I wanted to do something different than my last build and went with powder coat on the rudder pedal assemblies. For a few hundred dollars, Select Coatings in Oklahoma City, powder coated up all the parts in a black texture. I could not be any more happier with the results!
You can go with what the kit provides, that appears to work well. However Aircraft Specialty Flightlines has made available a lot of options that improve on the per plans stock design. I'll reference my RV-10 build again because the 14 kit does seems to have improved on the fuel selector.
On the 10 I went with a type 7 selector, center console throttle quadrant, AFP fuel pump, and stainless steel lines. Fit and form it all gives a polished look to the install. My biggest angst with this system is getting to the fuel filter once a year involves removing from the tunnel and inspecting. Reinstallation and checking for leaks is equally frustrating.
On this build I'm going with RV14 Cabin Fuel Hose Kit #3
'This kit is designed to plumb your RV14/14A in the stock configuration. It includes CNC bent and flared Rigid tubes for the cabin of the aircraft as well as for the wing roots. The only change from the stock configuration is that the tube that goes from the Pump to the Firewall is changed to a flex hose for vibration isolation. #3 includes a WING ROOT FILTER kit instead of the tunnel mounted fuel filter.'
I worked through the fuselage installation and it really could not have been any easier. Don't have my wings yet but I assume those will install easily as well. Here are some pics from their installation guide.
The plans call to use a pull rivet as the static port. I think these look cheap and don't like the idea of of using braided connections. Went with exactly what I used on my 10 and bought the Cleaveland style ones from Flyboy Accessories. In this installation I'm using the duplicate set of push to connect fittings I have and the 1/4" tubing that came with the kit.
If you want to see how I installed it on the 10 you can see my write up. 9 years later, 6 years of flying I've had zero issues and they've always passed the Pitot static check (hence the duplicate fittings I have on hand). The adhesive has held well and less messy than proseal.
My dad was an ornithologist (study of birds) by profession. He later departed from the science side of things moving to the executive leadership side of zoological things, he retained his interest in birds and bird watching. He specifically liked waterfowl, as evident by the number prints hanging in my parents house. Talking to my mom about this project, she couldn't identify a single bird but mentioned the Hooded Merganser as one that came to mind.
I went to Evoke and worked with them on this concept and came up with this scheme. Now I don't want it to literally look like a bird, but would like to use the same colors so someone who knows could see the resemblance.
One of the first rabbit holes for most builders is to Prime or Not. There are some parts that Vans specifically calls out to prime, but for the most part structure and skins are left for the builder to decide. There is no shortage of options on this subject but personally I knew going into this project I was going to prime inside of the skins and structure pieces so it was just a matter of what I wanted to use this time.
For simplicity I knew I was going to rattle-can. Last build I did use a 2 part AKZO product, that is really my preferred product but the setup and spraying is time consuming, you can easily over or undermix the product and in the end touchups aren't that simple. Post Empennage on my 10 I had switched to Rustoleum rattle cans, found this rather inexpensive, easy to apply and less time consuming. The Quick build also came with a wash primer so didn't have to spray a ton.
When I got to working composites on the 10 I discovered SEM products and qualitatively felt those products were superior to Rustoleums line up. I used SEM high build primer, interior paints, and top coats. I found using these in conjunction with prepping with Prekote everything came out great. Today was the first day I started building, I went forward with the path I'm taking on this build.
1. Apply Prekote with a spray bottle, hatch scrub with a grey Scotch-Brite pad. Rinse off with water and wipe down with lint free shop cloths.
2. I just laid the parts out on some of the packing paper. You can also write part numbers on if needed. The only time I really do this is when there are identical parts, I'll do this process one at a time to ensure I don't get parts confused.
3. This is all the prep work I do, If I am doing large skin pieces I do tape the edges of the sides I don't want painted to avoid any spray getting on the outside skins. Apply a LIGHT coat, not stopping or starting over the piece. I’ve seen builders lay it on thick which really impacts the bonding, or when applying they go back and forth on the part which unintentionally can lay it on too thick. Thick coats have a high risk of peeling off later.
4. Wait 5 mins and repeat with 2-3 coats. I just look for a clear covering across the part. I then flip the part and do the other side. 5 mins after last coat I inspect parts for missed areas, touching up as needed. Then I move them off the paper and put somewhere to cure an hour or so.
You can stagger this all a bit if you have a mess of parts and limited space but you're looking at 20-30 mins before you can move the part off the paper to a final cure spot.
Here’s the results of my first primed parts on this build.
NOTE: Rattle can primer will scratch easily, the AKZO is much more durable. My main concern for corrosion is between the mating surfaces so once build those will be fine. The rest will scratch and rub off over time giving that cool WWII fighter vibe.
This is my second Vans project, my first build was an RV-10 (N10JW) has been flying since 2019. I did a fairly comprehensive build log for it over at Operation RV-10.
