eric r

Nothing "wrong" with my current gear bow. It does "squat" considerably after taxiing. Admittedly, it has less than 100hrs TT on airframe that was built by Robert Evans "strictly to plans". Measuring the gear width after lifting each wingtip and resetting the gear, I see that the static position is considerably wider than the new long EZ bow in relaxed state. Gary suggested adding the Uni and Bid instead of installing a new gear, since the Long EZ bow produced now will add 10+Lbs over the original setup. Like I said, I do have a new Long EZ gear bow, and is notably beefier, and in no way could be put into original Vari fittings without copious cutting mods even before adding prescribed glass plies! I can easily lift the aircraft and work on the gear, but I'll first see how difficult it will be to remove it from the mounts. The Varieze mounts use four short bolts instead of the two utilized on Long Ez design.

long ez gear is thicker and will not fit between standard vari mount points. I have been told that vari gear legs can be beefed up with uni strips covered by a bid layup. I have a new long gear bow and am/was considering changing out mounts and all. a considerable undertaking if done right (beefing up fuselage, etc. I am looking into beefing up my original bow, maybe without removing it from airframe.

Oh yeah, and "exhaust wrap" will work, but it absorbs oil, absorbs moisture, and bakes the pipes continuously, so I'm not a fan. Works on race cars, but eventually destroys the metal headers. Not a scenario you want on the airplane. You want to inspect for cracks, etc. to avoid avoid catastrophic failure of metal. The fiber fax on close surfaces will work well if also topped off with reflective material. My concern with that is keeping it outside the prop disc area in case something decides to depart.

Jet Hot coating will keep the exhaust pipes from burning the cowling. They coat inside and out of pipes. The downside (if any) is that exhaust gasses exit the end of the pipes at or very nearly the same temperature they exit the exhaust valve! Be careful where they point! I have a set of Hal Hunt pipes for O-200 that I had coated by them, and also a 6" Sabre prop extension not yet installed. My concern is the heat of the exhaust plume aimed at prop disc. If the prop is "clocked" correctly the hot exhaust exits between blades, but I still plan some very short runs followed by shutdown to see where prop temps are going.. A set of those pipes are up for sale on the forum right now. BTW, I have used Jet Hot on race cars and motorcycles for years. my experimenting with other less expensive coatings did not turn out as well. To put the snake oil guys at bay, I assure you that when I coated race car headers, a carburetor jet change was required to take advantage of new found power. when I treated IO-470C exhaust manifolds and down pipes on a Bonanza, there was an immediate gain in static RPM and takeoff RPM on takeoff. That in itself is an obvious indication of power increase. I got the same boost that seaplane guys have been doing for years when they "adjust" the prop governor for more takeoff RPM. Also, after race car shut down, and immediately after exiting the Bonanza, I was able to place my hand on the exhaust header and the Bonanza down pipe without leaving skin on the metal ...palm, not finger. When I did the Bonanza, I conferred with a DAR and an FAA rep who both said that is was akin to painting exhaust and not considered a major change. I'm sure some would disagree, but common sense prevailed then.

Yes, I remember seeing that pictured on internet some time back. Mine already has the access panel and there is no damage, so a "simple" remove and modify. Taking a look, measuring, and comparing VEZ and LEZ plans, it appears very doable. My only concern/challenge is in adding the 15 bid layers over the area required for rearmost attachment area in the confined space . No room to trim excess, so it has to be exact. I do however have vacuum bagging equipment which will help with clamping concerns.

I am interested. How much would you like? That's Hal Hunt exhaust (I have a new set now that have been JetHot coated) I do know that Chev pistons can be adapted ... any rods? Who knows if they were special made to adapt to Cont O-200, or what compression ratio. Prop extensions .... Sabre manufacturing makes some. I already have a Sabre 6" I'm doing a varieze upgrade project, so parts is parts!

I'm doing a varieze upgrade and will be putting Long EZ main gear bow attach fittings along with a new Long EZ bow. Also putting in an EZ Nose lift, so I'm redoing the NG30's and lengthening the nose a small amount to make room for forward mounting brake system. I already have the main gear bow, nose-lift, and new nose strut (and castings, bearings, etc.), along with new grove brakes/wheels. Has anybody done this swap? (Undamaged airplane, low hours, built with Rosenthals and manual push pull nose gear actuator)

Yep, I figured out where to get all I need. The print bill was a bunch of $$$. Worth it though. I can make it work to my advantage.

I must be missing something. I see the construction manual, but not the drawings depicting sizes, hole locations etc on the NG30 for example. As I said, I have the original TERF discs, but must not locating info I need.

I dug out my TERF CD'S and am in the process of some mods, etc. Question is; Where do I find the "A" pages referred to regarding actual dimensions of bulkheads, parts, etc? Simple measurements will do. I am putting long eze type gear attachments on a vari, and building new NG30's for electric nose install. My original NG30 is a little too short to allow clearance for the motor without modifications of F-22. In any case, I intend to beef up both NG30 and F-22 for the purpose of using the ez lift to lift loaded from the ground. As for the gear, I have the new main gear bow, the new nose strut, all available upgraded bearings, hardware, etc for the build. If I can get the main gear mount plates from CZY-GRLS, I'll gladly support their efforts. if not they are easy enough to mfg.

Why not take this opportunity to convert to an electric lift? Definitely have someone shoot the prop with a micro-vibe!