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Firewall Forward kit

D

Dorfie

Well Known Member
Getting ready to order FWF kit. Before I do, I have some questions and also would like to get your input. It is not very clear from the inventory where all the listed hoses go.
1. Are the fuel and oil hoses supplied by Vans the life-long Teflon type? Is the hose from throttle body to fuel divider included? Are the fuel and oil hoses fire sleeve protected? My plan is to install the Flightline hoses wherever I can. If Vans supply same quality, I'll stick with Vans for FWF.
2. FWF kit comes with prop governor. However, there is a bracket for the prop control cable, Part# VA-153-PC, that I cannot find listed in the FWF kit inventory. Is it included in the kit?
3. Any other items/thoughts/suggestions before ordering?
Thanks.
Johan
 
ordering

I ordered FWF kit from Vans and did not delete any hoses...but in the end I had Tom at Flightline build almost all new hoses because I wanted them fire sleeved and almost all the Vans hoses were not the exact length I wanted for our configuration. you also need to plan the red cube mount which will require different hose lengths. Tom's service is the best!
The Va-153 bracket is not needed if you build baffle kit to plans.....but I did use the Va-153 because our prop cable is mounted above engine utilizing this bracket. I also did not mount the heat muf air intake in the left front baffle intake but next to the right rear muf intake. The reason for all this is in the future, the Showplanes cowl will be a straight forward retro fit as the air intake will interfere with these two items coming in from bottom left ramp.
I think there is been talk of upgrading the oil cooler from Vans stock from Airflow but I did not. Plenty info here on this subject.
Double check the spacer bushing required with some alternator/ flywheel confiquration.
 
I deleted all hoses from my FFwd kit and had them made to length by Bonaco. Vans has to make several assumptions in order to provide hoses, and your configuration may not match their assumptions. There's myriad of variations like FI spider location, oil cooler location, cable orientation/location, firewall penetration, etc. For all the Vans hoses to fit your particular aircraft, you'd have to be a lucky man indeed. :)
 
I used FWF kit for my IO-320 RV9a and all the hoses worked. The fuel hoses were all fire sleeved. I did re-rout the hose from the fuel servo to the spider. I went up the front of the engine rather than the rear. I did not have to buy any additional or custom hoses.
 
If you get your hoses from Vans, you may run into some issues with them not fitting perfect for your routings. We have found that every installation is slightly different. There are different variations based on fuel flow transducers, etc....

Also, we recommend fire sleeve on all FF hoses

If you have any questions, please let us know. We are always there to help out.

Happy building,
Steve

P.S. Just another plug for Tom. We work closely together and talk almost daily. Being aircraft builders, the two of us LOVE doing this, and really enjoy the challenges of working with other builders to get their installations perfect.
 
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Thanks for replies

I got a lot of info quickly. I certainly want fire sleeved Teflon hoses. I think I will not order the Vans hoses.
How easy is it to measure the correct length of hose needed (I once tried to measure the correct length for fan belt.....disastrous!)
Johan
 
Ordering hoses

I find easiest is to use a poly hose or something similar, cut and fit in place...then measure length and give hose manufacture length based on nose to nose. Make sure you specify hose end size and angle.
 
Dorfie said:
I got a lot of info quickly. I certainly want fire sleeved Teflon hoses. I think I will not order the Vans hoses.
How easy is it to measure the correct length of hose needed (I once tried to measure the correct length for fan belt.....disastrous!)
Johan
Click to expand...

The advice about using a piece of cheap plastic tubing is a good one and will help out with routings. You can let us know distances between the ends of the flares that the hoses will attach to, or you can use a complete hose length. We can adapt to whichever way you measure.

If you go to http://www.aircraftspecialty.com/kitplanehoses/hoses.html, you will find more information on the hoses we use, how they are assembled, how to measure, etc....

Finally, Tom (TSFLIGHTLINES) or I will be happy to send you actual hose and fittings if you have something that needs difficult measuring or clocking. For instance, if you have two 90 degree fittings that need to be clocked in a certain way in relation to each other, we have found that it is sometimes easiest to send you the hose and fittings. Then, we have you fit them and mark their orientations in relation to each other. When you send them back, we can crimp them. This ensures that they are perfect.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact either of us.

Have a great day,
Steve
 
Actually, most of the issues with FWF packages is the location of the fuel flow transducer. I've seen them in just about every location imaginable, and then some. The supply hose from the firewall bulkhead fitting to the mechanical pump is pretty much the same for 6's, 7's, 9, & 10's, maybe with an inch or so difference. Its plumbing the cube that complicates things. Some builders put it in the supply hose from the pump to the servo, and some between the servo and flow divider. That location make all the difference in the world, and that combination of hoses is NOT in the FWF kit. Way too many possible combinations to list.

But---since we custom make hoses, we can build anything you want.
Tom
 
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