Brake Lines

 I have been doing quite a bit of work on the plane over the last month since the finish kit arrived. Inventory is complete and there are a few things on backorder including the baffles which I won't need for a long time. There were a few things missing in the finish kit but no more than small hardware and a few bolts that were the wrong size (check everything - This happened on the fuselage kit as well - if it says three bolts/screws of a certain size make sure all of them are the same size).

I ordered one of the new gas struts for the canopy and asked that it be shipped with the other backorders. Vans recently introduced a new stronger strut so I figure it is best to install the stronger one at the beginning.

Over the last couple of weeks I have built the rudder pedals including painting them with rustoleum hand hammered silver color and they look great in my opinion. I ordered the brake cables from Aircraft Specialty as well. Steve is a great resource and really goes the extra mile to help if you have any questions. The cables are quite expensive but after receiving them I can see why. They are all stainless fittings, and quite strong. I am glad that I have them rather than the clear tubing.

You need to put thread seal on all NPT threads like these, so I used Permatex #2 which I had a tube of from a little while ago. The clocking of the fittings on the master cylinders is a little difficult to get as some of the fitting need to be torqued quite tight. But once you get it, everything really comes together quickly.