estate begins.  The Fox is on hold for the present. Unless a group member would be interested in finishing the engine installation after buying it. I'll throw in the whole kit-n-kabootle.

Looks pretty good for 24 years.

That thought has been there with any aircraft I've sold. Most likely couldn't sell the Fox anyhow. Most don't understand how much you can get invested (money) in a reconditioning project and want an Avid/Fox for 10K in great condition, which we all know doesn't really exist anymore. All the little parts, shipping, and misc stuff add up pretty quick. The time and energy spent really doesn't have value to anyone but us. And I probably won't advertise it due to all the worthless calls you get from some people. Hard to sell one without advertising it. And I'd hate to sell and probably wouldn't sell to someone who has no knowledge of Kitfoxes cause to them, its just another airplane.

Giving some serious consideration to selling the Fox, engine, prop, trailer and the whole conglomeration till I can move and find my own airstrip. I may be losing the current strip anyway.

Here is the old wheels and brakes. Don't want to ship them but anybody near can have them for free. Would cost more to ship than they are worth.

Thank you.

Any good welding shop can weld them.

The Airheart brakes weighed almost 10 lbs. without the wheels. I still have them also. The new Black Max one weighed 4 lbs. The old hub bolted to the wheel with 3 bolts and the rotor bolted to the hub with the 6 allen head screws. I'll get a picture of them today and the hole spacing. They worked marginally but had to be shimmed perfectly. The piston was a rubber seal and only had approx. 3/16" travel. The hole spacing was pretty wide.

I have a set of original Kitfox rims that I took off my Fox when I changed to Black Max brakes. 8" rim by 6" wide I think. With the 3 hole spacing. I have no use for them since the conversion. The new wheels are a lot lighter than the originals. They were used with the old Engenics brake system.

Hey guy's, instead of going crazy doing nothing, I decided to see what was going on with the group. Yes, shipping is getting pricy lately and probably won't go down. When you think of all the little stuff one has to order to redo an Avid/Fox, combined with the shipping charges it adds up pretty quick to a hefty sum.  And still some wannabe's question why one in good shape cost better than 15K-20K. And don't even think about time and sweat being involved. Most of us do it because we love it, plane and simple.

Thanks Guys! So you will understand if I don't post anything for awhile. Other matters take priority.

Going to have to stop the install for a while. Had a tragic accident this weekend. Stepson, his wife and 6 yr old daughter were killed in a traffic accident last Thursday in SC.  Wife is taking it pretty hard so the Fox takes a back seat for awhile. Maybe in a few months I can get back to it.

Old drift's can be like a loaded gun with the hammer cocked. But then you'd know that!  We have several old abandoned drift (coal) mines here in WVa. We call them punch holes since all they did was punch a hole into the mountain and get what coal they could out the old way, no equipment to speak of. 

And from looking at pictures of a lot of different installations, the tank is usually mounted is some odd locations out of interference of some other item.  Of course if possible, the recommendation should be followed. I would rather have it a tad high than low. Time will tell the story. In a lot of installations, extra space to put things is hard to find.

According to Green Sky adventures a few years ago, that recommendation is violated 75% of the time and hasn't been an issue. The height requirement was to prevent oil from draining back into the engine. Though it has proven not to be an issue.

You can also use the stewarts glue to make an open panel repair without having a structure under it.

Also use the solid metal tip plugs, and not the alum screw on ones.

Thanks! Intakes aren't going to be a major thing. Exhaust will take a little bit of hillbilly engineering. Hopefully re-bend the original pipes to mate with the muffler and clear the mount.

Well it fits with the oil cooler and oil tank mounted. Now on to making new intakes.

I think my model 2 measured 1 1/2" when I was finished. The same exact measurement on both wings. It was set by the original builder when he built the wings. I used floating poly tanks so twist wasn't a concern when mounting them.

Naturally progress isn't moving along fast enough. Too many things to try to keep up with this summer. Did discuss the engine change with the local FSDO. Said it wasn't a major change and all that was needed was a log entry and new W&B and carry on phase 1 for 5 hours.

Putting around the general area is what the Kitfox is for and my style in my older years. Its funny how the perception of performance differs between pilots of airplane types. Talk to a group of RV pilots and builders and performance is all about speed. Talk to a group of Avid?Fox pilots and performance is about take off and landing distance. Talk to an old pilot and he's just happy to fly! And yes, I'll keep plugging away just for the fact that I have to know what it will do. May be disappointed or elated, either way, its a learning experience. Some of my past learning experiences have been costly.