Delux throttle quadrants, who supplies these and what are the experiences of fitting/using these against the ones Vans sells. Note intend to put rear seat throttle in as well.
If you're looking for the DJM deluxe throttle quadrants, Van's sells them here. They install the same as the stock quadrants, and I think they're worth every penny.
A rear-seat throttle is easy to install and interface with the DJM throttle.
The Van's quadrant is OK (it's basically an ACS unit), but upgraded quadrant is significantly nicer. It looks better and feels better and I don't regret the extra cost one bit and I'm still glad I did it.
Pony up the extra dough; you won't regret it.
I'm editing this post because I quoted Dan and forgot to comment - multi-tasking or brainless today, you decide. Anyway, yes, you need to re-work the top cover of the throttle quadrant mount in the -8 to get the cover to fit lower. Simple mod and it will be self explanatory when you start working on it.
Consider making your own. Over the years I have installed and used many different quadrants, including he DJM unit. None of them are perfect and some do not work smoothly after a few hours of use. Most do not even have the hole in the lever drilled in a spot that will allow full travel of the cable. I made one using material that I had laying around the shop. This is a relatively simple project compared to many other parts of the aircraft and it can be easily done in an afternoon.
This time I went with a two quadrant lever, throttle and prop, and installed a quality vernier control for the mixture. In practise I much prefer this set up as it is easier to get an exact mixture setting with the vernier than it is with a quadrant; a quarter turn of the mixture is 1/10 of a gallon, every time, try that with a quadrant!
Below are a couple of pictures of the unit. I used strips of hard white plastic for the friction control and after 200 hours it is the nicest operating unit that I have flow with. Note that in the final installation the friction knob extends through the panel. The Vernier cable is located in the bottom left hand corner of the main panel which is in a good location relative to the quadrant.
