Finally at Chapter 21 the Strakes! Well really this is a side job… a part of the fuel system is to vent the two main tanks and the common sump. So the pressures are equal, I am going to plumb the two lines from each wing tank AND one line from the common sump to a ‘manifold’. This will sit under the turtleback and then have two lines going to underneath the plane in case they over flow.

I’m going with 3/8″ lines or dash six. Both to minimise the chance of blockages and to be able to move large volumes of displaced air when refueling and still keep the ‘head pressure’ even.

Others have done this before me in EZ type planes. They all use a regular aluminium can as a mold. So I had to go for a slim can of Beyond Coconut water. Ha! Might take up less space but work just as well. Pic 1 has the can removed and my tube fiberglass body nicely cured.

Now a note on all this. For everything to do with fuel I’m using a different epoxy. EZ-10 Epoxy resin and EZ 87 Hardener. It has a dangerous goods ‘tag’ so the import costs are over $500 extra for two cans. Arrrgghh!!! BUT this is the best known fuel resistant epoxy that has been proven in our planes for over 30 years.

Pic 2 has a foam plug in the cylinder than I shaped and then glassed as you see in pic 3. I’m just doing two plie for this manifold part.

Tube out of the ‘mold’

Top shaping

Glassed top