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Marten A
Unregistered
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 Posted Wednesday, February 20, 2019 @ 04:58 AM
I bought G-AWBJ in November last year from the owner in Belgium. The hope was to have her flown home to Sweden but as the days quickly got shorter and the weather worse we decided to put her in a lorry. The seller took the wings and stabiliser off and sent her on her way.
It is definitely a bit tricky and cumbersome to handle the large wing and the unstable wingless fuselage. I decided to build a ramp and a trolley in order to make it easier and it all went ok with the help of a couple of friends.
So I now have my RF4! She will become SE-UJC as soon as she gets approved by the Swedish CAA.
The wing and stab are still off and I thought I would take the opportunity to inspect the aircraft thoroughly. I also think that this is a good opportunity to replace various bolts and nuts.
What would you recommend that I take a look at and replace while the wings are off?
What bolts and nuts are easy to replace? And where do I buy them?
I am really looking forward to becoming a member of the Fournier community!
Marten, Sweden
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Markku
Unregistered
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Posted Thursday, February 21, 2019 @ 04:52 AM
Congratulations Marten
Now when the wing is separated, it is easy to check the aileron torsion tube and the two big bearing condition. There might be some corrosion on the unpainted areas of the tube, those areas need to checked and protected with lanolin grease.
I purchased LN bolts and nuts to control system from Sauer flugmotor, metric aircraft bolts are not easy to find anymore, I know that some have used standard 8.8 hardware bolts, but...
Control system bearings might be a problem, the original is FJG-pendel bearing, I think it's impossible to find those anymore, some 13 years ago I managed to buy bearings from E.I.S., but that doesn't work anymore
Markku
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Marten A
Unregistered
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Posted Thursday, February 21, 2019 @ 02:39 PM
Thanks, Markku! I will definitely have a good look at the aileron torsion tube and the bearings. Fredrik Svanberg had very kindly offered to come down and help me do a thorough inspection before we put her together so I think the aircraft is in good hands.
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Bob Grimstead
Unregistered
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Posted Friday, February 22, 2019 @ 02:45 AM
Hi Marten,
Congratulations on getting your RF4D safely home.
Remember to check the spoiler torque tubes too, while you're checking the aileron ones. My aileron tubes were fine, but there was a lot of rust on the spoiler ones on my Australian Fournier.
Otherwise, I have heard that 'WBJ was the best of all RF4Ds, so you will probaly find no problems at all.
Have fun, and I hope you get to fly it very soon.
All the best, Bob
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Marten A
Unregistered
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Posted Saturday, February 23, 2019 @ 11:08 AM
Thanks Bob! I will definitely make sure to have a good look at them too.
Were you able to salvage and fix the rusty tubes or did you have them replaced?
She is hopefully in the air before the summer.
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Bob Grimstead
Unregistered
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Posted Sunday, February 24, 2019 @ 02:05 AM
It was very easy Marten, I simply rubbed them down with Scotchbrite pads until all the rust had gone, and then painted them with two coats of Hammerite paint (which does not require a primer on steel).
Forgot to say, the fabric was off the wings at that time.
Be sure that the fabric under the spoiler box has drain holes in it. That was the underlying problem for me.
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Marten A
Unregistered
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Posted Sunday, February 24, 2019 @ 04:12 PM
Ok Bob that is very good to know. I know that there are drain holes close to the trailing edge of the wings but not sure there are any under the spoiler box. I will add that to the list of things to inspect.
Can drain holes be added easily?
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Bob Grimstead
Unregistered
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Posted Sunday, February 24, 2019 @ 11:37 PM
Yes you can add drain holes easily Marten if you have polyester fabric (Ceconite, Polyfiber, Diatex, Oratex, or other dacrons).
Make circular reinforcement patches about 5cm diameter, glue them over where you want your drain holes, allow the adhesive to set, and then gently melt a hole in the centre of each patch, through both layers of fabric, with a thin nosed soldering iron.
Have fun, Bob
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Markku
Unregistered
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Posted Monday, February 25, 2019 @ 02:33 AM
| Quote: |  | | Originally posted by Bob Grimstead
It was very easy Marten, I simply rubbed them down with Scotchbrite pads until all the rust had gone, and then painted them with two coats of Hammerite paint (which does not require a primer on steel).
Forgot to say, the fabric was off the wings at that time.
Be sure that the fabric under the spoiler box has drain holes in it. That was the underlying problem for me.
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An alternative method is to grease tubes with lanolin grease, that's how those are protected in the factory, lanolin doesn't damage the wood structure.
It isn't easy to remove those tubes, it can be done only when the wing is uncovered, and you need to make openings on the bottom plywood for straight route.
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