UPDATE! A few addiional notes on the Franklin fuel pump thing:

It was Walter Windus who discovered (or rediscovered) the source of the repair kits, not me.

I've just been on the phone with Rich Brumm. He said he's used these repair kits before and had bad luck with them. In one case the end of the diaphragm plunger broke off, and most of them start to leak after 100 hours or so. The kits he used did not have the "-A" on the part number, so they might or might not be improved.

J. R. Ranney

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Tip... (from member Neil Kennedy in Canada)

 

"I'm not sure what everybody else would find in their fuel tank, but when I was doing a small repair to the tank lid, I found that MIL6000D rubber hose had been used from the pick-up screens to the AN bulkhead fitting in the steel lid.  Checking the specification for that hose, it can swell up to 85% when submerged in fuel..This swelling was obvious at both ends of the hose when I took off the Aeroquip hose fitting (top end) and the hose clamp (bottom end).  I've replaced those hoses with 3/8 ID submersible fuel line hose by Gates sourced from the local auto parts shop.  Gates sells a 10 foot length in a box (Product # 27081) for not much more than $20.  With a bit of determination, and lubrication, an Aeroquip 471 hose fitting will go on the end of the hose.  I found that the OD varied slightly along the length of the hose, so I picked a thinner section for the hose end to get the Aeroquip fitting on."
   

If you find the need to remove or install the hinge bushings in your Seabee, you can make this tool in about ten minutes (not counting epoxy drying time) that will make the removal and installation a breeze! I have used it a dozen times or more and it works flawlessly. Download the instructions here.
 
Also a ball-bearing replacement for all the Seabee bushings are available from www.BearingsDirect.com (part number: FR168-ZZ for the flanged bearing and R168-ZZ for the straight bearing). Specification sheet here. This is a really neat fix for a heavily worn part of our Seabees.

CAUTION: Be sure your hinge-line on the rudder and flaps (three hinges) are in alignment! These bearings are very strong but alignemnt is critical. The ailerons are not a problem because there is only two hinges. Use this tip at your own risk.

    I went online looking for something to use to cap the fuel vent line to keep water out when I wash down the airplane, and found FPT9430 Pull Tab Vinyl Plastic Caps at MoCap http://www.mocap.com/plastic-caps-pull-tab.html.  I asked for samples of them in that size and the next size up, along with several other types that seemed like possibilities, but the FPT9430 work best.  They fit fairly tightly on the vent tubes, are long enough to work with (2.25") and to punch a hole through to attach a "Remove Before Flight" ribbon, have a kind of handle, and seem like the right answer.  I asked for red and got black, but that's OK.

    Both MoCap and Caplug sent me samples; MoCap 3 of each of several types, and Caplug 10 3/8" ones for my wing leading edge holes at no cost.  Normally they want people to buy thousands at a time, but I don't know if there are retailers or how small an order can be made and at what prices.

I thought I would add my two cents to the corrosion inspection (lift struts especially) issue. After several years of doing the annual inspection on Bob Gould's SeaBee in Hawaii's horrific salt water environment I would recommend to never use a sharp object to compromise the paint seal on any aluminum component. Even the smallest pin prick will allow salt water to enter. Any corrosion is very easy to observe by looking for the swelling in the paint. Even the most insignificant corrosion will show up as a bubble in the paint. I use a strong light and position it so that any sign of corrosion is seen in the reflection of the light off of the surface.

On my airplane, in a fresh water location in Alaska I have yet to see any corrosion at all. Tom Eldridge's Seabee has minor corrosion on the rear spar of the wings. That corrosion is due to salt water time in Washington before Tom purchased it. The rib in one horizontal stabilizer had to be replaced also due to corrosion.

     

 
First Rudder Lock

                                                                      

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Prestolite Hydraulic Pump...

Hi Steve,

"Dear Pius,

I'm sorry for getting back to you so late. My prestolite pump works real well. The flaps take about 5 seconds to go down and about 7 seconds to retract. The gear takes a while longer (about 20 seconds to retract and 15 to go down). I haven't seen a Seabee gear retract much faster than that. Not that it is so fast it's just the nature of the beast I suppose. The "valve body" has alot to do with the efficiency of the hydraulics as well but they all seem to work flawlessly if they are maintained well.

I have no complaints about the Seabee hydraulic system other than the parts are a little hard to find. If you need someone to work on it, I would recommend Richie Brumm in NY (Seabee Owner and member). He is the hydraulic expert hands down.

Please keep me updated and I will include your information on the website for others if you don't mind. Thanks!

Steve Mestler
for the IRSOC"

 

  " I rarely leave my hull plugs out during the season.  I will pull them out from time to time and after extended periods in the water.  I do have them on the checklist.  And, I even leave my palm ratchet on the dash so it's in my line of sight.  This time of year the plugs are out most of the time to drain any condensation and I can see that it would be easy to misplace the little buggers like our poor friend in the Widgeon in the picture at the top.  That happened at Lake Havasu, warm, fresh and shallow water.  It could have been much worse.

To prevent a TOTAL hydraulic failure and the embarrasment of landing with the gear up on a runway or worse with the wheels down on the water, make sure your Electrol Hydraulic Pump (the manually operated one) has the plug covers installed. Some covers have rivets driven in from the pump side so that the head just touch the plugs when the covers are tightened so that the plugs will remain in place regardless of plug integrity. See a rough sketch here and check it out on your airplane TOMORROW!! The aluminum plates are about 1/8" thick and the screws are #8 or #10 machine Phillister heads that are safetied together in pairs. The plate on the aft side of the pump body may be made as one piece but still has four (4) screws in it for security.

Caution: If your pump body is not already drilled out for the plate screws (#8 Phillister Head) be very careful about the drill depth as there are numerous cavities and passageways that are not too far from the surface of the pump body! Mine are about 1/4" deep, that's all! Use a bottoming tap to prevent the tap from piercing the Pump Body orifices.

Skywaytools.com has a 14mm Spark Plug Thread Repair Tool Kit for $ 29.99 (part number: 5334-14. Skyway tool #: 779). Rich Brumm saved my ass on a lake in Canada when I lost a plug, with a similar kit, after a Helicoil came out. Once I got the kit from him I repaired the cylinder on the airplane in 15 minutes. Rich has not had a source for the kit for some time, and only had one insert left.  Skywaytools in is Chico, CA, their toll-free number is (888) 886-6577. Their kit comes with a tap, a setting punch, and 3 lengths of inserts. Run a high volume of air in one plug hole to blow chips out while you tap the other hole.  If you still use 14mm plugs “Don’t leave home without it!”

Here is a tip I got from Henry Ruzakowski. He has been operating his Seabee in salt water for years, and recommends using LPS-3 to prevent corrosion, it is, in his opinion, just as effective as Corrosion X or ACF-50 but is less expensive. He also uses an LPS product called Hard coat for fittings and bolts. He uses the Corrosion X spraying system to get the LPS into the interior of the structure. The spray system costs about $400, but that may be a good investment.

    "Another “voice of experience”, Karl Johnstone, relates that he learned the hard way about the trim tab on preflighting the airplane. One of the most serious occurrences that the Seabee can spring on you, and has done so to three owners that I know of, is trim tab failure in flight. All three were extremely lucky to have survived. The Elevator Trim Tab Actuating Rod and the Fork are the culprits. Of the utmost importance on your walk-around inspection, and whenever you fly in some one else’s ‘Bee – check the play in each trim tab. No more than 1/4" play should be in the system. Think about this: if the trim tab becomes free in flight, it’s going to move with the airflow change. Any movement of either tab is going to cause the elevators to move to full travel up and down, under the influence of that big, free-floating trim tab.

    Imagine the ship’s pitch changes when those big elevators are oscillating stop-to-stop. Now imagine trying to get her safety back to earth in that condition. It happened to the Judge and to a long-time friend in Texas, who described it as a miracle that the oscillation of the nose just starting an upward curve coincided with his being only about 5 feet above the surface of a lake. Gave new meaning to the term, “We just dropped in”. The oscillation could have been in the middle of the downward curve when he was that close to the surface. A footnote to that incident: his passenger on that flight was his priest, up for his first plane ride. Divine guidance?

    In my tool kit/spare parts, I keep a bolt, nut and two skin washers together so that if I find a loose tab while 58K and I are away from home base, I can secure the bolt/washer arrangement in the slot between trim tab and elevator, thereby locking the tab to the elevator. It’s like a miniature gust lock. Go put it together now.

    Judge Johnstone’s incident was probably the same lucky coincidence of the oscillation, but resulted in a $20,000 repair bill, even though he was able to fly his tough old bird, the Seabee (Twin), back home after tightly securing the trim tab. He had “landed” in snow-covered tundra."

Seabee O-Rings list

  (Long-time IRSOC member Bruce Hinds, editor-in-chief of the Seabee Newsletter,sent this along. Bruce, I can tell you that you are not alone!!
The good news is your parking brake valves must be  in pretty good shape! Steve-for the IRSOC)

   "Someone passed me a picture recently of an Airbus with all the tires blown due to some bonehead landing with the parking break set.  I have heard of this before, mostly in small planes and I've wondered how that can happen.  Here's one way: