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Anyone purchase AN822 steel fittings lately?

jcarne

Well Known Member
Patron
I have had an order for two AN822-8 fittings with Spruce since June 9th! The back-order date keeps getting pushed back and I'm starting to get frustrated. Also not having any luck finding another source. Anyone purchase steel ones lately? If so where did you score them? These are for my oil cooler and I would sure like to get it finished.
 
https://www.amazon.com/Aeroquip-FCM2626-Adapter-Degree-Steel/dp/B000CIFXVG click on the available from other sellers link to see everyone that has em in stock.

http://www.bandbaircraftsupplies.co...&redirected=1&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=73

If you would like stainless:
https://www.holley.com/products/plu...dapters/npt_to_an_90_degree/parts/SS982288ERL

Why are you using steel instead of aluminum on the oil cooler?

I may have had the sizes wrong. Is your cooler 3/8 npt or 1/2 npt? The ones above are 1/2npt to -8an. Here's a 3/8npt to -8an in stainless.

https://www.holley.com/products/plu...dapters/npt_to_an_90_degree/parts/SS982208ERL

Here's the -8 to 3/8 npt in steel:

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/fra-582208
 
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https://www.amazon.com/Aeroquip-FCM2626-Adapter-Degree-Steel/dp/B000CIFXVG click on the available from other sellers link to see everyone that has em in stock.

http://www.bandbaircraftsupplies.co...&redirected=1&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=73

If you would like stainless:
https://www.holley.com/products/plu...dapters/npt_to_an_90_degree/parts/SS982288ERL

Why are you using steel instead of aluminum on the oil cooler?

I may have had the sizes wrong. Is your cooler 3/8 npt or 1/2 npt? The ones above are 1/2npt to -8an. Here's a 3/8npt to -8an in stainless.

https://www.holley.com/products/plu...dapters/npt_to_an_90_degree/parts/SS982208ERL

Here's the -8 to 3/8 npt in steel:

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/fra-582208

You the man. I am going with steel for added strength here. I don't like the idea of aluminum fittings firewall forward.
 
without coffee being consumed so far today / IE foggy brain....."""i think"""' some of the OIL COOLERS install manuals say to use steel fitting, to avoid galling......

quote of the day;so always read the manual
good day /rick
...
 
Yet Van sends the aluminum fittings in the finish kit with the oil cooler....I'm not an engineer and surely steel would be the best, but those -8 fittings are beefy and since both ends of the connections are to the engine, fatigue cracking would be less likely. That said, you can't go wrong with steel
 
I have had an order for two AN822-8 fittings with Spruce since June 9th! The back-order date keeps getting pushed back and I'm starting to get frustrated. Also not having any luck finding another source. Anyone purchase steel ones lately? If so where did you score them? These are for my oil cooler and I would sure like to get it finished.

I sourced my steel fittings from a local Parker Hose store. They had some on the shelf. See if there is one close to you. Or maybe any hydraulic hose fabricating store.
 
I have had an order for two AN822-8 fittings with Spruce since June 9th! The back-order date keeps getting pushed back and I'm starting to get frustrated. Also not having any luck finding another source. Anyone purchase steel ones lately? If so where did you score them? These are for my oil cooler and I would sure like to get it finished.

I found a ready supply at Capitol Bearing & Hydraulics here in Austin, TX. They had them in straights (nipple), 45°, and 90° -- in steel. I believe they were < $2.00/ea. see https://www.capitolbearing.net/

Good luck!

b
 
Aluminum is Galling

We had aluminum fittings on the oil cooler on our RV-6. When the cooler cracked, I pulled the aluminum fittings for reuse and both came out hard, destroying the threads with a textbook case of galling. Since I didn’t install them, I have no idea what thread lube was used, if any. I replaced them with plain steel parts and EZ-Turn. I had no worries about strength of aluminum parts, but worried about what would happen if I needed to remove or reclock them. I hate pipe threads, and I’m sure aluminum on aluminum is a bad way to go. Putting aluminum AN pipe fittings together seems to work a little better, maybe because they’re anodized?
 
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If you use a pipe thread specific sealant with teflon such as Loctite 567, you will never get galled threads in aluminum on aluminum pipe threads. We do hundreds, maybe thousands a year and zero problems in over 20 years. It works so go, our shop (Marine industry) has been using 567 as an assembly lube instead of antiseize for all stainless on stainless fasteners for over 20 years and galling is a thing of the past.
 
I've used the aluminum ones in track cars before and never had an issue with galling, but I did use Teflon tape or pfte pipe goop during assembly. I know you're not supposed to use tape in aircraft, so I can kind of see galling being an issue. I wouldn't be worried about strength and by the time an -8AN fitting melts due to heat, there's bigger problems to worry about. I guess in the overall build, a few extra ounces doesn't matter. As we said during the AT hike though, grams make ounces, ounces makes lbs.
 
Thanks everyone for the great responses and recommendations. Many of the usual suppliers are out of stock for some reason.

Most importantly though, I should have reached out to Tom S at TSflightlines first, I don't know why I didn't think of that first...

Tom reached out to me and I purchased through him. It worked out great as I needed another fitting for my red cube install too. Tom's epic service prevails again.
 
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