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elevator hinge bearing question

KitfoxJoe

Active Member
Hey guys I am mounting my elevators to the hs. question do I use the center bearing as a drill guide when drilling the bolt for the center bearing. My rod ends are 13/16" and my edge clearance is good. I can not find ref in builder manual. Am I doing this right? I don't want to screw this up.
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The instructions for the 8 say to fab a drill bushing.
1/4" OD and 3/32" ID.
The idea is to insert the bushing through the bearing/bracket assembly (in place of the drill bit in your pic) and drill the small 3/32" hole. Remove the elevator from the horizontal stab and enlarge the hole to final size.
 
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Bushing

The instructions for the 8 say to fab a drill bushing.
1/4" OD and 3/32" ID.
The idea is to insert the bushing through the bearing/bracket assembly (in place of the drill bit in your pic) and drill the small 3/32" hole. Remove the elevator from the horizontal stab and enlarge the hole to final size.

I can't remember if it's in the 7 plans but that is definitely the way to do it. McMaster has them or make one with two or three sections of tubing inserted into each other.
 
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I admit to being lazy and ordering a bushing from McMaster. I got to this part at the end of the day before I was headed out of town. It was on my doorstep when I came back from the trip so no time was lost waiting. The instructions I am looking at are in the text of the instruction manual, not on a DWG. Don't know if the instructions for the 7 are the same but I see them on page 13 of chapter 6 of the 8 manual.
 
If you're an electronics geek, like me, you probably have a handfull of various sized standoffs. I found a 1/4" dia aluminum standoff worked great as a bushing. I went through my numbered drill index to find the snuggest drill ... it was very close to 3/32.
 
Thanks

Thanks for the advice guys. I was able to find a 1/4" bushing at home depot. I drilled the horn and it came out perfect. Thanks again Joe
 
One final check

Before calling it good, tighten all 5 bolts down (4 elevators and 1 horn) and check for any binding. If you have any binding you will likely need to adjust the shims (washers) on the center horn bearing.
 
ACE

If you're an electronics geek, like me, you probably have a handfull of various sized standoffs. I found a 1/4" dia aluminum standoff worked great as a bushing. I went through my numbered drill index to find the snuggest drill ... it was very close to 3/32.

Also try the hardware drawers at your local ACE store.

They have standoffs in both aluminum and steel.
 
I found that the best time I spent on my 7 was to review the posts on this forum before starting a task. It saved me many a problem to see how others did things before me. Quite often you can find several ways to skin the same cat so to speak and do not be afraid to ask questions if you do not find what you are looking for.
 
I used a transfer punch to mark where to drill. Then removed the elevator, drilled the hole. Worked quite well.

Dave
 
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