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Is there stiffeners used to upgrade the aluminum support structure for the top of the nose gear of a 601 HD. Have an older kit and was told to check. Not sure what to look for. Can anyone help me out?
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I contacted Zenith and got the sheets for the 650 firewall so that I could use the new rubber donuts instead of the bungee. The vertical channel is a little bit wider and the top bearing is also reinforced.
Hi Bob,
I added a couple of stiffeners to make my 601HD sort of similar to the XL firewall. I'm nearly done riveting these parts onto the firewall. If you're interested, I could send you a photo in a couple of days.
Roy Eichendorf
Hepburn, SK
That would be great to get a couple of photos.
Hi Bob, sorry for the delay, but my camera's memory card had died.
I've uploaded three pics of my nearly-complete firewall subassembly. I had bought the Zenair rubber donut nose gear upgrade kit, so I added an .063 angle to each side of the vertical stiffener. I also beefed up the middle of the upper horizontal stiffener with an .063 flat plate. There is an .025 channel riveted near the bottom end to stiffen that area, when the nose gear stops strike the vertical stiffener at full rudder deflection.
I will install a 1/4" thick nylon bearing adjacent the top and bottom aluminum bearings, similar (but not identical) to the XL design. On the back side, I bent a piece of .025 into a "channel" shape, sort of similar to the XL. I will not use the standard 16 gal header tank, so there is room for this extra stiffener. I believe this will help to keep everything rigid for the forward-hinged canopy upgrade (also bought from Zenair).
I made simple galvanized slides and slide covers for the steering rods, as per the recent upgrade design. There are leather boots on the back side to prevent CO from entering the cabin. I plan to use RTV sealant all-around the perimeter of the firewall for additional protection from CO. The firewall will be installed after I have installed the rudder pedals & brakes.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Cheers,
Roy
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