Working on Chapter 13 - Step 3
updated: 04/11/2009
Step 3
– Installing the Worm Drive Assembly
I will be using Jack Wilhelmson's Electric Nose Lift instead of the plans method for extending & retracting the front nose wheel. Whilst going through the Parts ordered from Wicks and the metals parts received from CG Products for Chapter 13, I noticed that I had some how missed ordering the MKNG-4 internal bracket, which is required when fitting MKNG-3 onto the strut, as well as the 2 x NG-14 spacers. These aren’t currently listed as available from CG Products, so I checked with Aircraft Spruce and they confirmed that they had them in Stock. I thought about making them myself, but there is not enough information provided in the plans on material spec’s and dimensions. The NG-3A bracket and MKNG-6A bearing were supplied from Jack when I ordered the electric nose lift.
I started first with making the NG-5 mounting plate and left drilling the 4 holes until the final fitting, to ensure that the holes lined up OK. As I hadn’t yet received the 2 x NG-14 Spacers I ordered from Aircraft Spruce, I couldn’t completely assemble the two NG-30 panels, so I cut a couple wooden spacers about 3” wide, which were then clamped in between the NG-30 side pieces. Each wooden spacer had a centre line drawn on it, which was aligned with a corresponding centre line on the NG1-L strut. This ensured that the strut was nicely centred between the NG-30 panels, before the enhanced roller bearing MKNG-6A was permanently floxed onto the NG1-L strut. After cure the strut along with the MKNG-6A bearing was removed from the NG-30 side panels, setup on the pedestal drill press and the 4 pre-drilled holes in MKNG-6A redrilled along with NG-5 as per plans. The NG-5 plate was then installed with flox and 4 x MS24694-S70 screws and MS21042-3 nuts. I found that all 4 MS24694-S70 screws were too short and I couldn't get the nuts to tighten enough, so that a the threads protruded past the end of the nut. I ended up removing all 4 screws and replaced them with the longer MS24694-S74 screws.
Mounting the NG-3A & NG-4A Brackets