REFLECTOR: TMX-390 Install, Seats & Belts, and Intrument Panel

[Richard J. Gentil]

Been making good progress lately (especially for working one day a week 
on the Velo). The TMX-390 is hanging in it's final position. Getting the 
Plenum to fit under the cowl meant lowering the engine to the point that 
I will need to make a couple of cuts to the lower cowl to get it to fit. 
I thought the lower cowl was better to cut then the upper cowl. I 
figured I would keep the money side looking streamlined. It turned out 
that the intake tubes as well at the Exhaust Stacks, that Velocity 
sells, needed a lot of modifying in order to use with the 390. Scott and 
Duane even got in on the modifying of the stacks. It took a couple of 
weeks for it to be completed and shipped back to me. I plan on fitting 
them tomorrow. (Fingers crossed it all goes well.) I was wondering what 
solutions others have used to get their engines to fit their cowlings?

After several design attempts to get a four point harness to work with 
an inertial reel, I have had to drop the idea. There was just no way to 
get it mounted in the ceiling in a place that the rear passengers could 
get in and out of the SERG without hitting their heads on the reels. I 
do have 4" x 4" hard points which Scott made for me in order to put in 
the ceiling with Uni in order to have a non inertial 4 point. (Then 
there is always the option to quit trying to re-engineer the belts and 
go with the 3 point system Velocity recommends.)

After lining and drilling the seat backs and seat pans, I ended up 
having to take a clamp plus a heat gun in order to get the sides at a 90 
degree angle. It was the only thing I could think of in order to keep 
the hinges from binding. I had originally planned on using the original 
seat rails that came with my kit but I opted for the new ball bearing 
seat rails. I found the mounting points on the new rails to be very 
different from my old rails. The original hard points, which had been 
glassed in about 8 years ago would not work. Since I am 6'2" and my wife 
is barely 5'1" I thought about using the original rear hard points for 
my seat and add in a new hard points based on that location of the front 
half of the new seat rail and using the original front hard points for 
my wife's seat and adding in new hard points for the rear of her seat. I 
could not find any way to get the travel needed in order for both front 
seats to be install in the same location and have both of us be able to 
reach the rudder pedals. I was wondering if anyone else has had this 
issue and found another solution?

Finally I pulled the trigger and ordered the Blue Mountain Avionics for 
my panel. I went with a Dual EFIS/ONE, EFIS/Lite Plus, and Power Board 
(the new 70amp version). The EFIS/Lite Plus is my redundancy, should the 
EFIS/ONE fail. I figure I would use the EFIS/Lite Plus to display the 
engine monitor during normal flights when the EFIS/ONE is working. But 
should the EFIS/ONE fail, the EFIS/Lite Plus can still control the 
autopilot and give all the functions you can get from the EFIS/ONE. I 
attached a rough layout of what I expect to use for the EFIS and Radios. 
Still not figured out where to put all the Switch Annunciators, Breaker 
Switches,  Gear Switch, Engine Controls, etc.

Richard
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