Servo bracket, bell crank, and ADS-B antenna work: 8.3 hours

I got the bracket for my Garmin autopilot pitch servo installed. This involved removing 4 rivets from the fuselage structure, match drilling the bracket and then re-riveting - all in the tight space of the aft fuselage. It took a while but turned out good.

I also assembled the elevator bell crank. This was a straight forward process and went quickly. I also fitted the bell crank which involved making some spacers out of aluminum tube.

Following that I started working on the ADS-B antenna install that will connect to the Garmin GDL-39R and provide real time air traffic and weather data to the G3X Touch PFD. This involved making a doubler to strengthen the skin where the antenna will be installed and drilling the doubler to the belly skin.

Pitch servo bracket finished:

Checking bell crank bearing spacer fit:

Match drilling antenna doubler through belly skin:

 Finished elevator bell crank:

Aft fuselage work and some cockpit painting: 8 hours

I got a lot of miscellaneous items done in the aft fuselage. A lot of it involved running the wiring for the pitch trim servo and the tail position / strobe led light.

I drilled pass through holes then installed snap bushings. After that I installed a number of Click Bond wire tie mounts. These are really nice (and expensive) cable tie mounts that require no drilling and fasten on with a super strong acrylic adhesive. They have a neat fixture that keeps pressure on them while they cure. They are made for certified aircraft and they work great. I will be using Click Bond nut plates to attach my wing tips.

After the Click Bond adhesive cured I went ahead and ran the wire from the tail to the baggage wall opening. I left plenty of extra in the tail for connecting to the pitch trim and led strobe.

After this was done I went ahead and installed the cables that the shoulder harnesses will attach to. I also got the static air line installed as far as the baggage wall.

Along with this I prepped, taped off and painted the interior fuselage skin area that is beside the rudder pedals. My Classic Aero side panels won't cover this and it's not very noticeable but I think it was worth painting it.

Aft fuselage wiring and static line: 

 Click Bond wire tie mounts curing:

 Static line and shoulder harness cable:

Forward lower cockpit area after painting:

Ready to paint:



Rudder cables, fairings and fresh air intakes: 6 hours

I went ahead and got the rudder cables installed from the tail forward stopping just short of the forward cockpit area.

I also got the rudder cable fairings installed which involved laying out rivet holes, match drilling, dimpling etc. I used my new alodine pen to protect the mating surfaces from corrosion. The alodine pen is a good alternative to primer for small parts. I will also be using it on antenna installs.

The rest of the time was spent prepping and installing the fresh air vent intakes. The openings for the naca inlets were already cut in the fuselage skin so I just had to do some edge finishing to get them ready. I used a pattern to lay out the plastic intake position.

Because I was bonding the intakes on with pro seal (fuel tank sealant) I scuffed all the bonded surfaces with 80 grit sandpaper and made sure they were very clean. I used a combination of duct tape and clamps to hold everything in place for curing.

 

Drilling rivet holes for rudder cable fairing:

 

Right side fairing installed:

 

Naca intake taped in place for curing:

 

Edges will be cleaned up and filled later:

 

Clamp arrangement for curing:

 

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Some seat belt work and miscellaneous items: 6 hours

I got the right side crotch strap bracket installed fairly quickly.

I also worked on trimming and shaping the fairings for the rudder cables. I located and set aside the rudder cables and the seat belt cables for installation.

Since this plane has removable tie down rings I made a small fitting out of some leftover wing tie down mount block to store the tie down rings in the baggage area. (This is mentioned as an option in the plans.)

 

Right crotch strap bracket done:

 

A neighborhood dog paid me a visit:

 

My threaded brackets with the tie down ring:

 

Everything mounted on the side panel:

 

Right side panel temporarily in place in baggage area:

 

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More seat belt work: 5 hours

I got the left side crotch strap bracket and steel fitting for the strap installed.

I also drilled the rivet holes for the new forward right side bracket, deburred, edge finished, cleaned and primed both right brackets.

I let the primer cure then attached the nut plates to the brackets and painted with the light gray interior paint.

 

Left crotch strap bracket done:

 

Right side in progress:

 

Enlarging holes for number 8 screws:

 

Priming right side parts:

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More work on the crotch straps: 4.3 hours

I got the left side brackets deburred, cleaned and primed. I also painted the exposed parts of the brackets with the gloss gray I'm using on all the exposed metal in the cabin.

I modified the Crow harness anchor hardware with a new hole sized and located to work with the Vans brackets. It took a while to drill through the hard steel but they turned out great.

I then started working on the right side and got the aft bracket located and rivet holes drilled much quicker than the left. The tight fit angle drill was mandatory for working on these brackets.

 

Right side aft bracket:

 

The cat (Chester) was not much help today:

Posted with Blogsy