Most Recommended FWF and Finish Kit Deletions and their Aftermarket Substitutes

Hi folks!

I need to get going on ordering my RV10 Finishing Kit so I can spend the next 18 months clicking refresh on my browser to get a tracking update

Anyway, I'm hoping we can start a thread from those of you who have pioneered in this space.

I'm very interested to learn which stock Van's items YOU personally requested be deleted from your finishing kit.

It would also be very helpful to learn which aftermarket item you chose to replace the deleted part.

Finally, I'd love to know if you had to do it over again, would you do the same thing or chose a different route.

Thanks all!

PS I guess I should also ask for your advice also on the FWF kit!

What I did:
- Depending on what engine you ordered, get a cowl to match. I ordered the Thunderbolt Cold Air Sump IO-540. Warning - this turned out to be a lot more expensive than I anticipated. I’ll be using the new James Cowl modified for the cold air sump.
- Consider deleting the main gear wheel pants. They are excessively wide. On the first RV-10 I used the James 6” wheel pants and liked them.
- Deleted get main gear wheels and brakes. I bought the more robust Matco setup for the RV-10: https://matcoals.com/product/whl-brk-wi600-rv-10-config/
- Add the Plane Around cam door lock: https://planearound.com/shop/ols/products/new-door-180-kit
- Add the Matco nose wheel axle.
https://matcoals.com/product/axle-assembly-a24-1-25-inch/
https://matcoals.com/product/spacer-axle24-kit/

- Deleted the nose wheel and replaces with the Matco NW511.25. Here is a cut and paste of old posts on this:
Some of you have been reporting a possible clearance issue between the valve stem and the nose wheel fork. I laid my parts out on the table and started measuring. Something didn't add up so I contacted MATCO, the manufacturer of the wheel. This is their input:
"The NW501.25 is machined for use with an 1145 (Lamb) tire. It sounds like you are trying to use a 5.00x5 tire and tube on it? The NW511.25 is designed for the 5.00x5 tire which has a long valve stem. The NW511.25 has the valve entry hole on the back half of the wheel to accommodate the longer stem of the 5.00x5 tube." (George Happ - MATCO Mfg.)

Passed this on to Van's and got this back from Gus:
"The NW501.25 has been used on ALL RV-10 finish kits, and is on all the flying RV-10s, using the 5.00x5 tire and tube. The tires are essentially interchangeable; several builders have used the smaller Lamb tire on the 5.00x5 main gear of the two place airplanes. We don't use the 511.25 to avoid stocking two different parts. The valve stem does come close to the fork. On ours, with a plastic cap on the stem, the clearance is about 1/16. It probably may vary a little, if it hits you might have to leave the cap off." (Gus Funnell)

For FWF, I don’t use these kits. I use different key components such as:
- B&C 60 amp alternator
- AirFlow Systems 2006X oil cooler (the same on Van’s uses on the 119 RV-14).
- PCU 5000X prop governor.

Carl

For sure the Plane Around door latch, I also suggest their main wheel pant mounting spacer.

Machined attachments for the elevator trim cables instead of the welded nut-on-a-plate setup. Also use nut plates to attach the cable mounts to the cover plate.

Also, here are some more tips.

https://vansairforce.net/community/showthread.php?t=191871

Thank you Mike and Carl! That's exactly the sort of specific advice I was looking for.