Fuel line penetration through firewall?

Hi guys,

My -9A is getting an IO-320 D1A, and the in the next couple of days I'm mounting the fuel pump and running some lines, and was just wondering about the fuel line penetration point in the firewall.

Bruce, I saw your build log and how you routed the fitting inboard of the starter contactor. Looks good! Will this work with my engine? The FWF plans are a real patchwork; very hard to find specifics. I like the way you did the throttle/mixture controls through the recess. I will certainly do this as well to keep the cables up high.

My plan for mounting the new Airflow pump & filter involves a low-profile inline configuration. I'll extend the center cover upward by about 2" for its full length by adding strips of aluminum along the sides, to avoid having the big dog house enclosure. The only downside is that it moves the heater vents upward by the same amount, so I may have to punch some extra vents or modify the flapper valve a little. I'm guessing that even with reduced vent area, there'll be plenty of heat for SoCal. Will post pics in my build log thread when it's done.

The location for the firewall hole works fine. Just make sure you have room on the other side to miss the engine mount.

I would stick with the Van's dog house for the pump. Modifying this will be more pain than it is worth. Keeping the floor level also let's you stretch out with your feet. Easier to cover with carpeting, too.

bruceh said:

The location for the firewall hole works fine. Just make sure you have room on the other side to miss the engine mount.

I would stick with the Van's dog house for the pump. Modifying this will be more pain than it is worth. Keeping the floor level also let's you stretch out with your feet. Easier to cover with carpeting, too.

Click to expand...

Modifying the Vans dog-house for the pump is indeed a major pain - avoid it if you can. For me it was the lesser of a few other evils, but it was still a major pain. I ended doing it on mine to house two electric pumps so I could remove my engine driven fuel pump, I decided this was a better solution than putting them in the wing-fuse gap or on the front spar face.

Thanks for the photos and suggestions. I don't have the dog house aluminum piece now...i got impatient because Van's is redesigning the aluminum for the new pump.

I just want to take advantage of the lower-profile pump with a cleaner, less bulky console and that might mean a cut-down dog house or some other solution.