Is it my plane, or is it me?

[walt.buskey]

Gee, where's the hole in the bottom? Looks like a completely different kind of valve fitting. With the Schraeder valve removed, mine's hollow all the way through (though it also has a small hole in the side of the threads).

[tnowak]

Maybe mine is a high pressure version. When you loosen the slightly smaller nut it opens the "end" part of the Schrader valve , so allowing air/nitrogen to enter the leg.
When pressurised, you tighten up the smaller nut to create the air seal.
The valve still has the normal type car tyre valve insert inside.
This Schrader valve, by the way, is used on my Vagabond's Messier u/c shock struts, a mod the previous French owners (a French flying club- they owned 8 Vagabonds) accomplished in the 1950s..
TonyN

[walt.buskey]

I read somewhere that the valve I have relies heavily on the metal cap to retain pressure (as in, "don't leave home without it"...)

So-- FINALLY figured a quicker way to get fluid in that danged strut. I removed the valve fitting, but that still only opened up a cavity that could hold about 3-5 ccs of fluid -- fill, raise strut to suck, repeat.... It was taking forever!! Tried a squirt bottle (way too messy!), a small syringe (eventually broke), a straw as a pipette... still took too long.

Finally found a funnel (which was thoroughly cleaned first) that just fit into the threads for the valve fitting, tightly enough so I could then squirt several ounces of fluid into the funnel, then raise the strut to suck it in. Only took 3-4 tries before I got it to overflow when strut was collapsed.

Still messy, but much faster! I'm estimating the strut took about 17 fluid ounces, if anybody's interested.

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Now to install new bearings & then the strut into the nose gear frame....

[walt.buskey]

So the putting back together begins....

Got the engine frame and, as of yesterday, the nose wheel frame & strut are mounted. Gettin' there. (Note OH'ed engine under plastic sheet in background...)

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[Steve Pierce]

Looks like it is going in the right direction.

[J Ryd]

I cant wait for you to fly it!.... and get it dirty.

Jan

[walt.buskey]

Great, I needed a laugh -- thanks, Jan!!

That's essentially what the previous owner said (yes, we're still on good terms, and I've been keeping him apprised of progress). He emailed yesterday, "You're going to be afraid to get bugs on it!"

Seriously, I've kept in touch with him for two reasons: 1) he made me promise him and his wife that if I ever decided to sell it, to give him first dibs; and 2) (confession) I like to periodically remind him of how his former maintenance folks... well... didn't do him any favors, let's say.

He was an AF pilot (LTC, Ret.), flying heavy metal, and those guys really leave the "fixin' stuff" to others. I don't fault him for my plane's rough condition, though his flying it for 6 years and 400+ hrs apparently really tore that bird up, with the amount of vibration its engine produced; that goes to owners (& fixers) previous to him, BTW. We both knew it vibrated, just not how much! That is, until my A&P slapped a dynamic balancer on the thing last May....

His current ride is a Globe Swift, but he apparently still misses his TP.... (BTW, you can see him at Oshkosh if you Google "N4557A".)

So I'm going slowly (no s__t!), trying to get everything correct. Hopefully in the air --and with a clean bill of health-- THIS year.

Man, what a trip this has been.

Walt

[MrBill]

Yep, this plane could have scared you out of the sky for good. You deserve to own this brand new, no worries, vibration free airplane after what it put you thru!

[walt.buskey]

Tire now back on, have appt w/A&P to torque all the mounting bolts and the axle rod (?) Thursday. Looking forward to unwrapping that new engine and lifting up & on!

Another "before & after" comparison... makes me feel like all the work was worth it when I look back at old pics. Cleaning up the whole firewall area had been on my wish list ever since I bought it. Makes me sick to look at all that overspray on the frames & firewall.

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