SPIDER BOX

[Ghost-Rider]

I am looking for an Air Box for a Continental 0-200. I know they have them at Spruce for $249.00, but was told I should be able to find a used one in the $ 150.00 range.

If anyone has one or can point me in the direction of a good Continental Parts distributor, it would be greatly appreciated.

I called a couple of used parts places and they said they have them, but would not sell for an aircraft application, only Air-Boat.

Is there a Useful Life limit on an Air Box ?

I am also interested in upgrading to the new Ram-Air Filter Housing that’s out there, but was told that I would have to modify my NACA.

Does anyone out there have any experience with this ?

Ghost.

[mwilli7119]

I just purchased an airbox from Don Jones. He spent a lot of time developing it and flys it on his O-200 Varieze.Give him a shout and ask him about it. They are made out of carbon fiber, and are very easy to assemble and weigh next to nothing.  You can contact him at djonesdnd@yahoo.com. You can see pictures at his web site: berkut-xp.com.

Mike Williams
Nashville, TN

[maprather]

Do you need the intake spider (as noted in the subject that you posted) to which the carburetor mounts, and from which the individual tubes go to the cylinders.  Or, do you need the thing that bolts to the bottom of the carburetor, which connects the air filter/carb heat system?  If you need the latter, a Continental distributor won't be able to help (and the AS&S part probably isn't the right thing either), as that's more of an airframe part.  If you need the former, that's a stock Continental item.

Neither piece has a wear-out time.  If properly installed, neither carries any significant load.  Even if you wore a hole in the assembly, it should be relatively easy to patch.


Regards,

Matt-

[Ghost-Rider]

M & M,

I am talking about both, the Spider or Intake Manifold and the Air-Box or Filter housing.

I need to replace my Spider Box ( Intake Manifold ) because of a crack and I am interested in installing the Carbon Fiber, Ramair type Air-Box because of the enhansed performance.

My concern is that I will have to significantly have to modify my engine cowling because I have a NACA configuration vs a P-51.

Has anyone installed one with a NACA intake and not had to modify their engine cowling?

Ghost

[Bruce Hughes]

Are you a CSA member?   Just look in the membership directory and
call some guys who live near you.   Anyone who has built an airplane
can help you build a spider.   The cost of the materials is signicicantly
less than the commercial units.   Probaly will fit better, too.

[maprather]

I'd get the airbox from Don Jones, and try to have the spider welded - it's aluminum, as I recall.  Where in the spider is the crack?

If the crack isn't weldable (go to somebody that knows Aluminum welding), I'd call one of the airboat places back and ask for the spider, and tell them it's for an off-road vehicle.  If you don't like that idea, you may be able to patch it with fiberglass.  The hard part is likely to be getting the epoxy to adequately stick to the aluminum.  Completely removing all oil residue, and scuffing the aluminum for the entire bond area should make it possible.

Finally, google "continental intake manifold spider o-200"..

I found:

http://www.wingsonline.com/engprt.html

Look for spider, and this email address is there:

tomromanchik@hotmail.com

I don't know anything about him, but it sounds interesting.



Matt-

[Hangar14]

I see spiders on Ebay a lot. Chuck

[Hangar14]

Ebay list one Continental 0-200 intake spider. Bid starts at 49.95.No bids yet,six days to go. Chuck

[Bruce Hughes]

Matt said "scuffing the aluminum...should make it possible"

NO!   Epoxy will NOT bond to aluminum.   NO WAY.
 

[Ghost-Rider]

I found the intake spider on E-Bay and I put a BID on it.

I'll let you know how it works out in 6 Days.

Thank you for pointing me in the right direction.

I am a member of CSA and I am hoping someone with the Carbon Ram-Air Filter housing goes to Sun & Fun, so I can take a good look at the installation.

Ghost

[maprather]

Hi Bruce,

Are you sure that Epoxy will NOT bond to aluminum?  Do you have some data to support this.  Keep in mind that this is not a structural application.  Also keep in mind that lots of Al structures are glued together without mechanical fasteners.


Matt-[/quote]

[Hangar14]

Gost-Rider:  There are two new listing for intakes on Ebay. Bids start at 24.95 on both of them. Chuck

[Ghost-Rider]

Put several a Bids on the Spider box I need on Ebay and I thought I was getting a good deal, $175.00 for something that cost $249.00 via Spruce. I didn’t win the bid because with 50 seconds left, someone out bid me.

I learned that you can get good deals on Ebay, but you have to be aware of how it works, and better yet how the people you are biding against work.

Good advice to anyone that is to try something on Ebay is to try and buy outright if they give you the opportunity and the price is right. The other is to monitor the bid closely right up to the last second and be ready to press the bid button at the last possible second.

Thanks to the info I got from you guys, I discovered two more spiders on Ebay.
Will let everybody know how things work out in 4 Days 3 hours and 48 Seconds, I am going to monitor this one closely.

Ghost

[MacGyver]

Epoxy won't bond to aluminum?  Yikes!  I'm never getting on a modern commercial airliner again, and I'd better quit my day job as well!!!  

The epoxy actually bonds to whatever oxides are available on the aluminum itself.  This is why we use either phosphoric acid anodize, or similar procedures, to prepare aluminum alloys for bonding.  The better the "bond strength" of the epoxy to the oxide, and of the oxide to the aluminum, the better the bond.  And yes, we do use epoxies, as well as other adhesives to bond aluminum in aerospace.  It works quite well, as long as one does not include a fibrous matrix retainer or other media into the joints that can wick moisture over time (remember Aloha Airlines???).  As for the requirements of an intake spider, I'd not worry about the criticality of the bonding.  The naturally-occurring oxide layers that form should be quite satisfactory for the needed strength in the spider box.

-Joe Person
VariEze N79JN
Bothell, WA (KPAE)