Phantom progress shots

The pics below show how far I've come on the Phantom. I have to finish hooking up the wires on the engine end and attach all the wires/fuel lines to the frame with wire ties and standoffs, then I'm ready to mount the pod. Before I do that though, I have to finish sanding and painting the pod. After that, I'm on to the wings...finally!

Still working, bit-by-bit

The Phantom reconstruction is continuing, but at a much slower rate than I expected. This weekend, I worked about 4 hours on Saturday and Sunday, but I didn't get too much done.

I mounted both carburetors, mounted the fuel tank, fabricated muffler brackets and mounted the muffler, only to find that I welded the spring hooks too close to the end of the muffler. There wasn't any tension to keep the muffler in place. I'll have to fix that before the muffler is permanently mounted.


I finished the brake installation, which is much improved from the recommended Phantom method. I used pieces of steel angle iron to mount the cable adjusters and ends of the cable instead of mounting them through the brake band itself. I will pass this method on to Phantom and see if they might consider using it.

I finished the installation of the steering pushrods, once again doing away with the springs recommended by Phantom. I still think there's a bit of weakness in the pedal extensions. I've noticed in newer pedals that there is an additional stiffening plate that bolts to the side of the extension. This isn't present on my pedals, but I believe I'll have to fabricate pieces to stiffen them up a bit.




I still have lots to do before I'm ready to attach the wings. Things like EGT and CHT sensor and ignition switch wiring, finishing the throttle lever hookup, fuel system plumbing, and bunches of odds and ends stuff. It will get done some day!

I also had to remove the fan shroud from my MX to replace the fan shaft bearings. They were tight after the first hour or so of flight on the rebuilt engine. I lubed them a bit, even though they are sealed, and this made them turn easier, but they are still have bad spots in them so they will be replaced before I go flying again. I'm suffering from lack of flying time, going on about 5 weeks now for anything but flying patterns close to the field, so I'll get the repairs done soon!

Remember my post about the plane that landed on the runway without putting the gear down? Well, they finally got around to replacing the engine and were working on it on Sunday. Here's a couple of shots...