Electrical + Master cylinders + Preparation for wings

Been a while since my last post, but I have been pretty active on the Pitts over the last month.

Electrical system

My objective was not to redo the whole electrical system although it wasn't exactly what I wanted. I replaced damaged terminals, replaced wires that had more than one splice, etc. I was surprised to find that my fuel boost pump wires were not protected (!). I fixed what I couldn't resist to fix, but I keep the revamp of my electrical system for another time and focus on the reassembly.

The old wiring was a little hairy so I made nice bundles with lacing like my friend François. One day I will make a new instrument panel with digital oil temp/pressure and fuel pressure. I don't really like the idea of having a hoses with pressurized fuel and oil going aft of the firewall, but I will keep this as is for now.

Master cylinders

While my fuselage was being welded last summer, I took the master cylinders home and changed all the o-rings. It was a good thing since they were pretty dried up. In the process of doing this, I realized the roll pins that hold the spring in place were not in good shape so I ordered new ones (see item #16 below).

I recently pulled back the box with the two master cylinders and reinstalled them on the airplane. It took a few adjustments to ensure proper geometry since the attachment points were replaced. The old bolts were secured with AN365 lock nuts which is not per AC43.13 for elements in rotation. I therefore replaced them by drilled bolts with castle nuts and cotter pins. I didn't change the brake hoses, but keep this on my list for next winter!

Preparation for reinstallation of wings

One night after work I came to the hangar and realized I was out of things to do on the fuselage. After more than 18 months of on/off work, I must admit it was a strange feeling! I decided to make a small plan to prepare to put the wings back on. Replacing the AN665 clevis hardware since the old one was getting corroded was part of it:

Since the removal of the top wing had been difficult with only 2 guys, I decided to plan for at least two other people to help me out to reinstall it: two holding the tips while one putting the bolts on the cabane...