January 11, 2016 – I got replacement parts from Van’s for the plastic tubing brake lines in the cockpit.
There was very little in the way of documentation for how these lines were to be assembled. They are plastic tubing with compression fittings. There is a small brass tube that goes inside the plastic tubing. Turns out this brass tube supports the compression sleeve and keeps the tubing from being crushed or cut. The instructions suggested using boiling water to soften the tubing so that the brass tube goes in easier. The fit is REALLY tight. I tried that before, but could only get the tube in part way.
I did some more research, and found a drawing for the RV-12 that described how this should go together.
So after I got everything together, I tried it again. I guess there’s a difference between simmering water and boiling water. Even today I tried it before the water was boiling, and couldn’t get it to go. I let the water reach a full boil, held the assembly in there for 20-30 seconds, and pressed it against the side of the countertop. Bingo! It slid right in.
Nice. Now I just have to clamp the lines because there’s a lot of relative motion with these lines, and there’s a lot of potential for rubbing. But that’s done, and I can move on.
Time: 1:20
