Installation currently in process
There is a lot of good information in the archives about this retrofit.
I had two reasons for choosing to make the change:
1. Increasing the tire size to 380/150 x 5. They don't fit under the original pants.
2. The reported promise of more speed. Hey, it might actually pay for the parts over time.
That being said, I have found that it is a lot more work than I anticipated - but I suppose one might say that about most construction items.
The directions convinced me that component alignment is critical. Somewhere I read that 1/4" misalignment would result in the skid-slip ball being 1/2 diameter out. Consequently - out came the plumb bobs, chalk lines, 4' steel rules, fabrication of a vertical wall with a vertical centerline and the laser levels. Because I have no assistant, it took me longer to accomplish all of this stuff.
Fiberglass work involves lots of mixing, spreading and sanding and sanding and sanding (no the record didn't stick - my shoulders are falling off
![Smile :) :)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
). I also chose to do some lower cowl fiberglass work at the same time to make certain that the addition of reflective material inside the cowl, a minor exhaust pipe modification and heat shield installation has corrected the paint heat blister issue I had.
I will report the results once I am finally finished.
Larry Tompkins
544WB RV-6A
W52 Battle Ground, WA