Bringing a Kitfox 1 back to life

213 posts in this topic

Posted

You are moving right along, I think you did the best you can with the spars. Appears the apples didn't fall far from the tree and your kids are doing the best they can to maintain positive attitudes as they navigate some difficult obstacles or their own. Your daughter sounds like a real Champion and inspiration rolled into one! Not much for skiing though, I broke my leg in 3 places the first time I was on snow skis.

On. The. Bunny. Hill. :P

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Posted

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Posted

Pushing to cover the wings before I go to Africa. I haven’t done anything to the plane in the last couple weeks. Work has been a bother, and a lot of things have just been distracting me any time I try to work on the plane. Don’t get me wrong. I like my job, and I am thankful to have it, but it’s a complicated work situation. Today, my wife came out to my cold, crowded, mess of a shop, and helped put fabric on. That was a first for both of us. I’m pretty happy with the results. 

I did install double extra rib bracing. Yes, redundancy. See, there was bracing in the second rib bay on the right wing, for the six gallon tank. I removed the tank, replaced the anti drag tube with a full length one, and added rib braces to that first bay. I left them in the second bay. Then, anticipating the new, 13 gallon tanks, I installed rib braces on the third rib. When I install the wing tanks, those extra braces will go away, and I’ll already have the ones I need, outboard of the wing tank, without having to pull the fabric back farther. 

The hanger rib brackets are great. The weak hanger ribs and the false ribs on the leading edge are the two worst design issues on the Kitfox. The brackets really stiffened up the ribs. Who thought that gluing 1/8” plywood on edge was the best way to make an airfoil? Hanging the flaperons off 1/4 plywood that’s out in the weather? I shouldn’t complain. It just seems like there was a better solution.

So, it’s coming together nicely. Icould have been done, but it was good to focus my attention on ther things, and not get burned out. I still don’t have the crankshaft bearings. 

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Posted

Hey Matt, where are you located??  Looks like your kicking butt on getting this old bird back in the air.  I had looked at it a time or two in the past when it was out at the airport.

 

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Posted

I am in Anchor Point. Pretty happy with my purchase. I did get it for quite a bit less than he was asking. I saw on here where someone had commented on the ad. He had two, but he sold the other before I saw the ad, so I don’t know what it was. When I was a kid, my neighbor was building a Model 3 in his garage. I got to check it out a little, and watched the promo video. He never finished it, but it still had an effect on me. He said he sold it to a guy in Soldotna who finished it and painted it red. You might see it around, too. Yes, mine is coming along pretty good. I’ve put ore into it than I paid, including two new wing tanks and a prop that I could have done without, but I think I’ll be glad I got them. And I couldn’t have bought the package for this price. Well, if you factor in the time I put into it, I could have bought one that was already flying, but I like doing the work myself, and I’m glad I got to do it. 

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Posted

Meanwhile, back in the great land, things are progressing once again. I cut some 1” bias tape for the false ribs, to allow an easier contour. Both wings are covered now, with the first coat of Poly Brush, ready for finish tapes. We just got hit with some warm weather, so I’m gunning to get my finish coats sprayed quickly.

I had a little hangup getting my registration. When I returned from my trip, I had a nice letter from the FAA. Hopefully, I’ll get a good response back. Bureaucracy is making me old before my time. 

While I was gone, the crankshaft bearings also arrived, so I should be able to get them taken care of pretty soon. 

I’m thinking of doing some gap seals on the rudder and elevator. Maybe just tape? I was considering gluing some fabric in there, just right, but I have doubts about how it would stand up to the constant flexing. Anyone have a favorite method?

The other thing I’d really like to tackle is an improved landing gear. Taller, wider... maybe a cabane bungee setup. I can’t spring for Grove gear, right now, but it’s sure nice. My #29 has the early, shorter gear legs, about 20” from the mount to the axle. My tires are about 57” center to center. I’ve been following the other threads, and it seems like there’s room for improvement. It would be nice to push them out a bit. Replace the solid 6” Maule tailwheel, too, with a bigger pneumatic, maybe a Matco. Better upgrade those 20” mains, light brakes, and atv wheels, while I’m at it. 1-1/4 axles and 6” wheels, good brakes, and maybe some 26” rubber. Yes, that all sounds good, but for now, I think the thing to do is just finish what I’ve started, and go fly it. It is getting close. 

I think the former owner would be happy to see the work that’s being done. He was a good guy, from what little I talked to him. He had recommended that I go over everything on it, and get to know every nut and bolt. I’m not sure he thought I’d need to go as far as I have, but it’s all been worthwhile. I think.

I can’t wait to see that shiny new Powerfin prop spin up. This whole having it in the shop for months thing is not my style. I really want to get it in the air. Since I’m now two months late on my one month deadline, maybe I should shoot for two weeks? Ha! The way it’s going, maybe I should call it three weeks. Honestly, I could have gotten it done in the original timeframe, but I do have a lot of things that can distract me from doing it. Right now, I can barely work on it for a few hours without some distraction. But, some things are more important. I would have gotten the finishing tapes on tonight, but our two teenage girls wanted me to take them to a movie, then play cards with them. How could I say no? Priorities. If your teenage daughter ever wants to do anything fun with you, you better do it. And yes, there was that month-long trip to Africa. Plus, we’re taking care of Dad, and I kind of owe my wife a break, after five weeks of her taking care of everything by herself. One of the girls won a scholarship to a para-nordic ski camp in Östersund, Sweden, in a couple weeks, too. It’s a little hectic, sometimes, but I’ve been blessed, and I can only thank God for it. 

Happy New Year to all of you! Thanks for all the great posts, pictures, and info. This has been a great resource for me, getting this project done right. Plus, it’s good motivation, accounting for the work I have - or haven’t - been doing. I hope I’ll have some good posts for you, soon. Maybe a little color. The days are getting longer, now, and I’ll be busy with work before summer rolls around. I hope this is a good year for all of us. God bless. 

 

-Matt

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Posted (edited)

I’ve been wondering, for all the talk about fuel tanks, why is it that I’ve never heard mention of fuel bladders used in Kitfoxes or Avids? It seems like the obvious solution. Lots of other planes use them. No worries about venting, or sucking air in a turn, since there are no vents, and therefore no air inside. We could even make them so they fit around the structure in the wings, instead of replacing it. Just wondering. Have none of us used a fuel bladder in a Kitfox?

Edited by Good old number 29

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Posted

On today’s episode of Procrastinators with Planes:

 

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Posted (edited)

I got my crankshaft back from ADB. He said that some you feel good about, and some you don’t. This one, he felt really good about. It looks great. I’ll try to get a video of the first runup. 

It’s really coming together. The Poly-Brush was a pain, but it came out good. I used to have a nice paint pump, but no more. I tried to use an old sprayer that I had in the shop. That was a mistake. It seemed fine, testing on cardboard, but when I shot it on the wings, it looked like good orange peel texture. I brushed it out, and bought a good Graco hvlp unit. Shot the PB, then went straight to Poly-Tone. It looks great. Not show quality, but I like it. I used Piper Trainer Blue. It’s one of three of their colors that has the aluminum in it, allowing me to skip the PS (Poly-Spray), and still get full UV protection. I figure that it will save time, money, and weight, and it’s close enough to the Bahama Blue of the fuselage, to pass. I have enough paint to shoot it, too, if I get bored. 

I got the hole patched up, in the bottom. The guy said he did it putting it on the trailer. I patched up the broken stringer, and did a quick patch on top of the paint. I was going to take it down to bare fabric, but there are two other rough looking patches right there, so I didn’t bother. I roughed it up with a sanding sponge, and softened the paint with some MEK. The patch stuck good. Got the finishing tapes on, and PB. Ready for paint. I’ll use the aluminized paint for UV, then finish it with some of the matching Aerothane. Yes, it came with some of the original paint.

 

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Oh, yes. The finishing tapes all went on, as did the drain grommets. I had done just two sections of 2” tape over the rear spar, where there are rivets, as per the manual. When I put on the first coat of Poly-Brush, the fabric on top of the wing stuck to the rear spar, in places. It had been like that with the original fabric, too. I didn’t like it, so I added a full length tape over the rear spar on both wings. I shrunk the fabric at 250, and it feels tight. I did go over it with the iron, and get a little tighter on the bottom, near the trailing edge, after I did the finishing tapes. I don’t think it could have slipped there. Maybe it was because of the low ambient temp when I first did it. It seems to me that the Poly-Brush kind of slackened it up a bit. I think I saw a comment by someone, somewhere, who had a similar experience. All’s well that ends well. 

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Edited by Good old number 29
Pictures

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Posted (edited)

Cannot leave blank. 

Edited by Good old number 29

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Posted (edited)

More pics. The broken stringer in the dirty old fuse, and burning drain holes with a sawed off bolt. 

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Edited by Good old number 29
Pictures.

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Posted

I case you’re wondering how much aluminum is in the paint. DF447A4C-9D2E-4315-B56C-1E14EADB1955.thu

I like this color. It is fairly close to the Bahama Blue that it was originally painted, but it has kind of a metal flake look, if you look closely. It looks like a deep blue at first, but the silver mixes it to almost gray. You have to stir, pour, and shoot quickly, because of how fast it separates. 

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It called for three cross coats. I have four on it, and am debating a fifth coat, just because it’s going so good. 63C17F0C-D40B-4543-B470-E76A0A193D0C.thu

 

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Posted

Matt

I bought the other plane. It is also a mod 1 SN 86. 532

If you could PM me about some paper work on my mod 1

that could have been in the papers you receive

Thanks      I'm in Soldotna

Bob

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Posted

How much materials does it take, and how much does it cost, to cover a Kitfox with light weight Poly-Fiber? I only did the wings, which accounts for two thirds of the materials, at least. I used the aluminized paint, so no Poly-Spray. I used less than five quarts of Poly-Brush, and a less than half a gallon of reducer. That’s the pre-coat, brush coat, finishing tape application and coating, bad spray coat on one side of both wings, reduced brushing in coat of those same sides, and two spray coats, to give it that gloss, filling the weave. Half a gallon of MEK, and less than a quart of Poly-tac. Besides thinning the cement, I used MEK judiciously for cleanup. One gallon of Poly-Tone, with no reducer, sprayed three full coats on the wing, with good coverage. Four coats was just over a gallon, including the bit I spilled. I bought 25 yards of lightweight uncertified Polyfiber fabric. That was the remainder of the roll at Stoddard’s, in Anchorage. There’s plenty left for the fuselage. One roll of 4” tape, one of 3”, more than one of 2”, and I cut my 1” out of scraps, since they were out when I was shopping. One roll of anti-chafe tape was more than enough. Stoddard’s is great. Shop there. They didn’t have any of the aluminum base in stock, that day, so they pointed me to Finish Master. 

Cost?

Fabric, through Poly-Brush, cost $650. That includes my extra materials, which are more than enough to finish the rest of the plane. I have almost a gallon of Poly-Brush, a gallon and a half of reducer, quart and a half of Poly-Tac, a half gallon of MEK, and plenty of fabric.

 The aluminized topcoat was $410 for four gallons, with some extra odds and ends.  I have almost three left over. 

The bottom line is that the wings could be covered and painted for about $600, if you didn’t waste stuff, or buy extra, like I do. Hard to avoid, when you’re experimenting. $1,000 would do the whole plane.

Another little prop for Stoddard’s. They’ll take back the extra, unused stuff I bought and didn’t need. 

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Stoddard’s might be my new favorite store. It’s a special kind of place. Reeve’s is up there, too, but it’s different. Since I was pouring out praise, I figured I’d give Finish Master a plug, too. I live 200 miles from Anchorage. I had to make several stops to get all my stuff, and I got to Finish Master, it was an hour before they closed. When I told them what I wanted, the lady gave me a funny look and asked if I needed it that day. Well, it’s 200 miles, one way, so that would be real nice. They took care of me, and I walked out the door at closing time. I do appreciate that. We are really fortunate to live in a place where there are businesses like these. They know their customers, and what you need. 

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Posted

Mounting Kitfox wings with one person, using a drywall lift. Yes, it can be done. I’m a pro with my lift. It was harder on the left side, with the pitot tube, but no problems. I put a 4x8 sheet of 5/8 rock on the lift, locked it flat, and covered it with blankets. Then, I set the wing on it. It was slightly weighted to the root end of the wing, which put it at a natural angle. I put a step stool under the tail wheel, to level the plane. Then, crank it to the right height, push it into place, and stick the pins in. Once the pins were in the spars, I pulled the lift outboard and mounted the struts. No problem doing it by myself. Here are pics. 

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Posted

She Looks Awesome, Ull b flyin her soon looks like, and ur ahead of me since ur wings r covered, i just trial mounted my wings on friday using a sheetrock jack, i think works GREAT!!! 

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Posted

Thanks, Buckchop. I thought that drywall lift was just the ticket, too. 

I put the heat baffle around the muffler, to get some cab heat. For ducting purposes, I put it to the left, colder side of the muffler. It wouldn’t be hard to widen it to the same length as the muffler, if I want more heat. 

To clear the heat shield, I had to cut the cowling. It had already contacted the exhaust, wearing on two spots, one all the way through. I cut a hole bottom center of the cowl for a fresh air intake for the heater. The outlet for the heater baffle is on the port side, and the duct goes straight up and through the firewall, with enough tubing to go defrost, feet, or both. 

I made the cowling asymetrical to clear the exhaust with the least additional extra material. I have a plan for that. A little more to go on the cowling. 

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Posted

More pics of the cowling mods. 

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Posted

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Ohhh man now i tell u she is lookin awesome!!! Good work so far on the cowl, i got lucky and mine all fit inside with a fat finger of clearence, hahahahahaaaaa Not sure how important itnis but there is a better hose/vent setup for ur carbs that guys tell me todo, drill two holes in the tube (where small screwdrivers at) 90degree from eachother, guess the biggest thing is to just not let them get direct wind from prop ect.  

I just started repair of my right wing lastnight, so im farther behind then i thought but it will get there, 

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Posted

Just waiting for the resin to dry, and I start cleaning it up and prepping for gelcoat. It was -2 this morning. I can mix a batch of resin and lay the glass, and it will stay tacky all day, until I put a heater on it. It's coming out okay. I should have pushed it out as far as I had it, and glassed it there, instead of pulling it in tighter. A little bit more clearance wouldn't hurt. 

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Posted

I'm just curious if the top of your motor is real close to the cowling.  I seen that the prop shaft is kind of low in the hole in the cowling for the prop shaft.  I believe Kitfox originally supplied a belt drive with the first Kitfox 1s that had your type of cowl.  Maybe that redrive ends up with the prop shaft being higher then a gearbox would have been.  ????  That maybe would account for why you didn't have enough room on the bottom perhaps??  JImChuk

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The cowl he is useing is the same as my bluefox im building now, i almost changed to the round cowl, so had checked the two different engine mounts, the motor ends up in same place with either mount far as I could tell, and wasnt anymore room on top of motor compaired to the round cowl on my blackfox, i did c in my paperwork there had been some kind of odd drive that didnt work/stay together in my engine log book, and it had less than 20hr on it, then was changed to a Bbox on the 503, then got wind damage at 55hr,  now ive installed a 582/Cbox and my propdrive shaft is low also, (Leni had mentioned that was low to me) shouldnt have clearence isuse down there i didnt, and have a fat finger of clearence (i wear a size 11.5 wedding band) just had to adjust the exhaust exit towards the left side and rotate it backwards to line up with exit hole. ( its the exhaust i got from u Jim) Maybe cause of the heat muffler wrap, which i have done also, heck extra clearance is always good, right? Hahahaaaaa

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