Tail brace wires.....

[TxRik]

The brace wires on my 7GCBC have some areas of missing paint and minor corrosion near the bottom threads. Plus the pins and check nuts have lost their cad plating.
Time to take them off, strip, polish, prime, paint and reinstall with new hardware.

Is there a trick to installing them and setting the proper tension?

It seems that the only way to tighten them is to twist the wire after its installed, how can we do that without scratching them and ruining the paint.
Thanks in advance.
Rick[/b]

 

[Dan Cullman]

If you are going to paint, make sure all the threads remain clean and free. The clevis forks are expensive and should be saved for replating -or they could be painted. The pins aren't too expensive, but you can't find them everywhere. You'll need both LH and RH check nuts. Most round wires have a place to engage a small open end wrench. Making sure the stab remains level, tighten opposite wires gradually, until you achieve a low base tone. Don't overtighten and prestress the structure.