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Covering the fuselage...prep work 12/28/03 - We had terrific weather again today, making the prospect of working in the shop that much more attractive! I have basically finished the pre-covering prep work on the fuselage with just a bit of finish sanding to complete on a very small section. I'm going to try to take care of that one evening next week so I can start the new year ready to cover the fuselage. Today, I started by installing the rudder cable guides according to Ed's photo (which now matches my own installation):
I then finished installing the forward longeron fairings. I mentioned last time that Ed had passed along information regarding my concern about the rivets attaching the tailcone to the cockpit cage causing the forward ends of the longeron fairings to bulge out when installed. Ed said to fit the fairing over the rivet head, tap it with a hammer (I used a rubber mallet) to mark the inside of the fairing with the rivet head then drill it out to size. I used a #11 bit, then a uni-bit to step the holes out to size. They look pretty neat when installed:
After this, I began working on routing the trim cable. I hung the right side horizontal stabilizer and elevator, then loosely placed the cable housing along it's intended final installation path.
Once satisfied that I would have enough material, I cut the housing to length, plus a foot on either end. I then slipped the cable inside the housing and cut both ends of the cable and re-routed the cable assembly along the left side of the fuselage, securing it with cable ties...
...and winding up with the forward end secured to the bottom of the fuselage just under the left side of the forward baggage compartment. I can complete the installation from here when I get around to final assembly:
The last item in the pre-covering checklist pertains to applying fill at the transition tube where it attaches to the vertical stabilizer. As with the fill areas on the leading edges of the wings, I used a little SuperFil that I will sand-out some evening in the coming week.
Besides the bit of finish-sanding, I need to clean the structure with a tack cloth and then I can start covering! More updates soon... |
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Last Update: 12/28/2003 |
