Wheeler fuel tanks and new alternate fuels

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Sknightflyet
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Nov 29, 2022 3:48 pm

Wheeler fuel tanks and new alternate fuels

Post by Sknightflyet »

Following on other homebuilt forums the discussion on the alternate fuel being rolled out to replace 100LL and how these fuels react to the resins used on composite planes. I’m close to buying a abandoned Wheeler Express project and wondering is anyone in this group concerned about the interaction of these new fuels and the resins used in the Wheeler build?
jchisolm
Posts: 111
Joined: Tue Jun 17, 2014 9:56 pm

Re: Wheeler fuel tanks and new alternate fuels

Post by jchisolm »

Alternative fuels are supposed to be 100% compatible with current 100LL. GAMI (??) says you can mix their fuel with 100LL. Glasair used the same resin (or more accurately Express used the same as Glasair). The original was Derakane 411-45. The new version is Derakane 411-350 which has better specs. Orca 555 is almost identical to 411-45.

I've heard some people will coat the fuel bays with a layer of resin. That seems to come out of the chemical resistance guides.
https://www.ashland.com/file_source/Ash ... _Guide.pdf

I would not worry about it. If the project is in pretty good shape go for it.
Joe Chisolm
Express CT builder
Marble Falls, Texas
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