Category Archives: Engine

Oil Lines

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Time: 1 Hour

In between the cowl work I started doing the planning behind the engine. This area is pretty tight and you really have to think through things as you go. I decided to start with the large items that don’t have a lot of flexibility. The inverted oil system falls into that category. I had already thought through that layout and mounted the two items in the firewall, the oil separator and the valve. I decided a long time ago that I wanted to build my own oil lines for the custom look. I spoke with several builders and learned what I needed to do. I also decided that I wanted to use Aeroquip fittings and hose. I’m lucky here in the Chicago area that I have a local source for these items, Winner Circle Speed Shop. After getting a little training from them on the assembly I made my first attempts for a couple of those lines.

I love the look and how easy these are to build. They are rated for up to 1000 PSI. You can see these are big lines, -10’s, and don’t offer a lot of flexibility. I will run all of these lines and secure them so that I can plan out all the little stuff.

Engine is Hung

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Time: 2 Hours

My buddy Glenn received his IO-360 from Vans a few days after mine arrived. With both engines now in the shop we asked our good friend and RV-7 builder Pete to come visit and bring his engine hoist. This gives us an extra set of hands to help with each engine install. I gathered all the parts for the mounts and set them out. One other item I decided to install prior to the engine install is the Show Planes engine driven fuel pump cooling shroud. This shroud wraps the pump and allows for a tube to be connected to the baffling to direct ram air over the pump. This will help keep the pump cool and help with any vapor lock. Installing this with the engine in place is a challenge so getting this done now is ideal.

It only took about an hour to get the four engine bolts and mounting hardware installed. Definitely looks like an airplane now! Now on to the fun stuff!

Engine Hanging Prep

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Time: 2 Hours

In prep for my eventual engine hanging I’m working on attaching anything I can to the rear accessory section of the engine. The space is pretty tight back there after the engine is installed so doing them now is advisable from what I have read. One item is the propellor governor. This controls the pitch of the propellor blade via a cable control in the cockpit. It’s bolted with four bolts and torqued to 180-220 in/lbs. The governor has small screws around the perimeter that allows you to “clock” or rotate the inner part to allow the arm to move to a position so the cable gets full range of low and high pitch on the prop.

I will safety wire the screws again once the engine is mounted and the cables measured so that it is clocked just right. I also put in the Dynon oil temp sensor in the oil filter adapter.

Like the back of the engine I also wan to put as much on the firewall as I can. I bought the Raven inverted oil system with my engine and installed the oil separator and valve on the firewall. I spent a lot of time and photos looking at RV-8’s in OshKosh over the last two years to determine where I wanted to mount these.

I just have a few items that I want to take care of before the engine is on but needed to order some parts from Vans first. Hopefully they arrive before next weekend otherwise I’ll be working on those with the engine in place.

Engine Arrives!

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Time: 0 Hours

The time has come and my AeroSport Power IO-375-M1S Engine has made its great trek from Kamloops BC to Oswego IL. The truck arrived on time and the driver made quick work of carefully unloading it off the truck. After a quick inspection of the condition of the crate I signed off on the paperwork so he could be in his way.

Once I had it in the shop I put it off of the way so I could work on the wings. With the right upper gear leg fairing done I was finished with the wings and we could remove them. With Glenn’s help we made quick work of the six bolts I had holding the wings on and we put the wings back in their cradles. I then moved the plane back into the original position so that we would have good access to both of our engine mounts for the engine hanging party we will eventually have. Next up was to uncrate the engine after I put it into position just below the engine mount.

We are shooting for next weekend to get the engines hung which will give me a week to get items ready for the big day.

Aero Sport Power Build School

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Time: 12 Hours

This weekend I made the trek from Chicago to Kamloops Canada to attend the Aero Sport Power’s build school to assemble my IO-375-M1S engine. They offer this one-on-one school to assemble your engine with the help of a pro builder. The first morning started with Darren giving me the tour of the shop and all the formalities. After that we jumped right in and began assembling. I cannot say enough good things about Darren Jones and the whole team at Aero Sport Power! Great customer service! My emails and calls were always answered and there was never a doubt that I was getting a great product backed by a great company. I got to be as hands on as much as I wanted which was a great experience for me. I asked a lot of questions about the engine and the parts…Darren is a patient guy! After the building was done we moved into the testing shop where the attached all the parts to be able to run it up. We put the engine through it’s paces for 2+ hours and all went perfect. I’m not gonna try to describe all the steps rather I’ll just give a timeline in photos…enjoy!