Fuel system and fire extuinguisher mount: 8 hours

• Riveted fire extinguisher doubler to front spar cover.
• Riveted firewall fuel fitting doubler to firewall
• Many hours of fuel tubing research and practice
• Made one fuel tube (later remade!)
• Modified fuel tube bender (later replaced with better 180 degree bender!)

Firewall fuel fitting and doubler:

Mocking up electric fuel pump to determine tube requirements:

Fuel pump with 1st generation 180 degree fuel line:

1st generation filter to pump line - this turned out to be too large to fit under the pump doghouse so it was later scrapped.

I went though a lot of tubing practicing but I want the fuel lines perfect.

Riveting this doubler was trickier than I expected:

Fuel system, firewall, misc. 4.3 hours

• Made firewall doubler for fuel line fitting
• Moved fuel fitting position 1/4" as recommended to give solenoid more room
• Drilled doubler to firewall
• Primed doubler
• Enlarged 3 rivet holes in firewall for oil line clamps
• Made fire extinguisher mount cover, drilled to left front spar cover, deburred, dimpled, primed

Drilling fire extinguisher doubler to spar cover:

Forward cover and firewall: 4.2 hours

• Riveted heat distribution baffle to center tunnel cover
• Riveted 11 plate nuts to center tunnel cover
• Used dremel to cut 2" hole in firewall for cabin heat valve
• Temporarily installed cabin heat valve
• Researched fuel line and other firewall penetrations
• Removed rivet from firewall for fuel fitting doubler

Riveting platenuts to tunnel cover / heat baffle:

More riveting:

Locating 2" cabin heat hole on firewall:

Fine tuning the heat opening:

Cabin heat valve temporary install:

Still more forward cover work: 5.7 hours

• Riveted plate nuts for forward cover to stainless firewall recess assembly - tight spacing and tricky
• Deburred / cleaned up floor angles and firewall gusset
• Drilled tunnel cover for plate nut rivets
• Modified tunnel cover to allow for large wire bundles
• Edge finished tunnel cover - this took a long time - lot's of small protrusions and different angles
• Fitted and drilled cabin heat baffle to tunnel cover
• Bent cabin heat tabs out on tunnel cover
• Deburred, cleaned up, dimpled and primed tunnel cover
• Riveted plate nuts to fuel pump mount and fuel valve cover

Tricky riveting on firewall recess:

Drilling heat baffle to tunnel cover:

Tabs bent out for heat distribution:

Riveting plate nuts to fuel pump mount:

More fuel system covers and forward cover work: 3.8 hours

• Trimmed forward tunnel cover and heat baffle to fit fuel pump mount
• Located holes for tunnel cover plate nuts then drilled floor angles and tunnel cover with angle drill
• Drilled fuel pump mount and valve cover for plate nut rivets
• Deburred, dimpled and countersank the above parts for plate nut rivets and primed

Fitting forward tunnel cover / heat baffle:

Drilling cover to floor angles:

More priming:

Inventory baggage interior panels and firewall forward kit: 7 hours

I inventoried, inspected and organized ALL the parts and pieces of the firewall forward kit from Van's and my interior panels for the baggage compartment from Classic Aero Designs.

Classic Aero does nice work! I had to mock up the baggage compartment interior:

Firewall forward kit - a lot of expensive parts...

Exhaust system and other parts:

Fuel system covers and mounts: 7 hours

• Riveted fuel pump cover together
• Edge finshed and deburred fuel pump mount plate (complicated - a lot of curve and protruding edges)
• Modified fuel valve cover per plans for electric boost pump
• Edge finished and deburred valve cover
• Made 15/16" spacers for drilling pump mount and forward cover to floor angles
• Tweaked spacers to get thicker pump mount and thinner forward cover to line up
• Fine tuned fit of pump cover, valve cover, etc.
• Drilled fuel pump mount to floor angles with angle drill
• Drilled fuel pump cover to valve cover for plate nuts
• Deburred everything
• Did initial trimming of forward cover to fit flush with fuel pump mount
• Also figured out the location for the handheld fire extinguisher mount (going to mount on left spar cover)

Initial fit of fuel valve cover:

Riveting pump cover:

More pump cover riveting:

Trimmed fuel valve cover:

Cutting spacers:

Checking fit of valve cover and pump cover:

Drilling fuel pump mount to floor angles:

Measuring forward cover for trimming:

Fuel pump cover and forward cover prep: 1.6 hours

• Match drilled, deburred, edge finished, edge rolled, dimpled, scuffed, cleaned and primed pump cover parts
• Laid out forward cover parts

No photos today.

Fuel selector valve and misc: 3.5 hours

• Used Cherry nut plate pop rivets to attach nut plates to outboard forward spar cover brackets - this was a very tight fit and took some time
• Unpacked and inspected Plane Power 30 amp back up alternator! Since I'm going with dual electronic ignitions this extra alternator will be a nice thing to have.
• Inspected Andair fuel valve and used a punch to secure 90 degree an fittings to valve per instructions
• Trimmed manual trim extension off of fuel valve mount plate
• Enlarged hole in plate for valve
• Drilled valve to plate
• Installed #8 nut plates on valve
• Researched valve install
• Prepped and primed valve plate
• Riveted plate nuts to valve plate

Very high quality valve:

This 30 amp back up alternator mounts to the pad where a vacuum pump (to power old school mechanical gyros) would have gone. 

Spar cover work and interior repaint panel prep: 5.5 hours

• Drilled left spar cover bracket to gear attach web
• Fitting work on left spar cover
• Primed spar cover bracket
• Riveted left spar cover bracket in place
• Riveted plate nuts on left and right forward spar covers
• More paint removal and prep on interior pieces to be repainted

Left spar cover fitting:

Right forward spar cover: 2 hours

• Worked on fitting right spar cover
• Drilled outboard bracket to gear support web
• Drilled bracket for plate nuts
• Trimmed bracket for fuel line
• Prepped and primed bracket

No photos today.