NorthIdahoAvidflyer

While you are at it you might as well change the lower master cylinder attachment point from the rudder bar to the floor / firewall. This seem to correct the geometry of the master cylinders and gives you better braking over the stock setup. I'm sure someone on here can provide you with instructions on how they did it. I will eventually be doing it to mine.  

Very good news. Congratulations Barry. It's been fun watching this come together. You do great work. Would love to see some final pictures of the plane setting out on the runway. I need more planeporn pics for my work computer   

I've been thinking about what to do with the gear on this Magnum if my Dad sells it to me. I sure like the looks of the gear Barry put on his Magnum. The stock gear looks to narrow and short which seems to be the norm on the Avid line. Right now I'm going to run the tri-gear until a decision is made. 

I worked all weekend getting a few things done on the Magnum. It got new fuel filters, rebuilt the Master cylinders, installed new rudder cables, re-installed the peddle assembly and drained the brake system of fluid. The brakes system had DOT 5 in one side and 5606A in the other.  All I have left is to refill and adjust the brakes, inspect all the controls, reinstall the panels and cowl screws. Someone put square head screws on the cowl.  

The sealer Vans sells stays firm and pliable. I have used it to install tank bungs on fiberglass and aluminum fuel tanks. Not sure how it would do on plastics but I feel it would work well. 

Vans Aircraft that sells a product similar to Pro-seal in small amounts. I've used it to seal the base of the grommets against the tank and around the grommet hole when I install the metal outlet. The stuff is amazing and will keep any weeping from happening for a long time. One 1 oz container would easily do both wings but you better be ready to get busy once you mix the stuff. It cures pretty fast. 

Allen, I have looked into several options on how to add a site gauge to my plane. Here is the option (picture) I will go with when I do it. I really don't like not know what I have in the tanks when I get down below 1/4 of a tank. I have fiberglass tanks so I an going to install the push in rubber grommets with a little pro-seal. The kit can be purchased through Bear Perkins for $17 plus shipping. He sales power parachute supplies on-line. 

Congratulations Barry!!! 

I worked all weekend on the Magnum. She is almost ready. Had to change out the rudder cables and finally got all the brake parts put back together. I got the rubber pedals installed, master cylinders installed, rudder cables/turnbuckles installed and the brake system drained. Someone had put two different kinds of brake fluid in the system so I drained it all out. 

I cant get the rudder springs to stay put. They keep coming off. Does someone have a picture of how they have theirs installed? They were coming off before so I drilled a small hole in the top brake peddle tube and re- bent the ends of the spring. They are still not wanting to stay on. 

Yes. If you look at the picture posted above (blue and white plane) you can see one of the gust locks. They are made of PVC, bolts, pipe insulation and a chunk of string. Let me know if you want a better look and I will send you pictures. 

Ron, The plane does have Cleveland calipers on the wheels. I just got the parts to fix the Matco MC and I purchased the intensifier kits also. I will run this and see if it helps and if it doesn't or if I switch to larger tires I will look for a set of Cleveland MC.  I always appreciate your input. 

Looks good! If you plan to haul it any distance I would suggest making a separate tail support off of one of the two frame through holes and not haul it supported on the tailwheel. More than a few  lower longerons have been bent trying to haul a plane on the tailwheel. Here is the only pictures I could find in short notice that shows what I'm talking about. I would make mine out of steel and easy to install. 

One of the best things I did for clarity in my radio system was to replace that standard coax cable with RG400 double shielded coax with BNC connectors on each end. The RG400 will cut out a lot of RF noise. I think I bought mine in a 10 foot length on Ebay. It was a little spendy but worth every penny. 

Thank you for all of the replies. I wish it was as easy as calling up Spruce and ordering one the right size. The problem is all the Phenolic pullys they have are to big around. The way the build put this together makes it impossible to use any larger pully or get the mounting bolt out of the airframe. I could use a larger pully but it would require me to make a whole new mount for it. I was hoping to find something that would work without redoing the whole mount.  

Wypaul, I purchased something very similar to what you linked to from Amazon. It’s the same diameter, bolt and grove size of the one you posted. They will be here Tuesday. I’m crossing my fingers they work. My Zenith 701 uses a similar nylon pully with no bearing inside so I’m sure this will be adequate. 

Thanks again for all who replied. I can always count on young guys for great insite. 

It was the first place I looked. There is nothing with a 1 1/4 O.D. 

Cloud, I would agree. The one on the other side was made the same but has a lot more material in the bottom of the groove. It is apparent this caused the failure. I also do care the the angle/side load on this bearing which may have caused pre-mature wear. I may order two new phenolic pulleys and make a mount off the planes structure. At lease this way the I can order a new one from A/S when it wears out. The problem right now is I can find a phenolic that will fit the application. They are all to big around. 

Turbo, Yes this is a possibility. I had the exhaust manifold off and used the rope trick to re-torque the flywheel. It could have very easily knocked a small chunk loose.

The right rudder peddle pully split in half. It’s not a standard pully and looks to be made out of a skate board wheel or something. I don’t have a set of Magnum plans so am unable to see what they used.  The dimensions: 1 1/4 OD, 1/2 wide and has a 1/4 bearing offset.  The  center hole is for an AN 5 (5/16) bolt. 

Pictures attached. 

I found them JimChuk. Thank you

Barry do you still have the main gear?

Yes, there is fluid in the lines it's just hard to see. I never understood why they use the small 1/8 inch lines on these. Seem like you would want the bigger lines to push a larger volume of fluid to the brake cylinders. 

Yes the peddles had been modified at least twice. Someone had cut the threads off one of the shafts and installed a longer clevis to make up the difference. The attachment points on the peddle have also been moved closer to the peddle which I assume was done to gain more leverage. I'm going to change out the cut off shaft, add a new clevis to match the other side, add a new body to one of the master cylinders to fix the ground off bottom mount and add the intensifier kits to both master cylinders.

When done I hope to have nice even braking from both sides and not have to worry about something falling off.

You were correct Chris I should learn to never trust my father with measurements over the phone. I pulled a tape on the gear and sure enough they are 16.5 inches from the top of the gear to the center of the axle. They are no doubt trike gear. I was really hoping to change this over to a TD. It will cost a bit more now beings I'll have to buy or make new gear. I'll have to fly it as a nose dragger for a while.

The brakes on this Magnum are spotty at best. After removing the peddles it was discovered that there are two different Matco master cylinders. Same type with different rod lengths. This might explain the difference in braking from right to left. The bottom of the right master cylinder had been cut away to change the angle.  

After some taxi testing it became apparent the brakes and rubber didn’t operate as expected. 

I took the seat pans out for an inspection. What I found was concurring at best. The rubber peddles had been connected to the rudder control cable with standard hardware store turnbuckle eyes. I also found that one of the phenolic pullys had split and the cable  was riding on the bearing. Does anyone have a photo of how the turnbuckle / cable are suppose to be arranged  I need new turnbuckles and will need to cut the rudder cables back and make new eyes in them.

Does anyone know if these phenolic pullys are standard? The bearing inside is offset to one side by 1/4 inch.  

I’ll confirm with the original builder and grove. The grove site lists the differences in length. No forward sweep info given. 

The new Magnum has a set of Whelen wingtip strobe / position lights. When I was going over the instrument panel functions I found that the position lights are working but the strobe lights are not flashing. Each function is on a separate switch. I have never had a set of Whelen strobes. Where should I start my search to isolate the problem? 

Any help would be appreciated.