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Originally Posted by walter
If you've complied with the SB, what did you find?
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Well, I dove in today and fixed up my tanks to comply with the SB.
First, it took 7 hours to do both tanks, including drainging 7 gallons of gas, removing the intersection fairings and reinstalling everything.
I'll give some of the rest of you a bit more detail as I sure wanted some before I started... Tools required. 1 stiff and 1 flexable 1 1/4" putty knives. a 1/2" x 3/4" block of hardwood. Hammer, 3/8" short handled socket set with 1/4" socket. Short phillips ACR bit to go in the 1/4" socket. Make sure the ratchet has a smooth top (mine has the release button on the back) so you can apply pressure with one hand while turning it. Waggner heat gun.
Using the ratchet all of the screws came out with no trouble at all. Very easy overall. So now my confidence is high... Hum, how to get the putty knife started... There is only one location that you can get it started, that's the lower front section. Everywhere else has too large of a flange on the edge of the tanks (at least on the RV9 tanks). A little heat and a lot of pushing with the flexable knife got it started. Now others have said to slice through the proseal. That works for about 2" in each direction, then your knife bottoms out and there is no other way to get leverage on it.
After lots of head scratching I finally started prying on the access cover with my stiff putty knife. By applying heat, and simply prying up and outward it started to let loose. I pryed the first side that I had access to out enough to fit the 3/4" block of oak in place and hold it open. Then moving the knife and prying more with more heat the rest of the flange let go.
By now I figured I would have a taco from all the force needed to get it free, but the plate is still flat and unbent after the event. All my connections were still tight just as the day I built it... 450hrs and 3 years of flying. I drilled them and drilled the corner of the anti-rotation bracket as others have. Next was to clean up the proseal. Scraping with the putty knife and an exacto knife got most of it off, then some red scotch brite took the rest off nicely. Once the plate is done, then you need to clean the tank flange, bit harder, but not bad compared to what you've already done by now.
I got the single serving proseal from Vans so I would have a new batch. You simply mix it in the can it comes in. They have that down perfect as it was just enough with about a marble sized drop left when finished. Proseal on both the flange of the tank and the access cover, put it in place and put a touch of proseal on each screw as they get started. I used all new screws (just the same #8 screws) They were easy to get in place using the same ratchet.
All in all it was not that bad, but was the worst thing I've had to do since I started flying my 9A 3 years ago. Oh well... Good times! Now... How long does that proseal need to cure before filling those tanks?
Good luck with yours...