I'm building a 30% Cap and it's my 3rd Carden build. I've built 2 35% Extras - ok 2 1/2 kits. I got both from builders who quit and gave up on them. One built the fuse and didn't want to sheet the wings so I finished it. Another one sheeted the wings and never built the fuse. So basically my 2 Carden kits equaled 1 kit.

I'm not a big 3-D'er so this is just a plane to fly around the sky (IE beater plane) and I like to tumble and I hope it tumbles well. I had a 3W80xi laying around that's ill fated. Every plane it's destined to go into has serious issues and never gets off the ground. It was bought for a 31% CA Extra...after replacing nearly 50% of the wood due to plywood laminations missing from the ply to the wrong size and not enough material I thought I had finally had it overcome...only to put the wings on and set the incidence and that's the first time I mocked up the whole plane. The tube wouldn't slide down one wing fully. With a bore scope it was determined that the tube stiffner in the wing was a full 1/4" or more out of line with the tube and because I could see it I knew the phenolic for the aluminum tube wasn't long enough to reach the stiffner in the wing...Scratch one plane. So I was going to put it into a 34% Extra (Like the CHP, PP, RCSuperstore one) and when I stripped it the wing was in bad shape and I never got around to making new wings.


Soooooo. I'm not a pro builder - far from it and I'm currently building in a room in a house I'm remodeling that I don't live in. This will be a slow build as by day I work on the house and by night I build.

Don't know if there's any interest in these old Carden kits (He still has them mine is brand new) or not. If not no big deal.

First step was to re-engineer the front motor box area/firewall to fit the 3W80xi engine which has rear mount carb. Dennis shows a 3W70 Twin on the plan. I sat down and figured out how far back I would have to move the firewall (a lot). A lot was figured into this decision. You have to move the engine far enough back that the pitts style muffler clears the bottom of the fireall without massive cutting. You also can't shove the firewall far enough back that the carb sits in the middle of it.

I had to make a new fireall which was taller to accept the mount of the 80xi. Here's a pic of the plan as Dennis has it drawn an where I plan on locating the new one and it's larger size. I'll have to round the top edges to clear the cowl.

It's built different from the Extras and Edges in that there is no motor box. The fuselage sides continue forward and make up the motor box sides because the plane is narrow and the cowl comes out from behind the firewall and flares out.

The second pic is how I decided to mount the motor - it's in mockup stage now those aren't the bolts etc...

I laminated two sheets of 3/8" plywood together with epoxy then sanded them to a 2-1/2 degree taper - then cut out the opening for the carb. You can see the taper in the pic. This piece will be epoxied to the firewall and the mount bolted thru it to the firewall.

The stand offs are there so I have a little "play" in it of a few 1/16'ths to perfectly fit the cowl.

Yes before anyone ask that's my building parnter in the background - John Wayne.

Here's the plywood mount. It's not final sanded yet so it's still rough. The dark edge around the outside is the trace of the aluminum plate it matches up to. So I made it a tad larger. Second pic shows the 2-1/2 degree bevel to it.

I thought about trying to measure out 2-1/2 with my digital level or whatever...I wound up eyeballing it and then putting the flat side against the plane as I went and used a square till I had the front (bevel) side 90% to the 2-1/2 degree line on the plans.

By long build let me explain. Anything and EVERYTHING for this plane has to be ordered. If I need a single 4-40 bolt it has to be ordered as the nearest hobby shop is approx. 3 hours away one way. The nearest home depot/lowes is a little over an hour. So if you run out of misc. stuff your stuck for a while.

Cool stuff, Bob. I've never seen one of the older kit designs, so I'll be interested in following this one. Keep posting!

Ken

People complain that Dennis is slow to change, but you can tell from this plane to the Extras's/Edges he lightened the build up a good bit. My plans are dated '98.

Of course because the shape of the cap makes the build different, the fuse side trusses actually continue all the way forward to make the motor box and the fuse has a break at the back of the canopy as well.

Firewall and spacers done. Mocked up the engine and it came out perfect on the right thrust and the clearence for the mufflers.

Here's both sides of the fuse - got the basic structure done with the upper stress plates on. These also form the sides of the motor box - which is unlike the other Cardens. Still have to put the lower stress plate on (which the wing tube goes thru - but at least it's at a 90 degree angle unlike edges/extras) and the servo mount for the rudder on one side in the tail.

Fuse sides mocked up. Still stuff to do on the truss sides like some more forward sheeting, cutouts for the gear at the bottom, possibly some more lightening or enlarging the holes I have. At the moment it's just sitting there taped together, but I wanted to see if I was going in the right direction and on the right page.

The sheeting from the bend line back gets put on after the sides are joined together. To get them together I'll turn em upside down and build it over the plans with a bunch of triangles to get it square.

Very cool Bob!!! Keep 'em commin'!!! We all love seeing this stuff, gives us an appreciation for all the hard work and skill goes into building.. THANKS!!!!