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Looking for suggestions on running lines, wires, etc.....
On my Cruzer, I know the center tunnel is famous for having to be very careful in running anything under the torque tube in order to avoid any interference or abrasion. I'm thinking that "stuff" that has to go from the baggage area forward to the panel would include:
Pitot / Static lines
brake lines
fuel lines
fuel gauge wire
comm coax
ELT control wires to panel
flap servo wire
trim servo wire
Did you run all of this in the center tunnel, or did you split some out to run along the outer sides of the fuselage? I'm thinking all electric could run along one side, with the pitot/static, fuel, & brake lines running thru the tunnel.
Your thoughts / experiences? If all in the tunnel, pics would be helpful and appreciated. Thanks!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Donald K. Pardon on
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Carl,
We have run brake and fuel lines and "wire" chases down both sides of the fuselage. The only wire in our 'tunnel' will be the mic switch wires from the "Y" stick. See the attached photos.
Don
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Permalink Reply by Carl Orton on
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The second link you sent threw a Norton "dangerous site" warning, so I don't know what view you shared. How did you keep feet from interfering with the lines? I.e., how did you secure them, were they covered by side panel trim, etc.?
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Permalink Reply by Robert Riat on
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I wouldn’t say the way I ran the lines on my 750 was the neatest or the best, but it worked
for me. I have a fuel injected engine so that meant return fuel lines so that added to the
confusion. Anyway, I ran most of the lines down the pilot side, the coax next to the pass.
side center console and then fabricated removable covers for both. One negative was that I
didn’t use the side cover which came with the seats on the pilot side. I will try and add pics. - Attachments:
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Permalink Reply by John Austin on
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I ran fuel and brake lines on both sides along the lower edge of the inner sides of the center tunnel. I "butterflied" Adel clamps so minimize the number of fasteners, like this:
Most other wiring and pitot/static lines were run along the lower edge of the inner sidewalls of the fuselage after exiting at the front seat base support. I insulated my floor with "GIC" foam from Hi-Tech Foam - it's an extremely lightweight, skinned, self-adhesive, burn-certified foam about 1/2" thick (if you don't see it listed on their website, call them, they have it!) - and this created a crevice between the floor and the sidewall where the wires and lines could run somewhat protected.
John
N750A
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Permalink Reply by Clint L Gosch on
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Hi Carl, I managed to get everything arrainged and fit into the tunnel without any interference. Brakes and left fuel line on the left tunnel wall. Left/right wing, flap and ELT electrical, pitot/static, and right fuel line on the right tunnel wall. To eliminate interferences, I ran all the lines at the same height as the torque tube along the tunnel walls, then angled all the lines downward at the pitch control pivot point. This kept all the lines out of the controls with plenty of clearance. If you need fuel return lines, it might get too tight to manage. Hope this helps!
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Thanks, Clint; that helps explain a lot. Just curious; it looks like you fastened each side using just 3 adel clamps with some zip ties to hold everything together. And those adel clamps seem like you obtained a larger size and "oval-ed" them to accommodate everything in one clamp. Am I correct, or did you use six clamps ON EACH side of the tunnel?
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Hi Carl, The picture is missing some details I should have mentioned. On the right side I ovaled an oversized clamp to contain the electrical and fuel line (I encased the fuel line in a nylon braid and double wrapped the electrical wires in the same type of braid to prevent abrasion.) The clamp size was chosen so that minimal compression was placed on the wires and fuel line. The on the left side I used John's butterfly technique to attach the fuel line and brake lines separately to the tunnel wall. I probably could have used the ovaled clamps but everything seemed to fit and route better with this arraignment (brake lines were much less flexible than my wires). The biggest challenge was trying to locate the proper position for the forward clamp with respect to the torque tube pitch control pivot point. I left those clamps off until I was sure of where I needed to drill them to the walls in order to have all the lines clear all the controls in that area. It is a bit tight, and takes some experimentation to get it right, but it should all fit. So, 6 clamps on the left, and three on the right is what I ended up with.
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