--> Zenith-List message posted by: Scott <squiggles@yaho...>

Good Afternoon Dave...

It's good to hear you are in positive spirits after
the accident and armed with a game plan to get back in
the air.

I have been building my 801 powered by a Mazda Rx7
engine since the spring of 2002( who knew it would
take as long as putting the kit together to get the
fwf together ).  That background aside I would like to
agree with you on several points:

- The ZAC fuel caps require supplemental vents.  On a
ground test of 20gph on a tank the tank sucked itself
inwards.  Subsequent tests of the remaining 3 fuel
caps in my kit revealed the same behaviors.  Brazing
in a bung at the neck was a simple affair.  Have a
look at the hts2000 brazing rods(
http://www.aluminumrepair.com/aluminum_repair.htm ) if
you wish to do it yourself.

- Radiant heat in a engine compartment is not fuels
friend.  Simply creating a barrier between the source
and the destination is sufficient.  It can be as
simple as a piece of .025 aluminum with a piece of
Fiberfrax.  Or similar boiler or kiln insulation.  Of
course wrapping the exhaust tubes will be more than
sufficient and by keeping the exhaust gas temps up you
could increase the velocity in the tubes and possibly
gain some benefits there as well.

- With our gravity feed systems there is always head
pressure.  As such for vapor lock to have occurred in
the environmental conditions you describe with a stock
ZAC 801 o360 FWF layout would seem possible, but not
necessarily at the top of the list.  Though, Sherlock
Holmes said on many an occasion, "When you have
eliminated all which is possible, then whatever
remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

You mention you only traveled 1 mile, did you by
chance notice you vertical speed descent rate?  Was
the propeller windmilling?

Good Luck on your return to flight program :-)

-Scott








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