Alex's RV-14A Build Log: 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:

Scat hoses connected between the last muff and the right heat vent:

Scat hose connected to the left heat vent:

Airwolf remote oil filter head unit, temporarily installed to check for hose clearance and distances:

Another view of the Airwolf hoses:

Airwolf remote oil filter, connected and safety-wired:

Teats-down, ass-up ... the next few weeks/months will have me in this position a LOT (FAA, yes, that's my bum). I think I was installing the nuts/bolts for the remote oil filter:

To remind myself of which filter I need to buy (different than the filter originally attached to the engine):

Breather tube, installed (those adel clamps were a bit of a pain):

Parts of the oil cooler assembly, primed and ready to be installed:

Oil cooler assembly partly riveted together, and sealed for leaks with high temp red RTV:

Fuel and oil manifold, for sensors. The fuel sensor is on the right of this pic, and the oil pressure sensor is on the left, underneath. On the left sticking out is an oil pressure switch - this is required to turn the analog Hobbs meter on ONLY when the engine is running. I just hope it works, since that wasn't in the plans (but seemed to be in my avionics design):

Oil cooler platform, installed:

Switching gears, here is the main connector for the P-mag; another fun install (clearance for the two flat-head screws was almost nil), but with the right tools, not impossible.

Back to the oil cooler; these little gaskets were installed with silicone adhesive (NOT RTV, per plans):

P-mag connector, installed - phew! I almost thought I would have to disconnect the backup alternator (you can see one of the nuts in the middle-top part of this picture):

Terminated the first 3 (of about 80) wires that need to be connected to the central avionics bundles. Then I called Ken B., who said I better install the control cables and reroute some of my wires ... thanks Ken! That was a lifesaver; it would have sucked to terminate all those wires, only to figure out half of them needed to be moved:

Oil cooler, installed. I'm waiting on a replacement oil filler tube, since the one from Lycoming seemed to have been cross-threaded (not by me):

Cabin heat controls, installed:

The wimpy little control cable bracket from Van's is shown at the top. On the bottom is the beefy one from SteinAir. I had to up-size the holes, but otherwise, it was an easy install: