ORIGINAL: Stickbuilder
Ken,
Did you make your standoff's, or did you use a commercially available set? I am going to do a further modification on the one that I'm building, and it looks as if I will need some standoff's in the 1 1//8" range. I haven't really attempted to mount the 160 on this one yet, but that looks about right by the eyeball. I'm thinking about turning some from 6061 T-6 for this one. I do know that there will be no (read that NONE, ZIP, Zero) blind nuts on this one. The engine will be through bolted, and there will be access to the back of the firewall to be able to replace the fastners if needed. That is what the removable panels on the sides of the fuselage (behind the cowl) will be used for (with the fuel dot inside as well). There is a lot to be said for using aircraft lock nuts and fender washers (lock washers too). I'm done with these cheap T-nuts that won't hold, strip, punch out (add your favorite screw-up here). I'm not going to use any stainless fastners either. Black carbon steel bolts will be used for mounting the engine.
Bill, AMA 4720
WACO Brotherhood #1
Nothin' so high-tech as 6061, but I did make mine, or, I should say, bought some nylon spacers from the specialty parts bins at Lowe's and used them. They come in different lengths, inside and outside diameters and thicknesses, just a matter of picking out the sizes I needed and trimming the length. The ones I used had a hole that was a snug slide fit for a 8-32 hex head machine screw; I still used blind nuts, but these are fiberglassed in place and won't come loose. the only thing about mounting the engine the way I did is that you have to slide the screws through the mounting plate holes, then the spacer, then a washer (times four screws, spacers and washers) and try to keep it all from falling off until you get the screws started into the blind nuts.
I had thought about putting the blind nuts on the outside of the firewall, and screwing the bolts from the inside, and then putting a low profile nut on the outside to lock them in place. This would give you 4 studs sticking out; easier to hang stuff on and then use nylock nuts to hold it in place---but I didn't.
On another note, I've come up with an aluminum main gear for the YMF, designed specifically for my ARF, but should be readily adaptable to the Pica kit, since it will screw directly to the rails the wire gear mounts to. Jay (damifino) is going to cut and bend it for me, I'll post the mounting and finishing of it. Should look just like the wire gear when done, just a tad heavier, but much stronger. Wheel pants will fit without the problem of them loosening and rotating on the axle.