Stan Bahrns

Active Member
How important is the new fuel tank mod? I have my tank out at this time & am wondering if I should do that mod as well. I don't know how I will tackle the upholstery in that area, may have to leave it out. Any ideas? Stan
 
Stan, it is up to you, it's not required. But if the tank is already out I would do it. It will save you some spills in the future, and IMHO will make the plane more attractive at resale time if all the mods have been applied.
 
Depending on when the tank was built, there are as many as three things you can reasonably do; the corner reinforcement, the vent, and adding the new fuel gauge. We have two 12s, one flying, and one ready to fly. We are doing all three, and you might consider doing all of them while you are at it. All will add value. Actually, the reinforcement isn't all that big a deal, as long as you pay attention to possible leaks. I would look at it as basically mandatory. The vent is a safety issue in that you can get water into the tank with the early system, and the new gauge should make checking fuel level easier in bad light. Your call...

Bob
 
In thinking this over, if you decide not to do the latest mod for reinforcing the tank, one could just install the "super frangible" bolts for the time being, might just make enough difference in the event of a very hard landing.
 
Don, just curious. What are "super frangible" bolts? Does that mean they are guaranteed to work? How are they different from the first design?
Dick Seiders 120093
 
The new (REV 2) frangible bolts that come with the SB 13-12-19 tank mod kit have their heads drilled @ .370 which is deeper than the original (REV 1) bolt heads. This is supposed to allow the bolt heads to fail before the fuel tank is distorted and breached.
 
Fuel tanks vent mod pics.

Here is a few pics of the fuel tank vent installed. One change is installed a AN fitting in the aft bulkhead because of the rear interior vinyl piece. With this setup you just disconnect the tubing to remove the vinyl as discussed in another thread. :D
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More questions for you

John,

What AN fittings did you use to get through the rear bulkhead. I couldn't find a straight-thru bukhead fitting for the 3/8" connectors.
 
Through Bulkhead fitting parts numbers.

Part number for the through bulkhead fitting is AN832-6D and the nuts to hold it in place are AN924-6D.;)