47 - Cowl Baffle (attached 4 main baffles); Other (ANL fuses; shunts)

Not as much progress during the last two weeks as I had hoped, but much of this time was spent thinking and reading about the next steps with the firewall-forward wiring - mostly how and where to attach and wire the ANL fuses and shunts. There are many different ways of tackling this with 2 alternators and 1 main battery. Some folks use 1 shunt after fuses and tie in both alternators, and sometimes the battery, to measure current for all 3.  While this would work, in conjunction with a voltmeter (built into the G3X), I had SteinAir specifically wire two sets of shunt wires so I could monitor both alternators separately. Also, I had a little issue with the oil filler tube - it came cross-threaded, and thus couldn't be installed straight. No worries - a couple emails to Lycoming and I received a new oil filler tube with no problems (and this one installed relatively easily).  Specifically, these items were accomplished:

- attached ANL fuse holders and shunts to firewall (w/wife helping); attached all 8AWG cables/ring terminals from alternator to ANL fuses to shunts to unswitched side of starter contactor.  Shunts will measure current flowing from primary and secondary alternators

- deburred, drilled, and riveted cylinder baffles and left aft baffle

- deburred, drilled and riveted right aft baffle and cylinder #3 bridge; attached aft and forward center brackets to engine; applied RTV sealant to left and right aft baffles

- installed both aft baffles to engine (mostly - some nuts/screws need to be final-tightened later)

- assembled left and right forward baffles and air ramps, qqand added strips of red RTV where they touch the engine (will need to cure for 1-2 days before installing on engine)

- installed oil filler tube (w/safety wire); installed front left and right baffles and tightened all screws/nuts

A little out of order, but here is the final wiring for the ANL fuses and shunts (pic below).  One fuse per alternator, and one shunt per alternator, so I can read the current for either on the G3X EFIS.  No need to read battery current - if I'm at the stage whereby I need to know how much current I'm drawing from the battery, then both my primary and secondary alternators have failed (unlikely), and I will be landing ASAP.  Moreover, the EFIS screens have an IBBS (integrated backup battery system), and the G5 backup system has it's own 1 hr internal battery, so the chances of running out of juice are essentially nil. If all else fails, the engine will still run without any external power, and I can communicate via a handheld radio that I carry.  I am a belt, suspenders, another belt, and a few more suspenders kind of guy:   

48 - Exhaust (finished install); 49 - Fuel & Oil System (installed most hoses/lines); 50 - Control Cables (installed throttle and mixture)

 Lots of little odds-and-ends were accomplished during the past two weeks - I can certainly understand the phrase "90% done, 90% to go!"  On one hand, I feel like this plane should be flying in a month - on the other hand, every time I think that, I find 10 more tasks I need to accomplish.  Oh well - I can't believe I'm still having as much fun today as I did in July 2018 when I started this project!  I also wish the building part will never end (BUT, I want to fly again soon, so not really).  Time to start scheduling my eye exam, get my Basic Med signoff, get current with a CFI, and put my name on a waiting list for transition training.  Here are the details for the past 2 weeks: 

- installed one more scat hose

- installed penultimate scat hose for heating air vents; played around with wiring and hoses for rest of avionics and engine install (complex!)

- installed Airwolf remote oil filter; installed a few more FWF oil/fuel lines and other misc. stuff

- installed oil pressure sensors and oil pressure switch (had to disassemble manifold bar on firewall to do so); installed a couple oil lines; deburred and primed parts of oil cooler; installed breather tube

- oil cooler mount and other related items were installed or prepped

- Finished installing oil cooler; installed p-mag manifold pressure tube, routed and temporarily attached Aircraft Specialty manifold pressure lines (not tight yet); wired p-mag control plug/harness and installed to p-mag (difficult as shit to reach in there)

- installed hoses to oil cooler; dabbed more red RTV to seal holes in oil cooler shroud; routed some avionics wires (temp.); accidentally knocked identifying shrink tubing off of CHT1 and CHT3, and had to disconnect several avionics bundles and unscrew left shelf, strip wires, do a conductivity test, and then relabel wires and reassemble everything (PITA!); final-torqued and installed manifold pressure lines; installed wires to manifold pressure sensor

- enlarged holes and installed control cable bracket; routed and partially installed throttle, mixture, prop, and alt air cables; rerouted some avionics wires (esp. the big wire bundles/connectors, which needed to go aft of the horizontal rudder pedal bar)

- installed cabin heat cables to right and left heat vents; continued installing throttle cable and cable guide; 

- installed the throttle bracket/cable and mixture bracket/cable

- rerouted some of the avionics wires to go through the center firewall passthrough; drilled holes for ANL fuses and shunts on firewall; installed “forest of tabs”

Scat hose connected between the two heat muffs: