Fitting new u/c bungee #71

Fitting new u/c bungee, (using lever with slider, based on a John Whiting design sketch).

Jacked up S4 to remove worn u/c leg unit. (the pivot bolt holes were a rattling good fit plus an inherited slight leg bend & a new bungee made sense).

Back on the work bench, using a stout steel rod as a lever (see pix) note the large diameter slider bush which I found essential to ease eye of bungee over its lug whilst tightly stretched. A vise held the leg through a thick roll of protective cloth, with a stop block under the leg's lower end to counter leverage, plus a strong screwdriver poked in the open tube for pushing down on & resist the leg tube bending up whilst simultaneously pulling the lever up and over really hard.

Quite a tough job, even though I've done it once before. Got everything else done prepared to take to the airfield.

 

Reamed out holes to 1/4" in new Ali front brace tube. When examined found the 'usual' small crack in the existing Ali 'U' bracket connecting the rear going Ali stay. Skycraft, the UK Rans agent, had one in stock & "would post it today", cost was reasonable.
The replacement spare bracket arrived by post next morning. Reamed its base hole to 1/4" & down to the hangar to re-assemble everything with new bolts: carefully double checked.