A limited number of aileron and Stabilator tab linkage kits will be available on Monday 02/06. These contain all the new Heim HM-4 rod ends and fasteners to renew your linkages for play removal. The selling price is lower than I had hoped; $135 rather than the projected $150. The normal price from Beech, just for the 169- prefixed rod ends, is $62 each (total of $248, with no other hardware). Some of the hardware is rather specialized, and won’t be on the shelf at your local FBO (nor at Aircraft Spruce or Beech).These kits contain all new Mil-Spec hardware for the aileron rods, including the four Heim HM-4 rod ends from Beech craft (still in the Beech bags), as originally specified for these planes. They also include all the MilSpec fastener hardware for both ends of the ailerons, and for the Stab tab linkage. The parts are in separate bags by application, and are clearly marked with location and content.
The kits DO NOT contain the stab tab linkage bushings, for several reasons. These are often pressed in place, and they are too expensive for me to stock. Bushings can be obtained from Beech if you like, but are best made to size locally as Owner-Produced Parts, when needed. The bushings seldom require replacement, as most of the wear will be on the replaceable hardware that is included in the kit.
Aileron bushings ARE NOT included in the kit, nor in the price of the kit. If you wish to order new bushings from Beech, they do have them (at a relatively high price). The biggest obstacle to ordering new from Beech is that they will not remove enough play if the bushing holes are worn. Locally produced bushings are far better.
In support of your local efforts for these slip-fit bushings, the kit does contain, FREE FROM ME, some bushings that are .003″ oversize on the OD, and .375″ long. If you cut one (or have one cut) exactly in the center, you will wind up with two bushings for one aileron. You CANNOT use a standard hacksaw, or the kerf will be too wide. You can’t remove more than .011″ in the cut, or the bushings will wind up too narrow for the .182″ nominal length of the specification. A precision modeling metal saw will probably work, as will a Dremel with a thin cutoff wheel. You can jig a bushing on a junk bolt for a mandrel, with rotation constrained to slow movement by a washer and nut (so it rotates but does not chatter), and let it turn while you slice it. Or a machine shop should be able to cut them to spec. I have included three free bushings, so you will have one extra in case you mess one up. This involvement meets the requirement for your Owner Produced Parts authority.
These are only .003″ oversize on the OD, so they should slip into most normally-worn bracket holes with little or no persuasion, and should remove most play on the OD. They are very thin-wall bushings (by design), so take extreme care if you have to do a light press fit with them; they can easily be distorted or crumpled. Again, the very best bushing solution is the locally-produced part made for each hole. Failing that, these bushings, along with the all-new hardware, should help get out most of the play.
To reiterate, all the included hardware, except the bushings, consists of the originally-specified legal MilSpec hardware or superseding parts. The bushings are free from me; I am not selling them as original-equipment bushings.
There are no written instructions on BAC for this kit. It is the kind of job that requires A&P assistance and the Maintenance Manual, due to the potential for error and mis-rigging. All these parts are essential for safety, and the job has little margin for error.