Fairleads

Cable fairleads guide the control cables.  There are 10 of them in the T-Craft fuselage.  The original fairlead is a simple plastic tube with two retainer rings.  It is simple and light but is made of phenolic and is no longer available.

The Piper fairlead is readily available, is made of nylon, and is split so it can be installed with the cables already in place.  The problem with a Piper fairlead is that it is longer than the T-Craft fairlead and slightly smaller in diameter.  See the drawing in Photo 1 for a comparison.

An acceptable substitute fairlead is available from Aircraft Spruce.  It is called a "short fairlead segment" and is not shown in their catalog, so go to their website and search for the part number 40071-00.  Each segment is half of a fairlead so you'll have to order 2 segments for each fairlead (20 segments make 10 fairleads). (Photo 2)

The length of the short fairlead segment is exactly right for a Taylorcraft but the diameter is about 1/16" too small.  If you wrap 2 or 3 turns of ordinary masking tape around the fairlead during installation the diameter will be just right.  The masking tape also makes installation much easier as it holds the parts in position while you put on the retainer ring. 

A 3/4 inch snap ring can be used as a retainer or simply use the Aircraft Spruce retainer rings by slipping them right over the masking tape.  (Photo 3)

Cost? $.83 each for two segments and $.27 for a retainer, or $1.93 per fairlead.  Total of just $19.30 to do the entire airplane!

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Link to Fairleads, Phenolic

Gear Return Bumpers

Gear bumpers cushion the return of the gear after it flexes the bungees.  The originals are no longer available, but a much improved copy can be made from an axe handle protector.  One end of the axe handle protector is cut off (Photo 1).  A bandsaw does the job in a minute.

Axe handle protectors are available from Ace hardware stores for a few dollars.  (or ultimatetoolgroup.com)  Size HS-3 works great.  (Photo 2) You'll need two of them.

After cutting off one end of the handle protector, drill two holes about 1/8" diameter completely through.  Make the holes 2" apart and about 3/4" below the cut off end.  Push the bumper onto the fuselage frame in the gear return position and secure it with safety wire. (Photo 3)

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Fuel caps

Caps for wing tanks need a special positive pressure vent.  The top of the wing is, of course, a low pressure area and without a positive pressure vent the tank will not drain in flight.  The positive pressure vent is simply a tube that faces into the airstream. (Photo 1)

These caps can be purchased, but they are quite expensive.  Make your own for just a few dollars.  Start with a tractor gas cap, the kind used on a Bobcat loader is just right, it has a neoprene gasket that is easy to remove without damage.  You'll also need 4 inches or so of 1/4 inch copper tube.

Make a cap adapter for your vice.  I made mine out of two hardwood blocks.  Bandsaw the cap radius into both blocks, and cover the "jaws" with rubber from an old bicycle inner tube.  (Photo 2)

Clamp the cap in the vice upside down, drill a small hole (pilot hole) through the center of the spring.  Then use a carbide tip drill bit to drill a 1/4 inch hole through the spring, but not all the way through the cap.  You'll need a carbide tip drill (cement drill) because the spring is hardened steel and a regular drill bit won't do it.

Flip the cap back right side up and drill a 1/4 inch hole in the top of the cap with an ordinary drill bit.  Use the pilot hole for alignment.

Then insert the copper tube and solder it in place.  Use silver solder.  (Photo 3)  The cap has 2 little vent holes on the inside that won't be needed anymore so flip the cap back upside down and solder closed the little vents in there.

Sand or sandblast, paint with white epoxy primer and reinstall the gasket.  Install the cap on the tank filler neck, then bend the tube in the airstream direction (forward).  I use a little homemade fiberglass bending tool (Photo 4), but a spring bender works good too.  Don't try to just bend the tube by hand...it'll kink.  Finally paint your fuel cap red.

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Link to Fuel Gauge, Fuel Tank

 

Tire mounting

Mounting aircraft tires is much easier than automotive tires.  The wheels are split in two halves, then bolted together inside the tire.

Use tire talc...or just as good is ordinary baby talc or bath talc.  Smells nice too.  Sprinkle some on the tube and the wheel innerds.

Slightly inflate the tube inside the tire, insert the outside wheel half, push the valve stem through the hole, then install the inner wheel half and bolt them together.

Caution: don't pinch the tube between the wheel halves. 

Many wheels have a torque specification.  Shinn wheels do not.  Tighten the bolts evenly snug.

The valve stem will try to push back into the wheel when you try to inflate the tire.  Secure it with a thin nut, or use one of those bicycle pumps that clamps onto the stem.

Inflate to pressure spec (20psi for T-Craft), then let it rest overnight and check again.

Link to  Brakes,  Gear Return Bumpers,   Wheel Pants

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