Begining Cozy Construction?

[tdale4]

I'm seriously concidering the Cozy. What do I need to start? If I buy the plans from ACS and their associated chapters kits 4-7 to start with what else will I need besids a few things from home depot to make the jigs? As far as tools go I have a drill press, a table saw, a router table, a cheap jig saw, a cordless drill and various hammers and screwdeivers. Do the ACS chapter kits have everything I need to complete the chapter material wise?

Thanks,

Tim

[CBarber]

I can't comment on a Cozy as I am building another plane (from a kit), but I would think you do not need too many special tools. That being said, I would suggest an epoxy pump. I feel it is a great convenyance and time saver. Some purist really like to wiegh etc. I like to pump. YMMV.

 

As to what you need to start. You need the balls to actually start and not get into analysis paralisis. Just a humble opinion from a not so humble guy from the Great State of Texas. <g>.

 

Procrastinate LATER.

 

All the best,

 

Chris

[tdale4]

I called Aircrafe Spruce (ACS) and asked about the chapter kits. They told me I needed to order the plans, chapter kits 4-25, the section I and secton II kits, and epoxy was not included so i would have to order that separatly. Grand total for all this was $23,000 and change. Either ACS has drastically raised their prices or you guys out there how complete the airframe for less have a better supplier. Can anyone let me know if Aircraft Spruce is wrong about what is needed or if a cheaper/better supplier is out there?

 

Also what eopxy system is recommended? the Guy at ACS said to go with West Systems, but I hear alot about MGS which is better? I live in the DFW area if temp matters.

 

Lastly will I need the smart level right away? and what laser level do you recommend?

 

Thamks,

Tim

[ekisbey]

You were misinformed. You shouldn't need to order the section kits if you're ordering the chapter kits already, as the foam, fiberglass and hardware **should** be already included in that kit's total price. You might want take note of the individual who gave you that information and report it back to AS&S. Try calling back and see if they give you the same information again.

 

Look at the Wicks Aircraft site. They have similar kits by chapter (who knows for how long) for about the same price (six dollars more expensive on the Chapter 4 kit). You'll notice on the Wicks list, it's itemized by component/material. Since the prices are about the same and the kits are for the same construction, it's fairly safe to assume that the AS&S kit includes pretty much the same stuff.

 

Hope this helps.

[Rui]

I remember hearing somewhere that ASS sends you the fiberglass for a chapter already cut. So if you order chapter 4 you get a peice X yards long, if you order chapter 4 and 5 you get two peices, one for chapter 4 and one for chapter 5. Can anyone confirm this??

 

If so, and I were ordering from ASS, I'd make sure to tell them to send it all in one piece. I haven't started building yet, but even I can tell that the piece by piece approach sucks.

[John Slade]

Tim,

you'll need a smart level fairly early on - chapter 6 or so. The laser level wont be used until chapter 14 or so.

 

There's little to be gained by ordering all the chapters at once. I'd recommend getting the first 4 chapters, then when you're approaching the last of these, order the next 4. Better for cash flow and better for storage. This also allows you to test the suppliers. An exception if cash flow isnt a major factor might be to order a full roll of BID rather than the chapter amounts. You might also get all the nuts, bolt, washers, rivets, nutplates, aluminum etc in one go.

 

I can't comment on West, but I can tell you that MGS is excellent. I'd recommend the 285 version. Get an epoxy pump as well.

[dust]

I can comment on west, i use it for woodworking ONLY because i don't want to buy another ratio pump.

 

don't use it, it is smelly and you can't get the real looooong pot life out of it that you can with mgs

 

the ability to change pot life by changing the hardener in your pump is really great for slader

 

up in our shop we really like using the really long pot life, never have exotherm, can take a pop break during long layups

 

enjoy the build

 

Dust

[tdale4]

With the MGS system what pump do you recommend? What are the differences between the 285 and the 335 systems? is one for hot weather and one for cold weather????

 

Thanks,

Tim

[John Slade]

>With the MGS system what pump do you recommend?

I have the stick-stuff unit. Worked well for almost 5 years.

 

>What are the differences between the 285 and the 335 systems?

The main advertised difference is a higher tg (melting point in simple terms) for the 285. I've used both and found the 285 to be a little better. It wets out easier (if that's believable - the 335 is excellent) and it stays liquid longer. Its a little more expensive, but if I were doing it again (which wont happen) I'd use 285 together with the appropriate hardeners.

 

I noticed a few questions that dont seem to have been answered...

 

>what else will I need besids a few things from home depot to make the jigs?

Not much. A smart level and a dremel. Many swear by the Fein tools. I've never seen one.

 

>As far as tools go I have a drill press, a table saw, a router >table, a cheap jig saw, a cordless drill and various hammers and >screwdeivers.

Add a dremel (actually I'd recommend the cheaper and better Black & Decker version) and a good Stanley knife. My FAVORITE and most used "tool" was a piece of 1/2 inch plywood cut the right size to hold a small 50 grit belt sander belt with a good and tight fit. This gives you a 2 sided flat sanding board. Very handy for all sorts of jobs. At one point I had three in various grits, one made with with 3/4 ply with a curved end and a flat end.

 

>Do the ACS chapter kits have everything I need to complete the >chapter material wise?

I would expect so. The Wicks chapters do. Note, however that you WILL screw something up here and there. If you need 3 nutplates, that what you get. I cant count the number of times I ran out of nuts, bolts, nutplates etc. in the earlier chapters.

[Richard Pryor]

Call ACS and ask them to send you a materials break down list for all the chapters. You may have to wait for someone to get back to you (I did). That allows a comparison of what is included in the chapter kits price. Wicks already has this in their catalog. You can also compare what they send to what you need.

[Daniel Dillon]

I know this post is very old, but for the benefit of those just getting started, AS&S has already demonstrated to me that they are on top of things.

 

The guys working the front counter are super helpful and will print out a complete estimate for the whole airplane chapter by chapter so that you can see what you need. It was more than I had expected.

 

I purchased the Cozy MK IV Plans and am very happy with the call. AS&S called me on the phone after reading one of my mosts in an online forum to follow up, answer a question, and make sure that I had gotten everything.

 

If you have a question about the airfame build cost... call them and ask for an estimate on all of the chapter kits. You can be sure that there will be more to buy, but you will at least have a good estimate to start from.

 

Kind Regards,

Dan Dillon

Biaspoint@yahoo.com

 

 

Call ACS and ask them to send you a materials break down list for all the chapters. You may have to wait for someone to get back to you (I did). That allows a comparison of what is included in the chapter kits price. Wicks already has this in their catalog. You can also compare what they send to what you need.

[Kevin Dove]

Whilst I'm waiting for the plans to arrive from the States, I have started going through the materials I will need to purchase and have a question I was hoping someone could clarify for me.

 

Being in Australia I will be purchasing all the materials in one shipment and to save costs on shipping, it looks like I will need to purchase from Spruce on the West coast. I will be ordering all the Kits under Section I & II and I will be purchasing the MGS L285 epoxy from an Australian MGS agent in Melbourne.

 

In my order I would like to replace the Cleveland brakes with the Matco W51LTK Brake system. Do I need to order the Matco master cylinders as well or are these included in the Matco kit?

 

Are they any other items that fellow Cozy builders would recommend I include \remove in my order with Spruce for Sections I & II.

 

Thanks