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0. 12:11 AM - What Are You Thankful For...? (Matt Dralle)
1. 08:25 PM - RV-8 - Baggage Door Strut... (Matt Dralle)
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| Subject: | What Are You Thankful For...? |
Dear Listers,
Here in the United States, Thursday is our National day of Thanksgiving. Many
of us will be traveling to be with our families and friends to share in generous
feasts of plenty and giving thanks for many blessings that have been bestowed
upon us.
Many Listers have expressed over the last couple of weeks how thankful they are
for the Email Lists and Forums here on the Matronics servers and for all of the
assistance and comradery they have experienced being a part of the Lists.
One of my favorite comments is when someone writes to me and says something like,
"Its the first thing I do in the morning while I'm having my morning coffee!".
That's a wonderful tribute to the purpose and function of these Lists.
Its always great to hear I'm not the only one that jumps out of bed each morning
to check my List email!!
Won't you take a minute today and show your appreciation for these Lists and for
their continued operation and upgrade?
The List Contribution Site is:
http://www.matronics.com/contribution
Thank you in advance for your kind consideration,
Matt Dralle
Matronics Email List Administrator
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| Subject: | RV-8 - Baggage Door Strut... |
Dear Listers,
The stock front baggage door on the RV-8 doesn't come with any means of holding
it open other than your arm. Since I'd already experienced what happens when
the latch pins are in the "latched" position and the door suddenly slams shut
(dents and scratches), I really wanted to find a nice strut of some kind that
would hold the door open, yet be relatively easy to install/replace/use.
Some browsing in the McMaster-Carr on-line catalog turned up what turn out to be
the absolute *perfect* part for the job. The strut unit is made for tool box
lids and has pre-installed mounts on each end that work perfectly on the RV-8
baggage door with no modifications whatsoever. Incredible, really. The best
part is that in operation, and using the mounting dimensions shown in the pictures,
the strut will securely hold the door open AND closed! Its amazing actually!
At about 2" from closed the geometry of the system has nearly zero pressure
open/closed and then at the last 1" or so, slightly pulls the door down.
Note that the latch pins are still needed to hold the door securely closed.
Conversely, after about 3" open, there is enough push in the spring to gently
open the door all the way and then hold it open very nicely. If you have an
RV-8 and want a baggage door strut, look no further. This is the perfect ticket:
McMaster-Carr Part Number: 11615A14
Here is the on-line web page for the part:
http://www.mcmaster.com/#11615A14
At $34.75 (circa 2009) its a little pricey, but its stainless steel and did I mention
- works PERFECTLY on the RV-8 front baggage door! Buy one now!
I used three standard LP4-3 pop rivets on the top attachment hinge to the side
of the baggage door, and two #8 platenuts and screws on the lower attachment.
For the correct geometry, you'll want to mount the upper hinge exactly 11/16" from
the bottom of the door as shown in the pictures. The lower hinge should be
mounted exactly 8.0" from the exterior skin of the fuselage as shown in the
picture.
Matt Dralle
RV-8 #82880 N998RV
http://www.mattsrv8.com - Matt's RV-8 Construction Blog
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