Thorp Air Command - T18.net

Been working on the plane the last couple of month and have two questions for the group.
1st what type of fuel caps are you guys using? I had to replace mine due to a worn out bladder seal. It seemed similar to what my MII used. I bought a Shaw snap-Tite 51022 expandable plug that seems to seal but looks like it won't last long. The body length of the plug is much longer than the space to be sealed. I have the 28 gallon fuselage tank only with not much flange depth.
#2. While flying home from a fuel stop I left my fuel measuring stick on the wing root and lost it. Does anyone have a stick they could measure and send me their scale in inches to each calibration. Again it is a 28 Gal max header tank that appears to be per plans.
Thanks,
Denny N6937
Annapolis, MD
d-work@comcast.net

_________________
Denny
N78DW at W-29

Hi Denny,

It's likely that someone elses measurements will not be completely accurate for you. There are differences between tanks (i.e.- some tanks actually have the filler position in a different lacation than the prints show), and more importantly perhaps, between the ground attitude/angle, depending on gear length, type of tailspring & tailwheel, etc. Also, the actual position that you insert the stick to can make a difference of course. I'd highly recommend that you make your own new one if you want to depend on it's accuracy. Just buy or borrow a few cheap 5 gal. cans, empty your tank, & do it. By the way, the "per plans" tank is 29 gal.

_________________
John Evens
Arvada, Colorado
T-18 N71JE (sold)
Kitfox 7 SS N27JE

Roy Ferris retrofitted this one pretty easy. Much safer! Had to file out the existing ring a little to get it to fit inside the hole. I have one I can measure if you want to compare the new OD to your existing ID.

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/a ... ockffc.php

Bob

That fits the standard tank opening?
Cubes

Maybe we mean the "new" ACS flush fuel cap P/N 10455 and not the entire fuel cap assembly ? The new P/N 10455 replaced the old style cap that had the rubber gasket and the new one has the Viton O-ring . Remember a few years back I got the last batch of the old style rubber gaskets that the factory had and mailed them out. I went with the new Vitron ACS cap and had to slightly enlarge the opening in the CSA tank bung to make the new O-ring work .

RB

Here is what these caps look like. You will have to cut the old cap out. Outer ring measures 3.4" OD. I will look for the post Roy wrote. I'm pretty sure this is the cap assembly P/N he used. I got the impression he just opened the existing hole he had.

Bob MO

I just got the O ring replacement for the old ACS cap.
I got the direct replacement unit, non vented with the lever on top.
I was suprized that it doesn't really fit, it's tight.
Perhaps all those years of worming the old seal into the neck has peaned the hole a little small.
I can BIFF it in, but I'll need to file and sand it a bit to get that perfect fit.
I'm glad they made an upgrade.
Here is a link to the cap:
http://www.acsproductsaz.com/10460.htm

_________________
Scott Emery
EAA Chapter 326
T-18 N18TE

I had to die grind the opening with a sanding drum to get the cap with the new o-ring to fit. It did not take much .

RB

Rich;
What did you do to keep the swarf from going into the gas tank?
I have visions of a bamboo drink umbrella sprayed on the underside with contact cement.
Insert the umbrella down into the tank opening, then open it. all grinding, filing, sanding swarf sticks to the contact cement. When done, close the upside down umbrella, and pull it out of the tank!

_________________
Scott Emery
EAA Chapter 326
T-18 N18TE

Well...I was lucky that the tank had not been installed yet . The tank needed to be flushed of all FOD prior to install so at this point so any frag that got into the tank would be removed . What I did do to reduce the metal frag was to put some duck tape up inside the tank opening to protect the opening . I suppose a better solution would be to to make a cardboard cut out and apply double sided tape to it and insert it into the tank and draw it up into the opening capturing the metal filings ? Then carefully remove it . Anything that makes it past the tape gets caught in the finger screen in the tank or the gascolator fine screen or the finger screen in the carb . >:( Another option would be to drain the tank , enlarge the opening and then vac/remove any FOD from the bottom of the tank .

RB

Do not use an electric vacuum to clean/purge a fuel tank that has been used. I have a vacuum that uses compressed air to power it. ACS sells them.

_________________
Bob Highley
N711SH
SN 835
KLAL

My chicken stick has marks every 3/8 per gallon. My tank is standard plans built. Your results may vary. Chuck