REFLECTOR: brake lines

Grigore Rosu grosu at cs.uiuc.edu
Tue Mar 7 16:24:46 CST 2006


I just finished installing the master cylinders in my SEFG and now I'd like
to install the nylaflow brake lines.  The manual says that I should drive
them through the pilot airduct, all the way down till right before the
firewall, then have each brake line go to its corresponding leg.  I
understand the big picture, but there are all those details left that are
not mentioned in the manual, so I'd like to kindly ask those of you who are
more advanced with their projects for a few more details, even some
pictures, if possible.

First of all, I found the following picture on Velocity's website:
http://www.velocityaircraft.com/photos/Fuselage/pages/MG-CABLE-AND-BRAKELINE
0088.html
In this picture, the brake lines seem to leave the airduct way before the
firewall and are driven through some sort of a tube to the middle of the
firewall.  This is different from what they said in the manual ...

If I follow the manual, should I simply drill a larger hole in the airduct
right before the firewall?  Where exactly, in the upper or in the lower part
of the airduct?  It should not matter for the co-pilot leg, but it seems
important for the pilot leg; I guess we do not want to bend the brake line
too much ...

To me, the most natural thing to do seems to drill TWO holes, one for the
brake line of each leg.  The one for the co-pilot leg would be as low as
possible, so that the brake line smoothly goes on the bottom of the airplane
right in front of the firewall to the co-pilot leg.  The other hole, on the
pilot's side, I would drill through the bottom of the fuselage as close as
possible to the leg, so that the pilot brake line smoothly goes down the leg
to the wheel.  What I'm missing here, I guess, is what happens next with
these nylaflow tubes; how should they transit from the fuselage to the legs
so that they do not get damaged during landings?

So, what did you do with the brake lines in your airplanes?  Do you have any
pictures available?  I looked at Andy Millin's pictures, but he seems to
have an entirely different setting for his brake lines: they are of aluminum
instead of nylaflow, and they go through the keel instead of through the
airduct.

Thank you in advance,
Grigore




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