SONEX & AEROVEE INFO, HINTS & TIPS
                                                                                                                                         Revised: Dec. 18, 2008; Version 6.0
 
Disclaimer: this information is not official Sonex  information, nor is it in any way endorsed by Sonex. I am providing this information as a service to potential or new Sonex builders. Use your own best judgment in deciding whether or not to use any of this information, and do so at your own risk. 
                             ___________________________________________
 
I can give you some general information and advice based on my experience in building my Sonex and AeroVee engine. Building the Sonex and the AeroVee are two of the most rewarding things I have done, and now I am having a lot of fun with the completed plane. So far I have landed in all the lower 48 states in my Sonex, and am doing basic aerobatics in it. All this in a 700 pound, $ 30,000, airplane that only burns 4 GPH.  I do not believe there is any better value on the market.
 
I have digital photos available for most of the items or suggestions mentioned in this information and will be happy to E-mail them to you.
          Phil Simon, Sonex 492, San Rafael, Calif.  E-mail: philsimon777@comcast.net
 
There is a 20 minute video on Google Videos of me presenting some of these Hints and Tips at the American Sonex Association meeting in Crossville, Tenn., in Oct 2007. See:
                   http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5339441798435128999
 
I have flown over 15,000 miles cross country in this Sonex and landed in all 48 lower states. The Sonex has over 20,000 miles on it when you add in the flying done by my partner on his flights to and from Oshkosh. It is a strong, safe, capable and economical plane to fly cross country in. There are some photos of my second cross country flight (6,800 miles to 32 states) posted at:
                     http://www.flickr.com/photos/eaa1232/sets/72157602987053928/
 
There are links on the Sonex web site to my written reports (posted on SonexTalk and SonexPlans) about the three big cross country flights I have taken in the Sonex. Go to the Sonex web site, then click on “Press Room”, then click on “Sonex Flying Stories”: 
                                 http://www.sonexaircraft.com/press/flyingstories.html
 
     a.   August 2006, returning from Oshkosh (My partner flew the plane to Oshkosh) landing in 10 states.
     b.   Sept, Oct 2007 a 32 state flight around much of the US to attend the American Sonex Association Convention in Crossville, Tennessee.
     c.   July 2008, a 28 state flight to the north east to land in the last 12 states of the lower 48 that I had not landed in with the Sonex.
                              __________________________________________
 
                     SONEX HINTS & TIPS
 
     1.      WORK TABLE:
 
Building the Sonex requires no fixtures or jigs; you need only a sturdy, level work table on which to build the entire plane. To make the table I used one 4 X 8 feet sheet of 3/4 inch thick plywood with one side finished smooth. You do NOT need a 12 foot long table – that is only recommended for builders who are scratch building and buying large sheets of aluminum. Build legs to hold the table at a good height that is comfortable for you. I used 6 legs made out of 4 X 4 inch wood. I first made a square frame out of 2 X 4 inch wood to support the plywood top surface. Remember to leave a “lip” or edge of plywood sticking out all around the 2X4 frame. You need this lip to clamp things to the table. Also build two shelves between the legs and under the table. On the bottom shelf you can store the flat aluminum material until you build something out of it. The upper shelf you can put your tools on.  I also drilled a hole in the bottom of each leg and installed a threaded brass insert. I put a bolt into each of these and used the bolts to adjust the length of the legs to get the table level. Most floors are not level and this will help you get the table perfectly level. Note: EAA Chapter 1000 has a web site with detailed information, and parts list, on how to build a bench. See: http://www.eaa1000.av.org/technicl/worktabl/worktabl.htm
 
 
     2.  TOOL ISLAND:
 
I built a moveable 3’ X 3’  wooden “TOOL ISLAND” on wheels (use large 4” rubber wheels, not little ones) that I could move around the shop area. I liked this better than having the tools all on a bench. On the top of the island I kept four tools (drill press, band saw, belt sander and grinder motor). I had magnetic base lights on the tools so I could see my work. I put a drawer under the drill press and kept all the drill bits, unibits, drill index, etc. there. Also a shelf on the bottom of the Island where I kept a small vacuum cleaner to pick up the chips and dust and also pieces of wood (1X2, 2X4, 4X4) that are needed to back up the aluminum when you are drilling, etc.  Also, I kept the chop saw on the shelf. I mounted a 2X4 vertically  in the center of the island top and mounted a power strip there to plug all the tools, lights and vacuum into. I then ran an extension cord up the 2X4 to a ceiling electrical outlet that I installed. The cord is long enough that I could move the island all over the shop without having to plug or unplug the unit.
 
 
     3.     PLANS:
 
You will refer to the plans hundreds of times, so I found it helpful to have them in a spot where it is easy to read them. I built a plywood support (a back and a lip along the bottom edge to support the plans) and hung this on the wall and set the plans on this. I used clamps to hold the plans in place. There is a “building tree” in the front of the plans and after I completed a part and was finished with that portion I used a yellow “Highlighter pen” to color that box on the building tree yellow. Remember that if you buy the kit instead of scratch building that about 1/ 3 of the boxes can be colored yellow as those parts are already completed!
 
 
     4.     LIGHTS, ELECTRIC and AIR SUPPLY:
 
     a.   LIGHTS: It is easier to work if you can see what your are doing so I installed three sets of quality fluorescent lights above the table and two other sets nearby and was very happy that I installed all five sets. Above the work table, in addition to the good lighting, I installed:
     b.   ELECTRICITY:  I installed two electrical outlets hanging down to plug in tools like electric drills. Also to the side I hung a reel with a retractable electric cord and this was handy, as some times I worked on the floor and I could pull the cord down to the work location.
     c.   AIR: Also, I installed three air outlets, each with a quick disconnect fitting, in the ceiling above the work table and a fourth air outlet off to one end of the table where I hung a retractable air hose on a reel with a trigger operated air nozzle which was handy for blowing away chips, etc.
 
 
     5.     SHOP TOOLS: You will need some larger electric tools and air tools:
 
     AIR TOOLS: I used air drills and an air riveter to build the airplane. They are much noisier than an electric drill, but turn many times faster and drill quicker. I had these air tools hanging from the ceiling above the table. Each one was supplied by a coiled air line (yellow plastic coiled tubing) and hung from a retractable reel or tool balancer reel with an adjustable tension knob (Hubbell-Gleason series ED, #BD-03).  This was a wonderful arrangement as I was able to reach up, pull down a tool, use it, then let go and it would retract back above the table.
     RIVETING: Even if you do not use air drills, you positively MUST buy a pneumatic riveter. You will destroy your hands and wrists trying to squeeze 15,000 rivets by hand. The $ 35 blue pneumatic riveter from Harbor Freight is adequate for this project.
     DRILLING: You will be drilling almost 30,000 holes! 15,000 holes #40 size and 15,000 holes #30 size. I had one air drill with the #40 drill bit and a second air drill with the #30 drill bit (this saves changing the drill bit 60,000 times!) and the third air line with the pneumatic riveter. This was a wonderful arrangement as I was able to reach up, pull down the #40 drill and drill the hole, then let go and the drill would retract back above the table. Later I would do the same thing with the #30 drill, and later with the riveter.
 
     ELECTRIC TOOLS:
     a.     DRILL PRESS - a small to medium size table top drill press, make sure it has a good chuck. I paid $ 35 ($ 39 -$ 4 coupon I downloaded on-line) at Harbor Freight for the drill press and later on I spent $ 50 for a better drill chuck from a tool supply house. The table top drill press was just fine for this job.
     b.     BAND SAW - a small to medium size band saw (buy the two wheel saw NOT the three wheel band saw – they break the saw blades as the diameter of the wheel is too small). You do NOT need a metal cutting band saw (slow RPM), Aluminum is not really hard like metal - it is much softer and a higher speed wood cutting band saw works fine.
     c.     BELT SANDER - I bought a Harbor freight a combination disc and belt sander for sanding off rough edges. It was just fine; also you need spare sanding discs and belts and the adhesive for attaching the discs.
     d.     GRINDER MOTOR - a table mounted grinder motor with a “Scotch Brite” wheel (for deburring sharp edges) on one side and a polishing wheel on the other side. BTW, one Scotch Brite wheel is enough to build the entire plane; it must be balanced when you first mount it by just pushing some metal against it and letting it wear on the high side; additionally you will have to rotate it every so often to keep its shape.
      These do not have to be the best quality tools.  All of the above tools that I used were from Harbor freight. However, the drill press chuck was no good so I had to purchase a higher quality drill chuck.
     e.    CHOP SAW - Optional, NOT required. A “chop saw” with tungsten carbide tipped blade is handy for cutting long pieces of angle that are too long to fit in the band saw. The chop saw really throws the chips and you must wear a long sleeve shirt and a plastic face guard to protect your self when you cut with it. This is an optional tool. You can cut the long pieces with a hack saw, or a cutting disc on a hand grinder; it is just easier and faster with the chop saw.
 
 
     6.   COMPRESSOR & PRESSURE REGULATOR:
 
     a.   AIR COMPRESSOR: You will need air at least to operate the pneumatic riveter. The pneumatic riveter requires very little air and I think that an inexpensive “Pancake” compressor might do that job. However, I do not recommend that type of compressor. Do NOT buy a cheap oil-less compressor. It will not last at all. Buy the largest compressor you can afford, or fit into your shop. The plane can be built using electric motor hand drills. However, a pneumatic drill does a much better job as it turns much faster. Pneumatic drills use a lot of air. I recommend that you get the largest air storage tank you can possibly get. That way your compressor can replace the air at it’s rate while you might be drawing air out of the tank at a greater rate. Compressors are VERY NOISY (as are the pneumatic drills) so you will have to wear hearing protection when drilling. The neighbors won’t like the noise from the compressor. I ended up putting foam board insulation on the inside of my garage doors to reduce the noise from my compressor going into the neighborhood.  I was able to get a good deal on a pretty large 230 Volt, 60 gallon tank compressor at Home Depot. They had a program where you could pay it off in a year w/o any interest. It was great having the large tank as I could drill a long time with out the compressor coming on.
     b.   220V POWER SUPPLY: My larger compressor ran on 220V instead of 110V. I did not have 220V anywhere. But remember that two separate 110V lines can be joined to get 220V; so I installed an additional circuit breaker into my house circuit breaker panel and ran a new 110V line to the garage. There I joined the new 110V line and the old 110V line into a 220V receptacle. It worked great.
     c.   PRESSURE REGULATOR: You will most likely drill at 90 PSI and rivet at 45-50 PSI, so invest in a good filter/pressure regulator with a pressure gauge on the discharge so that you can change the tank outlet pressure quickly. I got mine from Harbor Freight (it was very inexpensive) and it only took 5 turns of the regulator T-handle to change from 90 to 50 PSI or back.
     d.   TANK DRAIN: you will end up with water in the bottom of your compressor tank and this will lead to rust. You need a drain on the bottom of the tank. A manual drain at the minimum or better an automatic drain.
     e.   PNEUMATIC PIPING: I had good luck running PVC lines for my pneumatic piping. Remember to slope them so any water in the line will drain down to the low point where you can drain it by installing a drain valve.
 
 
     7.     SMALL TOOLS: You will need a variety of small tools including:
 
     a. DE-BURRING TOOL: The blue handled de-burring tool with the long extension handle from Avery Supply is the best. Yes, you do need the long extension to deburr holes next to an obstruction.
     b. UNIBITS: You need a “Unibit” set to enlarge small holes to larger holes without the location of the hole moving on you – if you use drill bits it will “walk” off to one side or the other. Harbor Freight has a set of 3 different size Unibits for $ 19.99.
     c. REAMERS: You need some “reamers” to enlarge a dozen or so holes to an exact size. These are located where bolts are used to hold the aft fuselage to the cockpit and the engine mount to the forward fuselage. A drill will NOT drill an exact size hole, but, a reamer will. So you drill slightly undersize and use the reamer to properly size the holes for a perfect fit for the bolts. We got perfectly adequate used reamers from Airparts Inc., Kansas City, KS.  http://www.airpartsinc.com/
     d. RIGHT ANGLE DRILLING: You need a “right angle” drilling attachment for drilling into hard to reach places. Don’t buy a big one, you want a tiny one that uses threaded bits (stubby, short & long).Avery sells them but they are over $100 so I got mine used on E-Bay, along with many of the threaded drill bits. The “Stubby” bit is the handiest. Also available onE-Bay are offset right angle drills, snake drills, etc.
     e. CAGE TYPE COUNTERSINK TOOL: Also called Microcounterstops. You need a countersink tool with an adjustable cage to adjust the depth accurately. You want to get the quality aircraft construction type which have a splined cage that you can loosen and rotate in .001 inch increments. Chuck the tool on your drill press and practice on a piece of scrap aluminum until the countersink depth is correct to have the CC  rivets flush. (e.g. on your spar) and then lock the tool so the depth won’t change. Now you can quickly slide the piece along the drill press and accurately counter sink each hole in a few seconds. A used one from E-Bay is just fine. Also, Airparts Inc. Kansas City, KS (http://www.airpartsinc.com/) has 1/4 X 28 degree thread, 100 degree, surplus tools for $ 10.50 each. Additionally, they sell surplus Countersink bits for $ 3.15 each.
     f. CLAMPS: You will need lots of clamps. I liked the ones that are on a vise grip body, but make sure they have the swivel ends not the solid ends. They go on sale at Harbor Freight frequently. I had 10 and many times wished I had more. You will also need a couple of 4 inch and 6 inch “C” clamps (can be used to clamp down a small 18” metal bending brake), plus a variety of small plastic pinch clamps to do things like hold the pages of the planes, etc.
     g. PNEUMATIC RIVETER: The blue pneumatic riveter ($ 35 at Harbor Freight) is just fine. Mine lasted the entire project and still works fine. However, I did make an extended nose for it to get into tight corners for hard to reach rivets. I also made an extension nose that had the face beveled off to one side. Use this tip, along with bending the shank of the rivet, to get into places where the riveter wont fit - you can get the riveter off to the side as much as 45 degrees using this method.
     h.   LONG DRILL BITS: Six inch drill bits (you do not need any 12 “ drills), these are very handy for getting into tight places, additionally they allow you to more easily sight the drill to make sure it is vertical or horizontal. Buy them from an industrial supply house, not an aviation supply house which most likely won’t have them. You need at least two each of #40 and #30. If you want to purchase 12” drill bits you will only need one each of the #40 and #30.
     i. LAY OUT INSTRUMENTS: Lay out instruments -A long metal rule with the scale in both inches and millimeters, a metal 6 inch rule, engineers squares (you can get a set of these on sale at Harbor Freight), a couple of different types of protractors, a dial caliper (you will be using this all the time to determine the thickness of aluminum sheets, the diameter of drills and bolts, etc.). A very handy device is a Edge Marker Block (made out of Delrin) which is a tool for holding a magic marker and is used for drawing the blue line down the center of ribs and angles, this is sold by Avery. Another handy tool is to turn your metal yard or meter stick into a Piano Hinge Drilling Jig: Mark off I/4 inch back from the edge on this and using a drill press, drill holes at each inch mark. Now this jig can be used to drill the holes on each piece of piano hinge w/o having to lay anything out.
     j.    SHEARS & SNIPS - Do not buy the cheap shears from Harbor Freight - they are worthless. Get good Wiss  shears. There are three you need - red, green and yellow handled. One is for cutting a curve to the right, the other to the left, and the yellow is for cutting straight. Most useful to me was the 12 or 14 inch replaceable blade Tinner Snips which I used the majority of the time.
     k.   DRILL BIT SET: For about $ 30 at Harbor Freight you can purchase a complete set of Numbered, Lettered, and Fractional drill bits. This boxed set will come in very handy as there are many times that you will need an odd sized drill bit, for example when drilling an under-sized hole to ream it, or for drilling tiny holes for safety wire.
     l.    CONVERSION CHART: All machine tool houses sell a chart that you can put on the wall that will give standard drill sizes and their decimal equivalent. Some charts also include a tap drill chart, and even a machine screw chart. Also very handy is a conversion between Fractional, Decimal and mm values (e.g. 1/ 8 = .125 = 3.175 mm). You will refer to this chart hundreds of times to determine what size drill bit is required, etc.
     m.  HEX HEAD ALLEN WRENCHES: You will need a good set of these and if you are building the AeroVee engine you will also need a set of metric sizes. T-handle ones are very handy and go on sale frequently at Harbor Freight. However, for your main set buy quality ones. The type with a ball on one end are very useful as that allows the tool to be used at an angle off-axis to the screw.
     n.   VISE: The bigger the better. At a minimum you need a 5 inch vise. One that rotates along the horizontal axis is handy for many situations. You will need a set of copper or aluminum jaws to put over the vise jaws to protect your pieces of aluminum. You can also use a Harbor Freight 5” magnetic base metal bending brake with this vise.
     o.   METAL BENDING BRAKE: I purchased two small brakes at Harbor Freight and they were very handy. One is a 5” vise mounted brake (cost $14.99). This has magnets and mounts on the jaws of your 5 inch vise and is used to bend small parts. The other is a 18” brake (cost $19.99) which can be mounted onto your work bench with two 4 or 6 inch clamps or bolted to the table.
     p.   MAGNET, MIRROR, FORCEPS: Buy a little mirror which can be adjusted to various angles and which is mounted on an extension handle, and a little magnet (to reach in and pick up nuts, washers, etc.) with the extension handle, and a pair of long nosed forceps to reach things in tight spaces.
     q.   CENTER DRILL/COUNTERSINK COMBINATION SET: These are very hand for starting a hole in tough material (e.g. the chrome moly gear components, rudder horn, engine mount, etc.). They have a larger shaft necked down to a very short drill bit portion. The are more rigid than a small diameter drill bit and much stronger enabling you to start a hole without the drill bit wandering or breaking.
     r.    EDGE MARKER BLOCK: This handy device holds a marking pen and has an adjustable stop for running along the edge of a part (wing rib or piece of angle) .  The adjustable stop allows variable edge distance for rivet  lay out, etc. One thumb screw holds the pen and the other thumb screw holds the adjustable stop.  Made from delrin (plastic)  material. Sold by Avery.
     s.   DREMMEL TOOL: Dremel tool w/ diamond cutting wheel to cut various pieces of aluminum angle and channel.
 
 
     8.     SPECIAL TOOLS:
 
There are some specialized tools that will make building your project much easier. Here are a few of them:
 
     a.   BURRAWAY: Cogsdill “Burraway” hole deburrers are wonderful and you will need one for the blind spaces where you can’t get to the back of the piece. However, they cost about $ 50 each new. I bought them off E-Bay and got a complete set very reasonably. At a minimum, try to buy both a 3/32” and 1/8” Burraway deburrer.
     b.   GREENLEE HOLE CUTTER: A Greenlee Stainless Steel Hole Cutter (buy used on E-Bay) is used to cut the large hole through the S.S. firewall for the heater box inlet. Without a tool such as this it would be almost impossible to cut out a large hole in the SS Firewall. Drill a smaller hole through firewall, then insert the large bolt and screw the two halves together and tighten up with large wrench. The half with the cutting blade will cut through the SS firewall very easily, leaving a clean, smooth hole. When you are finished sell it on E-bay and get your  money back.
     c.   CARBIDE DRILL BITS: Carbide drill bits - it is almost impossible to drill into chrome moly steel (e.g. the horizontal stabilizer horn) with a standard drill bit. You can purchase these drills at a machine tool house such as the one where you get your 6 inch drill bits and Conversion Chart.
     d.   NIBBLER: A hand operated (not electric or pneumatic) “nibbler” is used to cut away metal in difficult to reach places. I do not like the larger cheap units that pinch the metal, but rather prefer the unit that has a blade that works like a guillotine. It costs about $ 8.99. I believe it is identified as a MOD Nibbler Metal Cutting Tool.
     e.   BRAKE: I built the entire plane without a large metal bending brake (I did have to go to a sheet metal shop to use their large brake to bend the seat pan and maybe something else). I purchased two small brakes at Harbor Freight which were handy. The larger is a bench mounted 18” brake and the smaller is a 5” magnetic mounted vise jaw brake. These worked fine for bending small pieces. A Vise-Grip  type metal bending tool with thin blades is also very handy. I did not like the ones with thicker blades (so designed to prevent too sharp of bends), but preferred a thin blade sheet metal bending tool from the local hardware store.
     f.    POLE BENDER: The most difficult part of building for me was the bending of larger parts. I did not have one of the pole benders that some builders use and can not comment on its usefulness. But I never liked the “pounding the part with a sledge hammer” technique and had to make one part (the horizontal stabilizer main spar) three times because of cracks from this method. If the part is 1/8th inch or thicker I suggest that you use a hydraulic press, or find out how to make a “pole bender” (made from large dowels in a vise), or buy the pre-bent parts.
     g.   C FRAME: A C Frame can be purchased from almost any of the aircraft supply houses and can be sold after you are finished with your project. The C Frame will allow you to easily and quickly dimple all of the holes in a large piece of aluminum (a wing skin for example). Since most of the C Frames have a two foot long arm you can dimple up to a four foot wide sheet of aluminum. Additionally it can be used for riveting and is handy for the riveting of the spar webs to the spar caps. Using the frame for riveting will assure that your rivet is struck perpendicular as opposed to the bolt and sledge hammer method where the bolt might be slightly off vertical resulting in a tipped rivet. Build a carpeted box to put around the base of the C Frame so that you can easily slide the aluminum around. I can send you a photo of this box.
     h.   HAND RIVET SQUEEZER: This can be borrowed from another builder and can be used set the solid rivets on the outboard portion of the wing spars. The spar cap gets wider as it gets closer to the fuselage and eventually the jaws will no longer fit over the cap. But the squeezer can be used for about 50% of the rivets and will produce perfect rivets. We were able to borrow a fairly large pneumatic rivet squeezer which was wonderful.
     i.    PHOTOCOPIER: Quite a few parts do not have any dimensions shown on the plans. They are labeled something to the effect that the drawing is a “Full Scale Drawing”. You will need to have tracing paper or better, access to a photocopier. Take the entire book of plans and lay the desired sheet on the scanner bed to make the copy. Make sure the machine is set at 100% and not reducing the drawing.
 
 
     9.     CONSTRUCTION SEQUENCE:
 
I suggest that you start with the flaps or tail first.  You can hang these completed parts from the ceiling when you are finished to get them out of the way and to keep them from getting damaged or dented while you are storing them. The control surfaces (elevators, rudder, ailerons and flaps) are easy to build and are rewarding as you can see progress and can compete something large quickly. The aft fuselage was also fun. I built it in three weeks. However it is large and difficult to store, so I suggest that you build the tail, the control surfaces and the wings first. They can all be stored in a small area. The wings can be stored on knife edge in plywood slings on wheels and stored between the cars in many two car garages. Once you build the fuselage and get it on the wheels it takes up a lot of space.
     If you want instant gratification build a flap for your first project. A flap can be built very quickly (probably in a couple of hours if you have some building experience) and it is big and you can show it off to your friends.
     IMPORTANT: If you do not complete something on a part, and plan on coming back later to finish it, I strongly suggest that you write down what you need to complete as you WILL forget what you were going to do when you get back to it later on. Yellow Sticky notes can be put on the part as a reminder.
     If you are going to polish the airplane I suggest that you polish each part as you finish it. This is much easier than trying to polish the assembled airplane as it is difficult to reach portions of the plane when it is all assembled. Plus you can lay the parts flat on a bench to polish them, rather than trying to work on a vertical surface, fighting gravity.
     The most difficult part of building for me was the bending of parts. I did not have one of the pole benders that some builders use and can not comment on its usefulness.
 
 
     10.      WHAT I WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY:
 
     a.   GEAR - I would build a tail dragger (Conventional gear) rather than the tri-gear (better looking and much lighter weight). The Sonex tail dragger is the easiest tail dragger you will every fly (easier than a Cub) and is nothing to be scared of. Additionally you will save the weight of the nose gear leg, the nose wheel, tire and pant, and the weight of the welded assembly which supports the main gear that goes under the seat.
     b.   STICK - I would think seriously about having one center control stick instead of dual sticks (my wife is not interested in learning to fly it, which was the reason for the dual controls).
     c.   THROTTLE - I would locate the fuel and mixture on the new Sonex quadrant on the left side of the fuselage, instead of in the center like we now have (wouldn’t have to change hands to put out the flaps).
     d.   EIS - I would use engine instruments that show each EGT or CHT as a vertical bar graph or a dial so I could see all of them at the same time (for quicker engine analysis and for more accurate leaning of the engine).
     e.   EFIS - I would use an EFIS system that does not fade out in the sunlight (my older Dynon is difficult to read in the sunlight, perhaps the newer models don’t have that problem).
     f.    WING WIRING - I would run the electrical wiring from the wing tips (for landing lights, strobes and navigation lights) forward of the spar instead of aft of it (it is difficult to run them forward of the spar in the cockpit).
     g.   COMM. ANTENNA - I would buy a quality antenna for the comm. radio instead of the cheapest one (which doesn’t work that well).
     h.   POLISHING - I would polish the parts as I built the airplane rather than trying to polish the completed airplane. Remember that a polished airplane will weight anywhere from 20 to 30 lbs. less than a painted airplane.
     i.    ENGINE - If I could afford it, I would use the Jab 3300 engine instead of the AeroVee  There is nothing wrong with the AeroVee, it is a wonderful engine that is reliable, and bullet proof, but the Jab 3300 has a lot more horsepower. I climb at 500 FPM and they climb at 1,300 FPM. I have to dive to get to 140 MPH to do a loop and they can do it from level flight, etc.).
     j.    FLAP DETENTS - I would positively put safety nibs on each of the flap detents (instead of only on the position 30 per the plans) as I have the handle pop out of the detent 2 times (I usually land with flaps 20, not 30).
     k.   HORIZ. STAB SKINS - I would not install the horizontal stabilizer skin upside down as I did on this plane. I didn’t even know I had done so for about 1 year. When I went to install it I was shocked to find out it didn’t fit. The wider part of the skin goes on top - look at the curved section of the fuselage and you can see that less skin is needed on the bottom where the fuselage is wider.
     l.    FUEL LINE - I would run the fuel line sideways from the tank to the gascolator inside the cockpit instead of inside the engine compartment where it gets hot and adds to engine hesitation. Also, I would mount the gascolator vertically instead of slanted against the firewall.
     m.  HEADSET JACKS - I would mount the mic. and headset jacks lower on the aft bulkhead (roll over protection) instead of high up which I did. They are difficult to reach. Don't put them on the horizontal box assembly or they might get caught in the shoulder harnesses.
     n    SWITCHES & CBs - I would use combination circuit breaker/ switches which would reduce the wiring behind the panel by one half not having both circuit breakers and switches.
     o.   FIREWALL WIREING - I would use an engine monitor that does not require all the wiring to pass through the firewall. I now have 4 EGT wires, 4 CHT wires, oil temperature and oil pressure wires,  all going through the firewall. Newer designs have only one wire going through the firewall.
     p.   COOLING AIR - I would probably not use the NACA inlet and eyeball vents and associated tubing again to provide cooling air. I would probably use the circular plastic vents that snap open/closed and can be installed in the windshield. The NACA vents work fine, but take a lot of fitting and work to install.
     q.   WIRING INSTRUMENT PANEL - I would leave the forward fuselage bottom skin, or the firewall, off (just cleco it in place) until all of the electrical wiring, fuel piping, etc. is installed. It is very difficult to hang upside down from the seat under the instrument panel. Remember also to not rivet on the aft fuselage skin until the day you are ready for your first flight.
     r.    WATER BOTTLES - I would install one or two bicycle water bottle holders on the forward side of the spar tunnel before it is closed up. Locate them between your legs, to hold a water bottle in easy reach w/o being in the way. These must be installed with flush rivets or nut plates.
     s.   WEIGHT - I would try very hard to build a lighter airplane. Mine is quite heavy (699 lbs.) which cuts into it’s performance and the useful load. The major extra weight is the  trigear, then accessories like transformers for strobe lights, landing lights, reading lights, wing leveler, plastic box in the cargo area, nut plates in the wing tips, aux. fuel system, etc. This all adds up, a few ounces at a time, until we ended up with a plane that is almost 75 lbs. overweight.
     t.    ELT ANTENNA - I would not mount the ELT antenna on the top of the fuselage at the rear. I can not access the antenna now without a lot of trouble. At the time I felt it was better to have it on top of the fuselage in case of an off field landing where the gear and any antennas on the bottom of the fuselage would get knocked off.  I now know that I made a big mistake in mounting my ELT antenna on the top of my turtle deck at the back of the plane in front of the vertical stabilizer. I installed it when the fuselage bottom was still off the fuselage and not riveted in place. Now it is riveted in place and the antenna has gotten loose and I am unable to get inside to tighten the nut. I am going to have to cut an access opening in the bottom of the fuselage, reach up there and tighten the nut then attach a cover plate over the opening. Do not install yours where you can not get to it.
     u.   FASTENERS - I would use quality flush fasteners on the engine cowling, not the cheap Southco fasteners recommended on the plans. Yes, the Southco fasteners only cost a few pennies and the quality fasteners are over $ 7 each. But for around $ 70 I would have had a better looking airplane. Currently I like the Skybolt fasteners with the adjustable receptacle and the phillips head 1/4 turn studs. See http://www.skybolt.com/ (the 1/4 turn fasteners, CLoc Adjustable information section). Their CLoc light duty 2600/2800 series can accommodate different thickness of fiberglass on the cowling. They recommend 3 1/2 inch spacing for their fasteners, and #2 Phillips head. They have a CLoc Super Series 4000 Fastener which is their high end, heavy duty model.
     v.   ENGINE COWLING - I would copy the horizontally split engine cowling that Rod Panzer designed. He is able to easily lift off the upper portion of his cowling to inspect his engine, check oil level and add oil, without having to fight with piano hinges. This is probably the very best modification I have seen done the Sonex. Contact Rod or myself for photos and instructions on how to do this modification.
     w.  OIL AIR SEPARATOR - I would explore buying an oil air separator for the breather tube rather than making my own again. However, I have not yet located a reasonably priced separator.  The M-20 Ultra air/oil separator cost over $ 360. The AirWolf (Mini Sep) starts at $ 399.  Builders make them out of beer cans, Draino cans, etc. We used a red aluminum camping fuel bottle, which we stuffed with copper ChoreBoy scouring pads. But it does leak some oil. Detailed instructions how to make one out of PVC , copper fittings and a sink drain are found at: http://bernardembden.com/xjs/pcvfilter/index.htm
     x.   ENLARGE LIGHTENING HOLES ON BOTH FORWARD ROOT RIBS: It is very difficult to reach through the standard size lightening holes in insert the flap attachment bolts when installing the wings. The solution is to enlarge the size of the lightening holes on the forward inboard (root) ribs. There is a photo of this on the Sonex  web site: http://www.sonexaircraft.com/documents/instruction_sheets/wing_install.pdf
Scroll down till you get to photo directly under the words "Step 7 .......". Look at the reflection of the inboard forward rib to see this very large lightening hole. It can also be seen in the photo under “Step 1...”.  I do not believe this is on the plans.
     y.   COWLING COOLING AIR OUTLET: We didn’t enlarge the air outlets in the bottom of the cowling enough and as a result didn’t have proper cooling air flow. This resulted in high CHTS which ultimately did some engine damage. Make sure you read the plans for the recommended outlet dimensions. For our AeroVee and the old design cowling with the bumps, the recommended size is 6 3/ 4 wide X 3 1/ 2 inches fore and aft. You should have 47 to 50 square inches of outlet area.
     z.   COWLING COOLING AIR INLET: Look at all the factory planes and you will see that the upper edge of the cowling cooling air inlet opening is only about 1/8 deep. All the rest of the fiberglass has been cut away. I have been told that this last little bit of fiberglass is vital to proper cooling of the aft cylinders. After cutting my excess fiberglass away I added a “Bondo” type material to fair in the sharp lip so the air flow is not turbulent. This will also help with high CHTs.
     aa. WING TIPS: I installed 119 nut plates so that I could remove the wing tips if I ever needed to get at the transformers for the strobe lights or the landing light. This was a lot of work and extra weight. Next time I would use aluminum rivets and just drill them out if I needed access to the wing tip area.
     bb. ENGINE COWLING: I would seriously consider splitting the fiberglass engine cowling horizontally. This is a nice modification and makes it easy to lift off the upper portion to do a preflight inspection, check or add oil. The small upper portion is held on by quality fasteners and no piano hinges are used for this part of the cowling. I have photos and instructions on how do do this modification.
 
 
     11.     WHAT I WOULD DO THE SAME:
 
     a.   SONEX - I would build the Sonex kit again; probably the aerobatic model. There is no better value for the money. It is a plane that does it all- sport flying, cross country flying and aerobatics!
     b.   WING LEVELER - I would install the DigiTrak wing leveler again – I like it very much. It tracks the Garmin 296 GPS course signal perfectly.
     c.   AUX POWER OUTLETS - I would install the two 12V DC power outlets in the two corners of the instrument panel again (These provide the power to the Garmin GPS and for the auxiliary fuel transfer pump).
     d.   AUX FUEL - I would install the auxiliary fuel system connection again. Since I want to fly the Alaska Highway in the future I need to be able to fly a longer distance (to the destination airport and return to the start if the weather turns bad) I need more fuel than is available in the standard fuel tank.  For this I have the Turtly-Buddy 40 liter which holds 10.5 gallons (see www.turtlepac.com). The auxiliary fuel connection I have goes into the rear top connection on the fuel tank and has a shut off valve on it in the cockpit.
     e.   POLISHING - I would polish the airplane again BUT I would polish each part as I built them rather than trying to polish the completed airplane.
     f.    CABIN HEAT - I would install the cabin heat again; I like having it a lot. I used a SS heater muff which I cut in half and lengthened to almost twice its original size giving me more heat. I don’t think you can do this with the 2 into 1 exhaust pipe system.
     g.   HEATER BOX - I would install a SS heater box again. An aluminum heater box will burn through in about 20 seconds if you have an engine compartment fire, leaving you with a 2 inch hole in the firewall. Also use SS firewall penetrations for wires, etc. Buy the SS Heater Box, and the fireproof firewall penetrations from EPM. See: http://www.epm-avcorp.com/ssdiv.html
     h.   EXHAUST - I would use the standard exhaust system again (vs. the 2-into-1 system) as it allows the mounting of an extra large heat muff for the cabin heater. I do not know if this is possible with the 2 into 1 system.
     i.    FLAPS 20 -I would add the “in between” flap position again. I labeled my three flap positions 10, 20 and 30 degrees although I do not actually know that these are the correct values. However, I almost always use the center flap position that I added and never use the full flap position that is called for on the plans.
     j.    BRAKE DOUBLER - I would again install the brake “doubler” using the design that John Monnett came up with. This will give you two times the brake pressure, but requires two times the movement.
     k.   ENGINE AIR COOLING BAFFLE - I would again install the optional, fence type, Sonex/AeroVee Baffle Kit. Make sure you get this Kit (p/n SNX-P30-10) for your AeroVee installation. We built our plane using the original design baffle system (the fence type wasn’t available then) and had constant problems with high CHTs. So high that we over heated and “cooked” one head flying from the SF Bay area to Oshkosh, and on the return flight over heated and “cooked” the second head. We stopped flying the airplane until the fence type baffle design was available and installed it. The CHT temperatures were reduced 50 to 75 degrees and have not been a problem since.
     l.    FLUSH RIVET - I would flush rivet the entire airplane again. I think it looks much nicer than having the protruding head rivets and it didn’t add but few hours of extra building time. I timed the dimpling of a large wing section and using the C-frame it only took 10 minutes.  In addition to the C-frame you will need a couple of the vise grip type dimpling tools. On one of these I had to grind the nose down so it would fit into the narrower parts of the wing rib flanges. When ordering your kit tell Sonex you want to flush rivet it and they will send all flush rivets. However, 5 years ago at least, they did not have a handle on the total number of flush rivets required and I had to order extra rivets several times.
     m.  CANOPY STAND-OFF - I would again devise a short stand-off device to hold the canopy slightly open (1 to 2 inches) while taxiing around in hot weather. With the engine running this provides plenty of cooling air. However, this is a potentially dangerous situation, as if you attempt to take off with the canopy open you may not be successful. To remind me to lock the canopy closed before taking off I have a little red flag attached to the positive locking, single action, quick release pin (QRP) I use (sometimes referred to as a quick disconnect pin), and I always keep the pin on top of the glare shield so the red flag hangs down in front of my instruments.
     n.   PARKING BRAKE - I would again make a parking brake; as you need this in order to do an engine run up. Without  it you must hold the brake with your left hand and with your right hand run the throttle and check the mags and electronic ignitions. The two easiest ways are by either attaching a thick piece of aluminum about one inch square to the flap handle. On the aft edge of this cut a notch wide enough to capture the forward edge of the brake handle. A second method is to attach a small bolt with a 1/4 inch stand off to the aft side of the brake handle. To use this, just pull the brake handle aft and catch the protruding bolt on the aft edge of the flap handle. I can E-mail photos of this if you are confused!
     o.   SUNSHADES - I would again stick up two sun shades on the inside of the canopy to shield the pilot from sunlight. You will still need a baseball cap, but this helps a lot. I used “Sticky Shade” from Handstands.com. Order them from SpaceSavers.com at: http://www.spacesavers.com/stickyshade.html.  You get two 11” X 13” shades which is perfect and they only cost $ 5.99 for the two. I like these better than the ones you get from Sporty's, as these have some waffle-like texture to them so they stick better and look better I think. BTW, if you order your shades from Sporty's they will custom cut them so you are not restricted to only the size in their catalog, but they are thin plastic and do not have the waffle pattern and are not as satisfactory as these which stick better.
     p.   TEMPERFOAM - I would install Temperfoam in the seat bottoms again. We used: Confor Foam, http://www.seatfoam.com/  Order your seat cushion bottoms from Sonex with a zipper in the back so you can change out the foam.
     q.   FUSED EXTERNAL BATTERY CHARGING CONNECTION - I would again install the external battery charging connection. This allows the battery to be charged without having to struggle to remove the engine cowling. We hook up the black connection from the battery charger to an exhaust stack and the red connection to the terminal we added to the bottom of the fuselage. It is protected by a threaded plastic cover.
 
 
     12.     SOME HELPFUL HINTS:
 
     a.   PLASTIC PROTECTIVE WRAP - Use an electric pencil type soldering iron and a long straight edge to remove the protective plastic covering that is on the aluminum sheet wherever you want to lay out and rivet sections of the airplane. Tearing the plastic doesn’t work and using a razor blade will scratch the surface.
     b.   PRIMING -  Use “Mar Hyde Self Etching Primer” (buy at an automotive paint store) to spray along the strip where the pieces make contact (it quickly dries) everywhere two pieces  are riveted together. This is to provide some corrosion protection without having to Alodyne or use Zinc Chromate.
     c.   WINDSHIELD BOW - Raise the windshield bow (the aft side of the windscreen) as high as possible. This not only gives more headroom, but changes the angle or slope of the windshield allowing you to trim the cowling parallel to this slope. Now the entire profile of the front of the plane will be one long straight line, instead of having a bump where the canopy starts.
     d.   INTERIOR KIT - Order the Sonex interior kit and have the seamstress put in a zipper along the back of the seat cushion. This allows you to remove and discard the worthless white foam and insert “Temperfoam” 2 ply cushions.
     e.   CANOPY STAND-OFF - Make a canopy “stand off” to hold the canopy in the full open position so that wind will not blow it closed. We used a section of rigid aluminum tubing about the diameter of a pencil and by running it over a table saw ripped a slot the full length. Just slide this over the wire that prevents the canopy from opening too far and you have a stand-off that is light weight, and which works.
     f.    TOW BAR - If you build a tri-gear you will need a tow bar as it is very difficult to move the plane around without one. I have seen Cessna 150 tow bars used successfully but this does require drilling a hole through the nose gear leg, inserting a bolt and nut and having a short piece of tubing on either side to keep the bolt centered and to provide horns for the Cessna tow bar to grab. We made a bolt on collar with the horns on it and a two piece tow bar which is small enough to keep in the cargo compartment bin.
     g.   FUEL TANK STRAPS - Use stainless steel box strapping material for your fuel tank straps. We made two sets of the ones on the plans and could not get either set to fit. The banding or strapping material is much more flexible and easier to work with.
     h.   FUEL TANK - Clean the fuel tank before you install it. Be careful that you do not over tighten any of the fittings or they may spin in place and leak. If your tank is translucent, fill it with water one gallon at a time (while it is out of the airplane) and paint a black line on the aft side of the tank where you can lean over and read the level. I marked my tank with the 1 gallon line being “O”, and painted short lines for each gallon and numbers at 0, 5, 10 and 15 gallons.
     i.    FAIRING - You can fair or bend the top edge of the forward fuselage, under the sides of the windshield, by repeatedly rolling a hard wood dowel (or a rolling pin) over the area. The edge will slowly bend over to be flush with the curve of the windshield.
     j.    BAGGAGE AREA SAFETY - If you are worried about jackets or sleeping bags in the baggage area getting tangled in and jamming the elevator push rod or rudder cables, you can protect them by building a light weight housing to cover them out of scrap .025 aluminum.
     k.   INSTRUMENT PANEL - Reference the instrument panel: we made ours removable by using nut plates and I think this is a good idea. We did beef it up by adding braces. I don’t think I would modify the panel to be vertical as then there would be parallax when viewing the instruments. With the tilted panel, as designed by Sonex, the instruments are at right angles to my eyes and easily viewed without any parallax.
     l.    G-METER - If you want to do aerobatics, install a G-meter and locate it where you can easily zero it out. Unless you have a lot of experience, without the meter you won’t be pulling the necessary 3 G’s for most of the maneuvers.
     m.  ENGINE SAFETY TETHER - If you are doing aerobatics I strongly recommend installing an engine safety cable like they do in aerobatic aircraft. You can run this f rom the airframe or engine mount to the engine. That way if your prop breaks and the violent unbalanced forces tear the engine from the engine mount, the engine will stay attached to the aircraft via the cable, the plane will remain within c.g. limits, and you will have a chance of landing rather than crashing.
     n.   CANOPY BOWS - Paint the canopy bows, trim and the trim at the front of the windshield, all flat black before you install the windshield. This looks a lot better than the raw aluminum. Once you install the windshield and see this, you may not want to remove the windshield just to paint the metal black.
     o.   GROUNDING - To cut down on radio noise do not locally ground but use a central ground (see next item below). If you are installing strobes put the transformers out on the wind tips with the strobes rather than in the fuselage where you will have to run high-voltage wires a long distance.
     p.   AERO ELECTRIC CONNECTION - Buy a copy of the “AeroElectric Connection” by Bob Knuckles for great wiring and electrical system design information. His web site (www.aeroelectric.com) has an entire library of downloadable articles on a variety of subjects from soldering to firewall penetrations. He also runs workshops and speaks at Oshkosh each year.
     q.   GROUNDING PLATE - Use a brass central grounding plate with tabs on both side of the firewall (B&C Specialty Products, 24-tab Firewall Ground Block Kit). On the engine side you only need 6 or so tabs, on the cockpit side you will need a couple of dozen if you are going to ground everything. Mount it near the battery so you can run the ground directly to it. Take care where you locate the grounding plate - if you have it too low the passenger's feet can kick it, if you mount it too high the fuel tank will interfere and you will not be able to attach the wires to the tabs.
     r.    ELECTRICAL SUPPLY SOURCES - Two great sources for all your wiring and electrical needs are B&C Specialty Products (www.bandcspecialty.com) in Newton, Kansas, and SteinAir (www.steinair.com) in Farmington, Minn.
     s.   ENGINE FIRES - Reference concern for engine fires - Make sure you use fireproof penetrations in your firewall and if you are going to add cabin heat use a SS heater box. Seal up  all small gaps around the corners of the firewall with high temperature RTV.  I have no experience with the following products -  there is a liquid fire barrier called Contego “The Fire Stops Here” which can be painted on the firewall or behind the instrument panel to provide a fire barrier. See info at www.aircraftextras.com/contego.htm. There are also a variety of firewall blankets which can be applied to the firewall and may also reduce noise. Spruce sells one called Fiberfrax. It's a flexible material that is about 1/ 8" thick made from ceramic fibers, it resists temps up to 2300 degrees and is easy to work with. JC Whitney sells a product with silver backing.
     t.    WING SPARS - When riveting the wing spars, squeeze as many of the rivets as possible. We borrowed a large pneumatically operated rivet squeezer which fit around the spar cap on the outboard end of the spars and were able to squeeze about 50% of the rivets for the spar caps this way. A hand operated squeezer would also work. On the inboard end of the spars, where the spar cap gets wider, use a C-frame to reach the rivets. The advantage of this over using the bolt and hammer method is that the C-frame will always be perpendicular to the spar and the rivets will be set evenly, rather than getting bent off to one side or the other if the bolt is not held exactly vertical.
EAA just produced a new “Tips for Builders” video on riveting with the C-frame. It is located at: http://www.eaa.org/video/homebuilders.html?videoId=1803209366
     u.   DIMPLING - When dimpling use a C-frame as much as possible. You will find that after dimpling a hole it will end up being slightly larger. You can compensate for this by slightly under drilling the hole.
     v.   DRILLING PIANO HINGES - Piano hinges are used in many places in the Sonex.  On the elevators, rudder, ailerons, flaps, seats, etc. The hinges are undrilled when you get them and it can be very time consuming to lay out the drilling of each piece. The holes are ALL spaced 1 inch apart and 1/4 inch from the edge. A quick way to do this is to make a DRILLING JIG out of a metal yardstick. Mark off I/4 inch back from the edge on this and drill holes at each inch mark. Now this jig can be used to drill the holes on each piece of piano hinge w/e having to lay anything out.
     w.  CUTTING 2” HOLE THROUGH the SS FIREWALL: If you are going to install cabin heat you will need to drill a large hole through the SS firewall. This can be a very difficult task without the correct tool. Use a Greenlee cutter, they are used by electricians.  (www.mygreenlee.com/Products). You can buy one used on eBay, use it to cut the hole, then resell it on eBay. Greenlee makes lots of cutters. The one you want is the "Standard Round Knockout Punch". It is not a hole saw, but rather a large solid piece of metal with a cutter on its face. This Punch gets drawn into a sturdy metal Die by a Draw Stud which you tighten with a wrench. You must first drill a pilot hole through the firewall and insert the stud. As the Punch rotates it cuts very cleanly right through the SS.
     x.   MAKING LONG CUTS in aluminum sheets (for scratch builders):
      One technique is to score the aluminum sheet several times using an Olfa model P800, heavy duty utility type knife. Use a metal rule or long piece of angle stock as a guide. The Olfa web site is( www.olfablades.com). You don't actually "cut" the aluminum, you score it and then break (snap?) it over the edge of your table. “I can't imagine scratch building without one. It has been used for the spar webs, control surfaces, wing skins, and pretty much everything requiring a long straight cut” It's a really popular tool in other online building communities, such as the Zenith folks. I'm surprised its fairly unknown in the Sonex community.  (per David Clay).
     y.   PRESSING BUSHING TECHNIQUE: (from SonexTalk) Posted by Dave ONeill sonex1097@yahoo.com
     Getting a bushing into a press-fit hole with perfect alignment is quite easy.  The trick is to just drop it into an oversize hole, or use an undersized bushing.
     The part that gets the bushing goes into a warm oven, about 150 degrees F.  While the part warms in the oven, run out and buy isopropyl alcohol from the local pharmacy.  Be sure to get the 100%, not 70%.  It's marked clearly on the label.  Next, pick up as little crushed dry ice as they'll sell you.  Some grocery stores sell the stuff, virtually all welding supply outfits do.
     Put the bushing in a styrofoam or paper cup and fill the cup with alcohol. Put a bunch of dry ice in there, and keep adding more until the ice doesn't disappear. Your bushing is small now, and very, very cold.  About -150 degrees F. Add the dry ice a few chunks at a time. You want to chill the bushing, not shock it!
     Pick up the bushing with a pair of cold tweezers and just drop it in your hole.  It'll warm up and lock itself in place in a second or two. It's always a good idea to ream the bushing afterwards to ensure that it is the size you want.
     A few caveats...
           1) Wear gloves or work fast.  Cold burns.
           2) Do it like you mean it.  Practice first without cooling or heating anything.  If you take your time, you'll have to do it over. Set up everything on a table where you can work comfortably and see what you are doing.
           3)Don't attempt this in a humid environment!  That COLD bushing will acquire a coat of ice that will be hard to believe, in almost no time, as you pull it out of the alcohol.
     z.   C-FRAME BOX OR TABLE: If you purchase a C-frame for dimpling the skins or riveting the spars build a carpeted table a few inches high that will cover the bottom of the C-Frame and allow you to slide the aluminum pieces your are dimpling without scratching them.  I can send you photos of this if you have trouble visualizing the box.
     aa.  WIRING PASS THROUGH UNDER WING SPARS: You almost certainly will be faced with the problem of how to get wires from behind the main spar to the instrument panel in front of the spars. There is a small amount of space under the spars at both of the outboard sides of the spar tunnel. Drill at least 4 holes through the spar tunnel on each side at the outboard lower edge. Do this before inserting wings. Put a O-ring in each opening. Use these openings to run wires UNDER the main wing spars instead of running the wires OVER the spar tunnel box. I can send you photos of this.
     bb.  LANDING LIGHT: If you want to install a landing light you may want to wait until you damage your leading edge the first time and locate the light there. Remember if you are a Sport Pilot you can not fly at night so perhaps you don’t need a landing light. If you want to purchase a great unit, Duckworks Exp. Aircraft Parts in Scappoose, Oregon has a kit specifically for the Sonex. web site: www.duckworksaviation.com. BTW, they have just developed a new l much improved version using a 100W high intensity discharge HID Xenon 4" round lamp. Amazingly, the new unit uses less power than the original lower power light.
 
     13. HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO BUILD A SONEX?
 
     If you work 3 or 4 hours in the evenings, several days a week and all day on a Saturday or Sunday every week, I estimate it will take you about two years to complete (that is what it took us). However, quite a few builders have built the Sonex in one year and one builder completed one in six months. It all depends on how much experience you have and how many extras you add.
     When kit manufacturers quote a building time (e.g. 500 hours) it may be for only assembling the fuselage and not include the time for the firewall forward or the electrical system or the avionics. I think it is reasonable in 500 hours to build the entire Sonex fuselage , sitting on the gear with the windshield and canopy installed. This does not include the wiring or firewall forward time. I have one friend who built his beautiful Sonex in 600 hours. This was his first project, but he is very good with his hands.
 
 
     14.     HOW MUCH DOES A SONEX COST TO BUILD?
 
     As little as $ 20,000 USD. An average completed airplane airplane can be built for $ 25,600 per the Sonex web site in 2008. My complete airplane cost $ 30,000 USD, but I have many extras on it. By “complete” I mean including AeroVee engine, propeller, com. radio, transponder, audio control panel, wing leveler, GPS, EIS (Engine Instrument System), Dynon EFIS (Electronic Flight Instrument System), AOA (angle of attack indicator), ELT, strobes, landing light, reading light, aux. fuel system, etc.
     As an comparison, a completed RV-6 or RV-8 will cost you $ 60,000 to $ 80,000 to build. Some cost over $ 100K.
     A big decision building the Sonex will be whether to put in a 80 HP Aero Vee or a 120 HP Jabiru. The Aero Vee costs $ 6,495, while the Jabiru 3300 costs $ 18,400. This is almost $ 12,000 more than the AeroVee for a 50% increase in horsepower.
 
                               _________________________________________
                               _________________________________________
 
 
              AEROVEE ENGINE INFORMATION
 
Disclaimer - I am not an engine mechanic, nor a VW expert. My only experience has been in assembling two AeroVee engines. Consider the source when deciding to use this information.
 
 
     1.    HOW LONG to BUILD an AEROVEE ENGINE?
 
I am sure that an experienced VW  engine builder, with all the correct tools, could assemble the engine in a matter of several hours. If you have built an AeroVee before, you can assemble it in a day or certainly over a weekend, providing that you have everything your need. However, the first time novice will take longer. The factory publishes a figure of 12 hours. The time consuming part is not building the engine, but rather running out to get something you are missing (like a 3/8 drive deep 15 mm socket). Working just on the weekends it might take several weeks or longer to locate all the missing tools and assemble the engine. The actual time spent building the engine would be just a matter of hours - the Sonex estimated time of 12 hours is reasonable. Hopefully the “Special Tool” information below will eliminate most of that time spent running around and, once you have gathered the tools, allow you to assemble your engine in 12 hours instead of taking two months.
 
 
     2.   SPECIAL TOOLS required to build the AEROVEE?
 
My suggestion is that you NOT attempt to assemble your Aero Vee engine until you have gathered ALL of the following tools:
 
     a.   ENGINE STAND: Rent or borrow an engine stand that:  1. will fit the bolt pattern of the VW engine block (they make stands specifically for VWs);    2. is on wheels or rollers so you can move it around;   3. which allows you to rotate the engine to work on it;    4. allows you to attach the engine to the attachment fixture while out of the stand (e.g. on the floor so you don't have to hold it up  in the air while bolting or unbolting the engine);     5. If you can find one with 4 legs, vs. the standard 3 legs, it will be more stable and less likely to fall over.
     b.   TORQUE WRENCH: Small torque wrench calibrated in inch pounds (60 to 600 in lbs, most likely it will be a 1/4 inch drive)
     c.   TORQUE WRENCH: Large torque wrench calibrated in foot lbs. (3/8 inch drive, 5 to 50 lbs for most of the work; 1/ 2 inch drive, 30-150 lbs for the two big nuts) We had to use a doubler to get enough torque (227 ft.-lbs.) to tighten the gland nut. You may choose to use a torque multiplier.
     d.   TORQUE MULTIPLIER: Torque Multiplier, or a doubler, or a breaker bar and pipe “cheater” extension, will be necessary to obtain the required 227 ft.-lbs. of torque for the gland nut. Unless you purchase a special torque wrench from a VW parts house, you will most likely be using a wrench with a max. torque limit of 150 ft.-lbs. A Torque Multiplier can be borrowed or rented. Torque multipliers are multi-geared tools generally used with ratchets or ratcheting torque wrenches as the drive component. Input is multiplied through the gearing four or more times depending on the model used.  Or if using a doubler set the torque wrench at 118 ft.-lbs and this will give you the required 227 ft.-lbs.   Note - verify this with a knowledgeable mechanic as it is possible I am a little confused over the correct way to achieve the required 227 ft.-lbs.
     e.   BIG METRIC SOCKETS: Large 1/ 2 inch drive metric sockets for the prop hub nut (30 mm) and for the gland nut (36 mm). These are big sockets and will not be part of any socket kit.
     f.    METRIC & SAE SOCKET SETS: Metric socket set and SAE (fractional) socket set. At least a 3/8 inch drive set. A 1/4 inch drive set will also come in handy, but may not be necessary.
     g.   DEEP SOCKET SET: These are very handy in both 1/4 and 3/8 inch drives. If you don’t want to buy two sets (metric and SAE) at a minimum you need the following two deep sockets:
     h.   15 MM DEEP SOCKET: 3/ 8 inch drive 15 mm deep socket for torquing the heads.
     i.    11/16 DEEP SOCKET: Deep socket to install and remove spark plugs.
     j.    SOCKET DRIVE ADAPTERS: Socket drive adapters so you can mix and match sockets with drives or torque wrenches: 1/ 2 to 3/ 8; 3/ 8 to 1/ 2; 1/ 4 to 3/ 8; 3/ 8 to 1/4
     k.   WOBBLE EXTENSION: 6 inch wobble drive extension (3/8 inch) for sockets, this is used when things don’t exactly line up. You will also need regular extensions.
     l.    METRIC BOX END SET: Metric combination (box & open end) wrench set. If you can get the new ones with the ratcheting box ends, they are great. You will also need a SAE set.
     m.  DREMEL TOOL: Dremel tool w/ diamond cutting wheel to remove protrusion on bottom of engine block that interferes with the oil cooler installation. Dress the cut with a Vixen file
     n.   RTV: High temperature (red) RTV
     o.   ANTI SEIZE: Anti-seize lubricant to put on the spark plug & exhaust stud threads.
     p.   THREAD LOCK: Both Permatex and Loctite make this product. You need both medium and high strength. Some times people will refer to this as needing Red and Blue, but this is confusing and incorrect, as all the Loctite grades come in red tubes and the Permatex comes in blue tubes. Loctite is available as:  222 - low strength for small metal fasteners; 242 (Blue Loctite) - is a medium strength adhesive that keeps threaded assemblies from loosening due to vibration or load, also called threadlocker; 271 (Red Loctite) - is a high strength threadlocker used for permanent installation of threaded parts. It is a high strength anaerobic adhesive that requires heat (450-500°) and sometimes special tools for disassembly; 272 - high temperature & high strength & requires heat and hand tools for removal. All Loctite adhesives require clean, grease-free surfaces. Avoid using too much adhesive, excess Loctite may gum up mechanisms and moving parts.
     q.   GASKET FORMING SEALER: Gasket forming sealer - Ultra Blue or Permatex Aviation Form-A-Gasket No. 3 (referred to by Sonex in some locations as 3H). Although the silicone type is quite handy, do not use it on the case halves as it is so thick the proper bearing crush may not occur.
     r.    PROP HUB SETTING TOOL: Tool to drive home prop hub - the video shows using a piece of wood, but we found that a thick piece of aluminum with the center bored out would drive the heated hub onto the chilled crank evenly all the way around when struck with a sledge hammer.
     s.   FLY WHEEL LOCK: Tool to hold flywheel to prevent it from rotating when tightening the gland nut. EMPI manufactures a specifically made VW flywheel lock for a very reasonable $ 6.50, do not use a large screw driver or you may break a gear tooth off the flywheel.
     t.    DIAL CALIPERS: Dial or digital calipers to measure deck height & spacer stacks to set the compression ratio. Remember in addition to setting the compression ratio, to aim for equal deck heights on the two adjacent cylinders (use a straight edge to verify) so the head can be put on securely.
     u.   RING GAP FILER: Piston Ring End Gap Filer to open the gap on the piston rings (if needed) while keeping the ends parallel. Don’t risk damaging a set of rings by doing this job with a hand file. This tool costs about $ 110 and is expensive for only one use, so you may choose to take the compression rings (bring all the pistons) to an engine shop and have them grind the ring ends to get the proper gap. This will take several days and delay your engine assembly, unless you have checked the gap prior to starting the assembly. I have built two AeroVee engines and am batting 50% - one set needed the gaps filed and the other set did not.
     v.   PISTON RING COMPRESSOR: Piston ring compressor - the best type to use is called a Compressor Band and looks like a tuna can split down one side with two tabs that are squeezed together with vise grips. The ones made specifically for VWs (88-94 mm) cost $ 3.95 and work very well. The ones from Spruce require a special $ 29 tool to squeeze the band together.
     w.  FEELER GAGE SET: Feeler gage to determine end play at the fly wheel when assembling the engine, and to adjust the valves and gap the spark plugs
     x.   PLUG GAP ADJUSTING TOOL: Feeler gage set and gap adjusting tool to gap the spark plugs to .018 top plugs & .032 bottom plugs. The reason for the gap difference is there are two different ignition systems.
     y.   DIAL INDICATOR: Dial indicator with attaching clamp or magnetic base, to measure end play after you have inserted the  shims at the flywheel.
     z.   VW BLOCK CAM SHAFT PLUG: Correct end plug for the camshaft case hole. There are two types of cases each with a different opening and there are two different types of plugs. Of course, we got the incorrect type. The entire perimeter of the plug should be coated with aviation cement put in the case.
     x.   VW GASKET SETS: VW gasket sets only have one metal seal for the oil pressure relief ports. You need two (one for the oil control valve plug and one for the oil pressure relief valve plug).
     z.   HEX HEAD CAP SCREW: 5/16-18X 2 inch hex head cap screw, 5/16X18 nut, and 5/16 washer. Used with a 5/8 inch socket to install the prop drive lugs in the hub.
     aa.  PVC PIPE: PVC pipe 1/ 2 diameter, cut into 16 sections. Lengths are approximately:  8 @ at 4 inches and 8 @ at 6 inches. Cut the PVC to the actual correct length as you assemble the engine. Use these to hold the cylinders on the block (as you rotate it to work on the other side) before the heads are put on. Drop the PVC pipe section over the studs and put the stud nuts on to hold the cylinders firmly in place.
     bb.    SNAP RING PLIERS: Snap ring Installation Pliers with the CORRECT tool snout or nose, to open the retaining ring.
     cc.    IMPACT WRENCH: 1/ 2 inch, electric or pneumatic, to drive on prop hub nut.
     dd.    FENCE COOLING AIR BAFFLE SYSTEM: p/n SNX-P30-10. Order this optional aluminum kit as it is far superior to the standard air baffle system called out in the plans.
     ee.    ENGINE OIL DRAIN VALVE: Purchase one to replace the oil drain plug that comes with the kit. See below for additional information. We used Fumoto #F-106.
     ff.      OIL TEMPERATURE SENDER (VDO): Order this from Sonex. You need it to replace the oil temperature sender that is part of the oil drain plug you are discarding for the engine oil drain valve. See “c.” below for additional information.
 
 
     3.      SOME AEROVEE BUILDING HINTS:
 
     a.   FENCE COOLING AIR BAFFLE SYSTEM: Spend the extra money and buy the optional Fence type cooling air baffle system (p/n SNX-P30-10). Our experience is the CHT temperatures were reduced 50 to 75 degrees using the fence type to replace the original design with which we had high CHT problems.
     b.   OIL DRAIN PLUG: You will be changing the oil a lot - at 1 hour, 5 hrs., 10 hrs., 25, 50, 75...... Our AeroVee came with an oil drain plug. The oil cooler had to be dropped every time we wanted to get at the drain plug. Spend the $ 25 and buy an engine oil drain valve (see information below) and replace the plug with this valve. Caution: the oil cooler will interfere with this new valve, so you must mount your oil cooler slightly further back than the plans call for (see below for additional information).
     c.   OIL TEMPERATURE SENDER: Order the AeroConversions Oil Temperature Sender (VDO) and have it ready to install. It installs on the case and is superior to the temperature sender in the oil drain plug that comes with the AeroVee kit. Since you will be replacing this oil drain plug with the Quick Operation Oil Drain Valve (see below) you need another way to get the oil temperature information. Additionally, we have had good luck using a VW after market item by VDO (Siemens VDO Automotive), part # 323 064D Temperature Sender 18X1.5 V3067020453 / V1531006183D. This goes up to 300 degrees. Install it in the forward, lower oil pressure relief port. It costs around $ 24.95. It is much more robust than the supplied unit installed in the oil drain plug. Also, we discarded the oil drain plug and installed a quick drain valve to facilitate oil changes w/o having to remove the oil cooler each time (see below).
     d.   ENGINE OIL DRAIN VALVE: Get an engine oil drain valve for the bottom of the AeroVee engine to replace the plug that comes with the AeroVee kit. Without it you will have to drop the oil cooler every time you change the oil. Qwik Valve or Quick Oil Drain Valve (formerly known as Fumoto) oil drain valves only cost about $ 22. We used a Fumoto #F-106 engine oil drain valve w/ 14mm threads. Important: When you build the oil cooler mounting plate do NOT cut out the hole for the oil cooler in the location called for in the plans - it will interfere with the drain valve. Move the oil cooler back about an inch from the location called for in the plans. Be sure you measure this before you cut metal. On some engine blocks you will have to cut off a protrusion on the bottom of the engine block so it won’t interfere with the oil cooler installation. A diamond cutting wheel on a Dremel tool works fine; then dress it off with the Vixen file.
     e.   CASE STUDS: INSTALLING - The instructions call for inserting them and rotating the threads by hand. This is fine, but look them over carefully when you are completed to make sure one stud isn’t sticking up higher than the others, perhaps because of a burr on one thread. I have had this happen and we had one stud interfering with the rocker arm assembly as it stuck up 3/ 8 inch too high. TORQUING - Additionally you will be torquing the heads every 25 hours and it is difficult to reach all these studs. We ended up using an open end wrench to slide down over the nut and would put the torque wrench in the other end of the wrench. I had the misfortune to break off one of these studs, very near the case, most likely because I did not use the torque wrench and open end wrench combination correctly. The way I was torquing caused a multiplication of the torque applied. The fix for this was to pull the head, remove one cylinder, drill a hole in the end of the broken stud, hammer an EZ Out into the hole and remove the stud. Then you have to rebuild the engine.
     f.    CRANK INSTALLATION: Use extreme caution when dropping the crankshaft assembly into the case half. Make sure the bearings are lined up and fully seated. If there is ANY doubt, lift the assembly out and inspect. The best way of checking this is to rotate the crankshaft slowly while closely watching #2 main bearing. If the crank is fully seated, the bearing’s edge will scrape white grease off its journal. If the crank is not fully seated, no grease will rub off. Keep wiggling the main bearings until they are fully seated. This is important! I had the unfortunate situation where the bearing was not lined up where it should have been and when we tightened the case nuts we crushed the bearing. In order to install a new bearing we had to press off the shrink fitted prop hub. You do not want to have this happen!
     g.   OIL PRESSURE RELIEF VALVE: Make sure you install both the oil pressure relief valve (longer spring) piston (has a large groove around the piston) and the oil control valve (shorter spring) piston (smooth sided piston) with the the flat end to the oil pressure and the open end to the spring.
     h. CAM SHAFT CASE PLUG: There are two types of cases each with a different opening and there are two different types of case plugs. Using the incorrect plug will result in a massive oil leak and having to disassemble the engine.
     i.    TORQUE WRENCH CONVERSIONS: Converting foot lbs, to inch lbs, and vice versa: (You will run into this problem when assembling an AeroVee engine if you have the incorrect scale on your torque wrench.) 1 ft.-lb. = 12 in.-lbs. Divide the torque in inch-pounds by 12 to get torque in foot-pounds. Multiply the torque in foot-pounds by 12 to get torque in inch-pounds.
     j.    PISTON RINGS: When installing the piston rings make sure the correct rings are in the correct grooves. Each package of rings (there are three different types) is labeled with the location where they are to be installed.
     k.   TIGHTENING GLAND NUT:  Make sure you have purchased the flywheel lock at a VW parts house - it is cheap. More than likely you will not have a large enough torque wrench to do this job. You can use a doubler or a breaker bar and pipe “cheater” extension so you have 2 ft of leverage on the nut. If you use an extension be sure to keep the two at right angles so the torque will be the same.
     l.    DECK HEIGHT & COMPRESSION RATIO: Remember that, when adding shims to adjust the deck height, in addition to aiming for a specific compression ratio  you must also aim for equal cylinder heights on the two adjacent cylinders (use a straight edge to verify) so the head can be put on squarely. This is a compromise situation and level cylinder height has the higher priority. it's more important to have the adjacent cylinders at the same height than to have the compression ratio exact.
     m.  ADJUSTING VALVES: With the VW engine when a valve on one cylinder is fully open, the corresponding valve in the opposing cylinder is fully closed. For example, when #1’s exhaust valve is fully open, #3’s exhaust valve is fully closed and is ready to be adjusted. You need to have the propeller installed in order to rotate the engine with the spark plugs installed. As you rotate the engine watch the rocker arms and you can see when one rocker-arm tip is is at the bottom of its travel and pushing the valve stem completely down. This valve is fully open, and the opposing cylinder’s corresponding valve is fully closed and you can now set its clearance.
     n.   INSTALLING SPARK PLUGS: It is easiest to install the spark plugs, and the CHT sensor ring terminals (if used) prior to attaching the inlet air manifold. You can only do this one time when assembling the engine. Later, once the inlet air manifolds are installed, you will have to struggle to remove and replace the plugs and CHT sensor ring terminals.
     o.   COPPER NUTS ON EXHAUST STUDS: Use anti-seize on the studs. Attaching or removing the copper nuts from the studs for the rear exhaust pipes is time consuming as a socket will not fit in the small space between the exhaust port and the exhaust pipe. Also there is not enough room to fully swing a box end wrench, so you must rotate the nut 1/ 6 turn at a time (6 adjustments to get one rotation). They make combination open/ box end wrenches that have a built in ratcheting mechanism which may make this job much easier.
     p.   ATTACHING EXHAUST PIPES: When attaching the exhaust pipes there is a lot of play available before the aluminum gaskets get crushed. Gravity will cause the pipes to hang down, which will later on interfere with the exhaust openings on the bottom of your engine cowling. Hold the ends of the pipes up while tightening them to the exhaust ports to prevent this problem. If they still interfere with the cowling opening, stick a piece of broom stick into the pipe and bend it up until it clears.
     q. ENGINE CASE BREATHER LINE: I was losing a lot of oil out the case breather line and it flowed onto the bottom of the fuselage. There are several cures for this problem, none of which are addressed in the assembly manual. #1. Case breather tube shoved too far into boot, restricting air flow.  #2. Bevel the end of the aluminum breather tube and clamp before bottoming out in boot. #3. There is mention that the breather line should slope downward to the engine case so that any oil in the breather line can drain back into the engine. #4. No mention was made in our AeroVee Assembly Manual about installing a louvered gasket under the breather line cover plate (in our gasket kit there was a rectangular aluminum gasket with louvers in it). Recently I have been told that we should NOT install the rectangular, louvered gasket as it will cause back pressure. I do not know the correct answer but we have always been pumping a lot of oil out this breather line and it would flow back under the fuselage and make a mess. We installed a homemade oil-air separator which worked fairly well. Recently we purchased a real Oil-Air Separator from Aircraft Spruce and installed it. Much more oil flowed overboard with this unit installed. Finally this July, 2008, I installed a SS Chore Boy scrub pad under the breather line cover plate and this has stopped 99.99% of the oil that was flowing overboard. I am very happy that one of our builders told me about this and only wish I had done it two years ago. I understand why the factory can not endorse this cure, as it might be possible for the Chore Boy to fall into the engine causing damage. But I am not aware of this happening to anyone, and it really works to stop oil from going overboard.
     r.    CHT RINGS : Make sure when you install your spark plugs that the sealing washer which comes with the plugs, is against the block and the ring for the CHT wires is between the washer and the spark plugs. If they are reversed the plug may not seal fully into the case.
     s.   CYLINDER NUMBERING: Your life will be a lot easier if you number your cylinders (and associated EGTs and CHTs) the same as the factory. We did not know anything about this and as a result our cylinders (and associated EGTs and CHTs) do not match the factory which has caused some confusion when discussing problems with the Tech assistance folk or when adjusting the valves. Unfortunately, it is not easy to change as our EGT and CHT wires to the Engine Instrument Indicating System are wired the way we originally numbered the cylinders.
     The proper numbering from the cockpit looking forward is:
                                                                    2       4
                                       1       3
With cylinders 2 and 4 closest to the prop and cylinders 1 and 3 nearest the cockpit. Since the firing order on a VW engine is 1-4-3-2 we adjust the valves in that order.
     t.    SPARK PLUG CAPS: The tops of the recommended spark plugs are threaded which is the wrong type of connection for the AeroVee ignition leads. However, in the box are small aluminum caps (which are also threaded) to put over the plug’s tops. Install these so the end of the cap that is tapered is on top. Most importantly, crush these caps slightly so they will go on tightly and not loosen up. Additionally, we have been  adding a little of the red Locktite to these threads to help keep them secure. Twice in 300 hours of operation I have had one of these little caps work their way loose and the lead from the magneto to that plug become disconnected. This is readily apparent when doing the before flight engine run up. With the electronic ignition off, shut off first one then the other mag. If the lead has become disconnected one mag will have a much larger rpm drop as the engine is only running on one cylinder instead of two
 
 
     4.   SOME AERO CARB INFORMATION:
 
     a.   AERO CARB MANUAL - Make sure you have the latest version of the AeroCarb Manual. Mine did not come with one and when I finally found out about the manual I was really glad to have it as it tells you how to tune the AeroCarb and how to set the mixture and the engine idle RPM.
     b.   MIXTURE CONTROL - The newer AeroCarbs have an improved design for the mixture control. The needle carrier in the newer units is shorter allowing the set screw to grab more threads to lock it in place. If you have a new AeroCarb you will have this, if you have an older one and your mixture is slowly changing, then order the new style carrier. When you go to change it, remove the air filter and look up into the carb and with a magic marker mark the needle where it hits the wall of the carb. Then once you change out the carrier you can adjust the mixture control until the magic marker line is lined up and you will be pretty well set.
.    c.   ADJUSTING IDLE - The later versions of the AeroCarb have a much easier way to adjust the idle RPM than do the earlier versions.
     d    GROUNDING - I do not know the official AeroCarb policy on grounding the AeroCarb. We have not grounded ours, but some builders report that it is important to do so.
     e.   THROTTLE CABLE - “you can pull a string but you can not push it”. Some builders have had problems with a sticking throttle if the routing of their throttle cable is not straight and they have the push open AeroCarb  throttle. We ran our throttle cable very straight and have not had a problem. Remember, the AeroCarb can be converted into a pull open unit, rather that a push open unit. If you use the AeroVee quadrant it has a built in reverser to do this. If you use a regular throttle cable and want to convert to a pull open throttle, you can build your own reverser. To do this install a lever pivoting about the center, with the knob cable attached at one end and the carb cable at the other. The lever could be made from 1/ 8" aluminum, mounted on a bracket made from 1/ 8" angle stock. With this design when you push the throttle in the reverser causes the cable to pull the throttle open.
 
 
                                                           OTHER INFO
 
     ENGINE ASSEMBLY LUBRICANT: We have successfully assembled two AeroVee engines following the AeroVee instructions and using the provided Moly Cam Assembly Lubricant on the valve lifters and white Lithium Grease to coat everything else.  However, I have been told by engine shops that using grease is NOT good practice as the grease can plug some of the small oil galleys and passages and may not dissolve in the oil but float around like cottage cheese. We have not had this problem, but it does seem to be reasonable.
     I have read that 90% of the wear on an engine comes in the first few minutes of running the engine before there is good lubrication established.
     I know that people have successfully built engines using STP, Lubriplate No. 105, Red Line Synthetic Assembly Lube, Torco Cam Lube, Bardhal’s No Smoke, Royal Purple’s Max-Tuff Assembly Lube, and even a  50/50 mixture of STP and Marvels Mystery Oil, etc. You may want to do some research on this and look for an assembly lubricant that will eventually dissolve into the oil. I do not want to recommend a product to use to replace the AeroVee recommended white grease.
 
           ___________________________________________________________
 
     While doing some research on this subject, I did find the following information  “on-line”.I suggest that you use this information with caution, as everyone has an opinion and is an expert on this! Some of this information may be completely incorrect:
 
                                                      From the internet
 
     WHAT IS BEST ASSEMBLY LUBE FOR ENGINE REBUILD?
           “.... An Engine builder from VW in Wolfsberg years ago showed me what He called "assembly lube" it was a 50/50 mixture of Marvels Mystery Oil and STP oil treatment. You get an old style oil can....the one that has a spout and thumb trigger.......and you mix them in there and squirt a healthy amount on surfaces that may rust and especially surfaces that have parts that contact each other...”
           “.... I always use Lubri-Plate from NAPA with no problems...
           “.... STP hasn’t failed me yet...
           “.... Torco assembly lube is the best one that I have used. I got mine in a high performance VW store. The company is located on the west coast in Santa Fe Springs,Ca. 12 oz bottle $12.99...
           “.... I don't like to use a lot of moly based assembly lube in a new engine, I usually use Bardahl's No Smoke, it's like 1000 weight oil. It's very sticky, and it's just oil, not moly disulfide...
           “.... I use GM Goodwrench EOS; you can buy it at any GM dealer for about $ 4.50 a bottle; it is what GM recommendS for assembly of an engine. Very good stuff, Very thick, sticks to every thing...
     “.... I no longer use moly everywhere. My engine seizure was attributed to the use of molybdenum assembly lube that "coked" on the piston/wrist pin surfaces, a blackish glaze ...”
 
     CAM LOBES: Grease/assembly lube should not be used on the lifter bores (or cam lobes)--use STP. This is advice from others "in the know". was offered a personal "statistic" that on 97% of the camshafts he'd encountered during engine disassembly that had flat-worn cam lobes, grease/moly was originally used as an assembly lubricant. STP mixes nicely with the oil, protects and sticks to the parts for the time you need it and won't plug up small oil passages as grease might.
 
     ENGINE ASSEMBLY: Use good quality engine oil (20-50 or 30 weight) to coat all bearing surfaces, as well as the surfaces of moving parts they contact. Use an oil treatment (e.g.: STP) for camshaft lobes and the heads of the lifters, and engine oil for the sides of the lifters. We prefer TORCO CAM LUBE, and supply it will all our camshafts. In your oil pump, lube the gears up with STP or a HEAVY oil. This assures a good oil pump prime (it's very thick; make sure the brand you use is the SAME as the oil you plan on running, so they are compatible).
 
     RED LINE SYNTHETIC ASSEMBLY LUBE: is designed to be used a lubricant to apply to potential wear surfaces before assembly in order to prevent metal contact upon startup before adequate lubrication is supplied. Provides three times greater film strength than conventional black Molybdenum Disulfide greases and will not clog oil filters. This product clings to all surfaces and is an excellent rust inhibitor, allowing the storage of parts for years. A thin film of protection is all that is required on mating parts. Red Line Assembly Lube will mix with our motor oil and can be used on all lubricated parts such as cams, followers, pistons, and bearings, and bolt threads. Use only a small amount on bearing and piston surfaces - too much can make it difficult to turn over the engine. Red Line Assembly Lube is an excellent corrosion inhibitor and can be used on machined surfaces to provide long-term corrosion protection. Do not use on exhaust bolts or other high temperature bolts which require an anti-seize. 4 oz tin $ 6.19
 
     MOLY ASSEMBLY LUBE: Applied to all bearing surfaces, cam and cam followers during assembly, this high grade moly lube insures proper lubrication upon initial engine start up and run in. 2 oz tube Price: $ 7.99
 
     JOE GIBBS PERFORMANCE ASSEMBLY GREASE: Used by Joe Gibbs Racing during the assembly of every NASCAR Nextel Cup and Busch Series engine, this unique formula completely dissolves in oil. 1 lb. can $ 17.75
 
     LUBRIPLATE No. 105 ENGINE ASSEMBLY GREASE: Lubriplate No. 105 motor assembly grease is a white soft bodied grease designed to provide a smooth anti-wear, anti-seize coating to the internal parts of the engine, this gives instant lubrication during the initial start up before oil has had a chance to circulate. Prevents damage to newly machined engine parts from rust, scuffing, scoring and friction.
 
 
                   ____________________________________________________
 
           first draft: needs to be Verified and Edited
 
a.    AeroVee No. 4 BEARING PLUG: Posted by: "airsmith79" airsmith79@yahoo.com
 
     Some builders have mentioned the frequency in which engine cases have the #4 bearing oil gallery blocked by the pressed in plug. Their solution is to drill out the pressed plug and updrill the hole to accept a 1/ 8" NPT plug. This may be an incorrect solution.
     That "condition" is present in all factory VW cases.  The aluminum #4 bearing case plug is a feature and not a design error from VW.  That plug serves as a RESTRICTION to the #4 bearing oil galley.  It restricts flow to #4 so that the other bearings get higher oil pressure.
     But why do Great Plains, Revmaster, Limbach, and others pull the #4 case plug?  Because you're swinging a huge prop and not some small auto pulley & alternator.  #4 bearing is probably the most critical bearing to make sure has good oil supply.  A Google search located a drawing of the plug in question. http://fliegenvw.kilu.de/4_bearing.jpg
 
b.  ELECTRONIC IGNITION COILS: Apparently the factory has had problems with some of the green coils (some have cracked and failed), and switched to the red ones.  The red ones are supposed to be more efficient (use less amperage, put out a hotter spark), than the greenies, and they've  had zero failures. The green ones are either just fine or they will fail early on. If they do fail you will not be able to start the engine. Recall that the AeroVee engine does NOT have magnetos, but rather magnetrons which need to be turning about 1300 RPM before they will give a spark, hence the need for the electronic ignition system, as the engine will not start  using only the magnetrons.
 
c.  CRANKSHAFT ASSEMBLY DETAILED PROCEDURE: Posted by: Ray Woodard, rhwoodard100@msn.com; Wed Dec 17, 2008. I figured I may as well comment on this since I recently just this completed my crankshaft assembly. The first time I tried the assembly, I was not successful, but it was primarily my fault, as I did not set the large woodruff key level. It was slightly canted, so the timing gear went on about a half inch and stuck there. Granted, it was frustrating, but I had no one to blame but myself for that. After contacting Kerry and making sure what I was supposed to do, I went and had the gear pressed back off ($ 5.00 fee at the machine shop). A few days later I prepared to do the procedure again, and here is my step by step procedure for those who are interested, because it went together flawlessly the second time, with a little preparation: I had everything laid out on the floor in the order of installation, including the PRE-LUBED bearings. I also had the air wrench with the correct socket ready as well as the block of wood, 3 pound sledge and the smaller plastic/rubber hammer.
           a.    Crankshaft (with the large woodruff key already installed level) placed in the freezer in its original box for 14 hours (I placed it in the night before at 7 PM and I assembled the crank the next morning at 9 AM.
           b.    Oven preheated to 500 degrees for 30 minutes prior to putting in the four parts (Crank timing gear, spacer, distributor gear, prop hub). Heated parts for 75 min.
           c.    I took the crankshaft out of the freezer and placed it upright on a small piece of plywood on the floor. My son held it and I installed the large bearing, then immediately took out the crank gear from the oven (wear work gloves) and verified that the timing dots were facing out. I slid it onto the crank and key, and it WOULD NOT go on with just hand pressure, but I immediately used the wood and small hammer to tap it down and it seated well.
           d.    I did the same thing with the spacer (tapped it again with the wood and hammer, and again with the distributor drive gear.
           e.    After all three of these were seated, I waited a few seconds, and then lay the crank down like you see in the video, and carefully installed the retaining ring (make sure you have the special ring pliers or you are wasting your time.)
           f.     I then slid on the smaller bearing and the oil slinger, followed by the small woodruff key, again making sure it was installed level.
           g.    The next step was the big one - the prop hub. I stood the crank back up to vertical again, took out the prop hub, aligned the key with the slot, and guess what? It literally fell into place! I still took the wood and sledge and taped it tightly into position against the oil slinger. I installed the bolt WITH washer, and snugged it down with the air wrench.
           h.    later that night, I removed the bolt, loctited threads and tightened to 80 Ft Lbs. 
Success!It is an important installation, and takes some planning, but then again, so does building an airplane. Ray Woodard, Sonex 0953, Kempner, TX