L

laz

Well Known Member
I am installing Same James Wheel Pants on my RV8. Sam has the Axel centers marked on the pants to locate height and for and aft location which takes the guess work out of the mounting. Problem is this installation only allows for a 1/2" clearance between the top of the tire and the inside of the wheel pants and even is less if you install screws and nut plate anywhere near the top. Vans uses 1" clearance.

I have looked at may of the threads and just would like the latest opinion on minimum clearance . I intend to fly this 8 on grass fields when done.

On a related subject. what is the general consensus on max amount of toe in or out on the RV8 gear. The Instructions I have from Van's says none is best but indicate 1/4 deg. in or out. I called the Vans help line and one support person said if anything Toe in is preferable. We have used a couple of methods of measuring this and 1/4 Deg. is darn hard to detect.

Any help is appreciated.
 
Clearance - no help from me.

I just fitted mine on a 7 and deliberately fitted the nut plates to avoid additional clearance issues. I think I am 1/2 to 3/4" clearance, The wheel will stick out the bottom a bit more than a Vans pant anyway. That makes them seem a bit small. You will have to make your own intersection fairings.

What mounting brackets will you use - the x bracket (maybe Vince Frazier?) or the James bracket design?
I used the James design and looking at the x brackets it seems to address some of the geometric fit challenges I had.

If I get energetic the complete Vans pants will be fitted and compared to the speed of the James. It will take a year to get flying broken-in and stable data all sorted out.
 
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go to the hardware store and buy hoses that have the OD which provide the clearance you want between the tire and wheel pant.

Tape a piece of hose on either side of the center of the tire using the tire thread as guides.

Place the wheel pants on and forget about the marking on the pants.

I stole that idea from a TV show. They used it to get the right clearance between motorcycle tires and the fenders.

Good luck.
 
I raised my SJ pants about a half inch above the recommended height and still find that I have less wheel pant to ground clearance than virtually any other RV I see. IMO, the stock height is great if you always land on smooth pavement and never bounce a landing.
 
Kyle Boatright said:
I raised my SJ pants about a half inch above the recommended height and still find that I have less wheel pant to ground clearance than virtually any other RV I see. IMO, the stock height is great if you always land on smooth pavement and never bounce a landing.
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Mine are old so maybe they shrank.

X-bracket - I just know I saw a picture of it on (I think) a rocket site. Is is literally shaped like an X and mounted in the center line the Vans. It has 4 points of contact pretty far out. The position and orientation is determined by the following:

axial - center bolt to axle center.
Roll, Combination of Center bold and X bracket
Pitch - X bracket or what ever is attached to the inside brake flange.

Axel had a good idea for clearance. I made a 2-d cross section of the wheel from cardboard, drilled some holes in the assembled unit and attached it to a pivot to create the original wheel opening. Check Axel's VAF build beginning at post #214
 
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SJ

Hey Bill I used the brackets from Vans for my SJ pants and they worked fine also used Vans lower fairing used RV Bits from Cleveland on top fairing wish I had used bits on wheel pant also.
Bob
 
6 Gun said:
Hey Bill I used the brackets from Vans for my SJ pants and they worked fine also used Vans lower fairing used RV Bits from Cleveland on top fairing wish I had used bits on wheel pant also.
Bob
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Mike Bullock also used the Vans brackets for the pants. I got the RVbits intersection pieces for upper and lower. A little mod for upper, but just bit the bullet and formed the lowers in place, the RVBits were not close. Nice to have them fit perfectly! But gawd what lot of sanding and still not ready for paint. I have high hopes for the paint guy.:D
 
Guys, the "X-bracket", aka "the starfish" is on my site at www.vincesrocket.com.... the very first Rocket site on the web... so it's been around for awhile.

Here's the SJ pants installation on this page:
http://vincesrocket.com/landing gear and related stuff.htm

I have 350 hours on turf with the .063 starfish and it has been trouble free.

I also welded up an outboard bracket that differs from the giant aluminum nut that some use. It also has been trouble free.

I would do the same again.
 
Thanks for everyones input. Unfortunately the X bracket will not work on the Straight RV8. The mounting bracket is totally different. You can actually use the stock Vans bracket. After much thought and consultation, I have decided to raise the clearance that Sam James uses by an additional 3/8 to 1/2 inch. I have friends that fly a lot out of grass and the 1/2 clearance is pretty minimal on grass.

A friend of mine also showed me a slick way to mount the top nut plates to keep them from digging into the tires. He installs them upside down and runs a tap thru them. You end up getting the same thread engagement. They end up almost flush with the interior and a little lock tite keeps them from backing out. This is only really necessary on the very top ones.
 
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