Prop bolts/extension inserts galling

I had two instances where prop bolts galled in the first 20 hours of operation.  The second time, one of the bolts seized in the insert so the head had to be cut off in order to get the prop off.   New inserts were installed by Saber each time.  The bolts and insert threads were cleaned with compressed air, then installed dry and torqued to 40 ft./lbs. and checked with two torque wrenches.  I've since waxed the threads and torqued to 35 ft. lbs. with about 50 trouble free hours on them now.    I had been running 4 Belleville washers per bolt, but currently am running shorter bolts with no Bellevilles.  I'll need to get longer bolts to run Bellevilles again.  In the mean time, I'll judiciously check prop bolt torque.  I'd like to get these bolts checked to see if their hardness is what it is supposed to be since there have been reports of counterfeit grade 9 bolts.

Looks like the threads were dinged before plating.

Ding on end of bolt.

Some dings on the ring on the head of the bolt.

Damaged threads.  

 The plating on the threads wasn't consistent on some bolts.

6/26/2023 700 mile trip

 Despite a stationary front hanging around for days, the weather on Monday was enticing enough to depart on a longer adventure.   I flew to RPH, picked up 40 gallons and then off to DHT between and around various SUA's.   At 8500', I was above scattered and broken clouds and descended a little under pattern altitude to land at DHT.  There's a cafe on the field so I had lunch after getting 7 gallons of fuel.  Rather than continue North I decided I'd head back since it was hazy and there were a lot of cumulous clouds.  The weather later in Nebraska was very convective, so that was a good decision.

I'll analyze the oil and DHT temps after uploading the data, but initially appears the oil temp increased as a result of the lower baffle changes.   There's a better balance between 2,3 & 4 CHT's.  1 is still running cooler than the others.  Suspect the air is getting dammed up at the diffuser.

I've pulled the prop off, checked the surfaces of the extension and prop and cleaned them off with brake cleaner.   Waxed the prop bolt threads after checking for galling and torqued them to 35 ft. lbs.  

Also pulled the cowls off and will tweak the lower baffling again as I suspect one of the baffles is impeding airflow to much and is why the oil is running warmer than before.

Oil consumption seems to be good, showing 6 qts on the dipstick.   A few drops of oil out of the breather tube are getting slung back into the aft bottom of the cowl.

The prop has a couple tiny pin head sized paint chips and a little scuffing in a couple spots but overall is in very good condition.

The ADS-B Out works very well.  The track logs showed stations as far away as Houston receiving.  However, the ADS-B In data was suboptimal.   There was a NOTAM in the airspace section for ADS-B data 4000-50000.   Doing some research, found that ADS-B ground stations that provide weather are sparse in NW Texas.  

Here's a link to a map with ground station locations, I'm unsure how up to date it is:

http://towers.stratux.me/

Here's a link to a presentation that has a page with details on types of ground stations:

https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/flight_info/aeronav/acf/media/Presentations/13-02-RD261_Charting-ADS-B-GBT-JCollins.pdf

If I was flying a lot, the SiriusXM Weather would be very nice to have since there's huge gaps of ADS-B IN data coverage in the midwest.

Oshkosh prep list.

(Will be edited as necessary)

Approved tie downs, ropes, string & carabiners. Gust locks. Tape. Oil cooler exhaust plug.

OSH NOTAM.  Alternate destination NOTAMS.

Pads for tires, to keep from sinking in mud.

Sunscreen, bug spray.

Batteries (phone/iPod/iPad chargers, chords, jump box, solar?).

Flash light, lantern.

Coolers.

Sleeping bag. Coat. Hats. Sandals.  Walking shoes.

Pad or cot.

Water bottles.

Snacks.

Toiletries, Supplements & miscellaneous meds, club soda, ear plugs (sunburn, anti-inflammatory).

Trash bags.

Zip lock bags.

Towels.

Spare parts, screws, washers, safety wire, tools.

Tarp.  Bucket.  Sponge.  Chamois.  Glass cleaner. Microfiber cloth.

Travel cover.  Exhaust & extension plugs.

June 12 2023

 My neighbor made it home a few days ago and certified my transponder again.  Today I received a Bruce's lightweight travel cover and tried it on. 

My buddy has been slogging through his Comanche's annual.  This year he replaced the landing gear conduits and fortunately hasn't had to many surprises.  He's almost finished.

I've been addressing small items that were still on "the list".    I'd opted not to enter the AVC race this year since we were helping a relative move into a new house when I should have been sending the forms in.   Maybe we'll spectate.   

A local canard friend wants to ride to OSH with me and we'll plan on camping.  My wife won't usually camp unless its at a Motel 6.  

The weekly zoom call has regular attendees and a variety of topics come up.  Often, several folks will interject with a question about the plans or some other issue.  Roughly, there's probably 1/2 dozen folks that should be seeing light at the end of the tunnel.

I was going to go to Ardmore this morning to check out CHT changes and other items that have been tweaked but scattered storms hampered that.