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Fuel Valve Lever

W

ww2planes

Well Known Member
New Design Fuel Valve Lever

I have come up with this new lever for the standard valve that Vans sends us. I just had to do something with that ugly lever. I have attached a link to a photo of my lever. I would like to get some idea of what the RV Community thinks. If the interest is good enough I will move into production. I have a few at the color shop and they should be done next week. This lever uses the standard screw that comes with your valve and has a set screw from the rear. I tried it on my valve and it was very secure. I will have a colored unit in a friends 6A sometime after I get them back from the powder coater. The letters will be colored in in white. Let me know what you think.

http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/5218/img0001ge4.jpg
 
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Price

I looked at the Cleveland unit and it does look very nice. It is marked at a Retail Price of $47.00. Mine will be $30.00. Hope everyone wants one.
 
Final Design Ramping up Production

I have attached a photo of the final design and will hopefully have levers available within the next two weeks. I will sell to individuals and vendors. The AAG on the lever is my company name and may or may not be on the next batch. This lever should fit anywhere that the stock lever fits. If anyone is interested please send me an e-mail to [email protected]. Cost is $30.00 plus shipping. As an added note this unit uses a set screw from the rear.

http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/6126/img0002dk7.jpg
 
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Fuel Lever Now For Sale

I have been able to finalize the design of the lever and eliminate the set screw. If you have plumbed according to the plans this lever will work for you. It will point the correct direction and mount using only the screw that came with your stock valve. I had to raise the price to $34.00 due to machining issues but it is still a bargain by the standard set by my competition. Please see it at the following link. Hope everyone wants one.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150057378915
 
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Product Review

When Bill first posted that he was making the fuel lever, I sent an email stating that I was interested but with a modification. The only text I wanted on the lever was ?FUEL?. Bill response was basically ?no problem?.

Once I committed to the purchase, the lever arrived a couple of days later. It is beautifully machined billet. The white engraved lettering it set off by the red anodized color. It really is a nice piece of hardware

The new lever is literally a bolt on replacement for the old lever with no extra set screws. There is no slop in the movment of the valve with the lever installed. The lever really dresses up the fuel selection area and I could not be more happy with it! :D
 
Thank You

Thank you for the write up. I am glad that you like the lever. If you have any suggestions for improvement please let me know. Thanks again.
 
Feedback

Well I have about 14 of these levers out there now. They are on a 4, several 6's, a 7, 9, and a 10. Not all flying but they look a darn sight better than the stock lever. Feedback has been very good. One of our favorite retailers that posts here regularly will have them on his shelf early next week. This lever fits perfectly, uses only the stock screw to mount and is a lot cheaper than the other guy. I was able to eliminate the original idea of using a set screw by using a different machining process. You can be assured that this lever will never break off and will look good for the life of your plane. $34.00 is a cheap gift for that favorite RV owner. Get one for you and one for your wingman. Satisfaction is guaranteed. If you don't like it I will refund your money asap. We spend so much time and money on our little dreams, lets not forget the small things. Get yours now by clicking the link below. New photo's added in E-Bay. Check them out.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...STRK:MESE:IT&viewitem=&item=150061352918&rd=1
 
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Suggestion

To accompany your lever how about a position indicator ring ... ala Andair? The two would make a nice little dress-up kit.

-Rick
 
Ask and you shall receive

I am ordering material today and will have them sometime this month hopefully. I am looking a a 4" pattern and will have it broken into 4 quadrants with the appropriat lettering. Input on color? The other guy is plain aluminum with red lettering. I was thnking about red anodized with white lettering to match the lever. Need quick input from everyone.
 
Ask and you shall receive

I am ordering material today and will have them sometime this month hopefully. I am looking a a 4" pattern and will have it broken into 4 quadrants with the appropriat lettering. Input on color? The other guy is plain aluminum with red lettering. I was thnking about red anodized with white lettering to match the lever. Need quick input from everyone. Target price is in the $19.00 range.
 
Having the ring be red would be too much. I'd prefer plain aluminum or light colored anodizing with red or black lettering.
 
Ditto on the plain aluminum...I like the appearance of the "other guy" very well.

Count me in for a ring and lever if you get it done.
 
Greetings,

Can you tell me how long the fuel lever is from the center of the hole, to the aft (non pointer) end of the handle?

Thanks,
Rusty
 
Yea, I'd like it with a light color, Lt. silver or even white. And just to complicate things, how about green for the on positions and red for off. Also I hadn't got back to you, but I received my lever a couple of weeks ago and am very happy, can't wait to install it.
 
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Old Style

For those folks that have the old style of mounting on their valves I have a batch being made up. If I am correct you will need the flat on the rear of the lever. I need to get a tally of how many I need and I can arrange for those to be made by about the end of the year. I will talk with the retailers and arrange it through them. Indicator plates will be done soon as well. I have arrived at a nice design on a 4" plate that should look very nice.
 
Website

Well I built a website as I hope that this thing really gets going. In the linkds section I have the direct links to the item at the respective retailers. Input and suggestions are welcome and encouraged. I would like to let everyone know that Classic Aero Designs will soon have the levers in stock as well. Fuel Position Indicator Plates are in the process of being made.


www.aerogizmos.com
 
Lever Failure

I received a notice from a customer today and he advised me of a failure that he had using one of my levers. It appears that the lever did not tighten down on the shaft of the valve enough and therefore there was some type of movement that allowed the lever to round itself. The screw was tight but the lever must have been loose somehow. For everyone that has ordered one of my levers please conduct a safety inspection of your lever and ensure that this is not occuring on your craft. If it is let me know aind I will exchange it for one of the newer levers.

[email protected]
 
What got rounded?

Did the hole in the handle get rounded? Or did the flat on the shaft of the valve get rounded?

Since the valve shaft appears to be steel, and the valve appears to be aluminum (I just got mine), I suspect the former.

Is this likely to be a recurring problem?
 
Reply

I do not know what the valve shaft was like as I did not get a photo of the shaft but I know that it was one of the older installations. The lever did wear though.
 
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