Matronics Email Lists Forum Index Matronics Email Lists
Web Forum Interface to the Matronics Email Lists
 
 Get Email Distribution Too!Get Email Distribution Too!    FAQFAQ   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups   RegisterRegister 
 ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in 

Solved! Early Glasair II canopy gas spring replacement

 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Matronics Email Lists Forum Index -> Glasair-List
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
mppalmer(at)aol.com
Guest





PostPosted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 1:58 pm    Post subject: Solved! Early Glasair II canopy gas spring replacement Reply with quote

Go to AutoZone and buy a Might Lift! brand "lift support," part # E95092. It's just under $20. 1 year warranty.

It is about a quarter inch shorter than the OEM FAN118, which is fine. The ends are plastic, not metal, but that's okay. They capture the OEM 10mm balls fine.

The pressure on the AutoZone units is set for 38 lbs. When recharging my OEM springs, I had found, empirically, that 45 lbs is about perfect. (Keeps the canopy from falling when jostled by the wind or a bump when moving the plane.) More force than that just pushes the back of the canopy up. I haven't moved the plane yet with the new gas spring, but the damping seems strong enough that there isn't any inclination to close when I pulled on the canopy. I'll report later if not sufficient.

In the meantime, I found that Chuck Raymond's lead in this list-server from a few years ago of Orr & Orr is still good. They sell the FAN119-055 for $44.45, not including shipping. (I didn't see the FAN119 on their web page, but he says they got 'em.) The sales guy told me that the FAN119 was dimensionally the same as the original FAN-118 except that it's 55 lb, instead of 50. (Stronger than I like.) Orr & Orr's gas springs are made by Stabilus, and he just got a batch in March. O & O offers a one year warranty.

Interestingly, O'Reilly Auto Parts sells Stabilus springs and warrants them for life. But the O'Reilly guy and I looked thru the catalog and couldn't find a suitable replacement for the Glasair.

Two other leads: I found a gas spring with metal ends made by Industrial Gas Springs, P/N 66U120280JJ that should fit. (If you go looking for your own solution, the most important dimension is the compressed length. Too long and the canopy won't close.) The nice thing about IGS springs is that they custom charge each spring. So you tell them how much force you want, from 10 to 90 lbs. (I calculated 200 Newtons for 45 lbs, making the last four digits of the P/N be -0200.) The downside is that they are the most expensive. I was quoted $71 for one from a local distributor. So I'm not going to try them unless I have to.

Last, for those with the longer cartridges (Glasair II Stretches/SS and later III's), you can use the AutoZone spring above, or you can get metal ended units from H.A. Guden Co, Inc. in Ronkonkoma, NY. (1-800-3-HINGES) A buddy with a GIII has them and says you want a GGS21-040-I. They're $20 each. The stroke seems short to me (3.5 inches vs. 4.25 inches), but I saw them work in his GIII. But maybe his canopies weren't opened as much as they could? (I'm not at the hanger now, but from my photo and my gut, it looks like I stroke about 5 inches. Interestingly, unlike installing gas filled shock absorbers in cars, I've never had a canopy gas spring be too long, to where I had to compress the spring to attach it to the canopy. So the longer the stroke, the better. (Easier to get in and out of the plane.)) 40 lb force.

Don't forget to mount the springs with the cartridge up, so that the oil inside keeps the seals lubricated.

Hope this helps someone in the future.

Mike Palmer <><


- The Matronics Glasair-List Email Forum -
 

Use the List Feature Navigator to browse the many List utilities available such as the Email Subscriptions page, Archive Search & Download, 7-Day Browse, Chat, FAQ, Photoshare, and much more:

http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?Glasair-List
Back to top
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Matronics Email Lists Forum Index -> Glasair-List All times are GMT - 8 Hours
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You can download files in this forum


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group