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6A wiring/pluming routing question

jneves

Well Known Member
I'm not the builder, I have the 6A plans and have review them for hours. I can't seem to find the section that address routing of plumbing/wiring from the after section past the spar to the passenger compartment. Can anyone recall where in the plans I can locate this data?

I'm working on prep for adding in aux fuel in the baggage area. My planning sits at the point that I'm trying to plan the routing of the fuel lines from the aft baggage to the cockpit area where the fuel selector is. I'm not about to open up any wholes in the spar until I have direction. I can and will call Vans if there isn't a section that addresses this specifically.
 
6A wire / plumbing routing

There aren't any wiring routes called out in the 6/6A plans. Back then you were kind of on your own for figuring out wiring routes, and quite a few other things (like firewall forward).

I've seen 6/6a builds with the wires run down the sidewall of the fuselage, under the arm rest, around the spar carry through bulkhead, to the panel/sub-panel area. I guess it works, but I wanted mine hidden and protected from wear and tear.

My wiring runs down the center of the fuselage, in the elevator push tube tunnel, through a hole in the wing spar center section originally meant for the manual elevator trim cable. (I installed electric elevator trim). It then goes under the -7/7A center floor console/cover I installed, and up the aft side of the firewall.

As for fuel runs from the baggage compartment forward....I have no experience with that. Maybe someone has installed a ferry tank in the baggage compartment and plumbed it in forward. Be careful with aft CG loading.
 
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You are allowed one hole in the very center end of the wing spars. I believe one hole in each up to 5/8". I believe there is a reference to the details of where it is allowed in the plans, along with max size. A call to tech support may help to get you to the correct page. This location would be optimum for running lines from the baggage area to the fuel selector.

Are you sure you can support the weight back there? Mine is pretty limited on baggage weight. If you have a 360 and CS prop, that's a different story.

Larry
 
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You are allowed one hole in the very center end of the wing spars. I believe one hole in each up to 5/8". I believe there is a reference to the details of where it is allowed in the plans, along with max size. A call to tech support may help to get you to the correct page. This location would be optimum for running lines from the baggage area to the fuel selector.

Are you sure you can support the weight back there? Mine is pretty limited on baggage weight. If you have a 360 and CS prop, that's a different story.

Larry

I'm working on establishing the station for the fuel. The tanks sit right up against the back of the seats so the station is somewhere between the pilot/co-pilot and the baggage locations. I guesstimated and it looks like I'd be fine assuming I burn down the aux fuel before switching to the wing tanks.

Still a work in progress, I will consider W&B in my final decision, this may push me to the smaller 4.5 gal tanks to keep some safety margin. I do have an 200HP IO-360, FP prop with a it of weight in the crush plate. As of now I can load her up to max gross and stay in CG even with min fuel (just barely). At zero fuel I have an aft CG issue, but there no way I'll be in the air when I'm at less than 1 hour of fuel on board.

Anyone please correct me if I'm out of line!
 
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My -6 (slider, super tracks) had a 16 gallon tank in the back (16*6=96#, right at the rear baggage capacity), against the seat spar, when I bought it. I never used it, and took it out since I needed the space, but the previous owner said he used it quite a bit. He said the tank (which is a big rectangle) was from a Bonanza.

When I took it out, I noticed something you might consider. It had a neck on the bottom with a fuel sump. That neck was made to go through a round hole in the baggage subfloor and rest right above the bottom skin, with a hole in the bottom skin for the fuel sump to protrude through. On the other side was the fuel connection, which also went through the subfloor and then forward through the spar into the fuel selector, so you had 3 positions: left, right, aux.

When I removed it, I capped off the fuel line and the baggage floor holes in case I ever want to reinstall it (for that Alaska bucket list trip someday :rolleyes:).

I can grab pictures of the entire apparatii if that would be helpful.
 
I'm working on establishing the station for the fuel. The tanks sit right up against the back of the seats so the station is somewhere between the pilot/co-pilot and the baggage locations. I guesstimated and it looks like I'd be fine assuming I burn down the aux fuel before switching to the wing tanks.

Still a work in progress, I will consider W&B in my final decision, this may push me to the smaller 4.5 gal tanks to keep some safety margin. I do have an 200HP IO-360, FP prop with a it of weight in the crush plate. As of now I can load her up to max gross and stay in CG even with min fuel (just barely). At zero fuel I have an aft CG issue, but there no way I'll be in the air when I'm at less than 1 hour of fuel on board.

I would ***SPECULATE*** that you won't have a problem, ASSUMING that one airborne, you switch to burn all of the fuel from those tank(s) FIRST.

With less weight up front and 2x7.5 tanks from Marvin (Smoke Systems Helper), I take off and use the wing tank for 15 minutes. I switch to the AUX tank for 45 minutes (during which in the first 15 minutes I will get an "interval alarm" (switch tanks reminder). Then after 30 minutes, I switch BACK the wing tank if I only have one 7.5 gallon tank.

Therefore I land with basically little to no fuel left in the AUX tank.
Assuming 10 gph, you would have another 45 minutes of burn if you had a second tank. I did NOT add electronic fuel gauges to the tank but I considered it. I **DO** have a clear sight tube though so I can SEE what is there before takeoff.
 
I would ***SPECULATE*** that you won't have a problem, ASSUMING that one airborne, you switch to burn all of the fuel from those tank(s) FIRST.

With less weight up front and 2x7.5 tanks from Marvin (Smoke Systems Helper), I take off and use the wing tank for 15 minutes. I switch to the AUX tank for 45 minutes (during which in the first 15 minutes I will get an "interval alarm" (switch tanks reminder). Then after 30 minutes, I switch BACK the wing tank if I only have one 7.5 gallon tank.

Therefore I land with basically little to no fuel left in the AUX tank.
Assuming 10 gph, you would have another 45 minutes of burn if you had a second tank. I did NOT add electronic fuel gauges to the tank but I considered it. I **DO** have a clear sight tube though so I can SEE what is there before takeoff.

Great info, thank you. Sounds like this is the west path from what I've explored. Wingtip tanks are just not going to happen due to cost and amount of work involved vs. reward.
 
The plans show the location and size of the hole for the manual trim cable in the root end of one main spar. This hole may be mirrored in the other spar.

There is also an OP drawing, I can't recall the number, that shows the hole being slotted to the end of the spar to allow easier removal of the wing without cutting the wiring.

Another option may be to carry (safe) jerry cans and top up the mains on the ground, depending on if you can land to access the extra fuel.
 

I have thought about them as well as the wing tips with build in tanks (had a line on a pair of them. Based on the feedback I found the installation of either of the 2 wing located AUX tanks I decided to search for a simple solution that wouldn't involve taking the wings apart to install. The Smoke System Helpers tanks have been used and proven to be a much simpler installation as well as service ability in case any leaks were to ever develop. The only remaining question I had was the routing of the plumbing for fuel lines. Now that I have a few data points, I'll be going down and opening up the seat pans to see what is currently under them. After I know what is there I'll call Vans to confirm what I've been told. Worst case I'll just route the plumbing above the floor down the outside of the cabin and protect them with some type of "conduit or sleeve".

Thank you all for the great info provided. I really appreciate everything I learn on VAF. This forum is a big part of what makes owning an RV so rewarding and fun!
 
This may help with the hole positioning.
 

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