All chapter members are invited and encouraged to take a few minutes and send us a photo and description of whatever project you are working on now or have recently completed. Send your text and photo(s) to eaa1541@gmail.com. Fun and education for everyone!

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From Bruce Estes:
Hi All. I am updating the instrument panel in my Cardinal. I want to eliminate the vacuum pump and vacuum system, get better engine information, and get accurate digital fuel levels for both tanks.
This is the plan:

Current panel

1. From the co-pilot’s side, remove the JPI 450 fuel flow instrument and the JPI 700 engine analyzer.
2. From the pilot’s side, remove the 2 vacuum gauges (heading indicator and attitude indicator). Remove all of the existing engine instruments (left and right fuel level, manifold pressure, Horizon electronic tach., oil pressure and temp., amp meter, fuel pressure, suction gauge, Precise Flight standby vacuum system, cylinder head temp.
3. Remove the non LED wing tip strobes and nav lights and the rudder beacon and position light. Replace all with LED.
4. Remove the stock fuel level senders from the wing. Replace with CIES senders which will send a digital signal to the EDM 900
5. Remove the vacuum pump from the engine and cap off, and remove the balance of the vacuum system.
6. Install a JPI EDM 900 engine analyzer on the pilot’s side. This instrument will give me digital read outs of the engine systems, along with digital fuel levels.
7. Install a Garmin G5 HSI and Garmin G5 attitude indicator in place of the (2) removed vacuum gauges.
8. Replace the plastic panel overlays with powder coated aluminum.

Progress so far:

Ready for powder coating

1. Ordered everything. I should receive the Garmin G-5’s the first week of March, but the JPI EDM 900 engine monitor won’t ship till the end of March.
2. The aluminum panel overlay for the co-pilot side is cut to shape and ready for the powder coater.
3. All LED lights are installed.
4. All additional circuit breakers that are required for the EDM, fuel senders, and Garmin G-5’s are installed. Some new wiring has been installed.

As the Cardinal sits right now, I can fly it. I am reluctant to tear into the pilot side of the panel until I receive everything required. I want to minimize the down time of the Cardinal.

I can’t fabricate the pilot’s side overlay until I remove all of the existing instruments, which I won’t do until I receive everything that I’ve ordered. I have been able to complete small parts of the project.

I plan to do most if not all of the mechanical work, and have an avionics person do the wiring of the G-5’s, and interface them with my S-Tec 30 autopilot and my Garmin GTN 650 navigator. Because my Cardinal is not an experimental, all work is being supervised by an I.A.