Drilled elevators for main bearing: 2.5 hours

• The elevator horns had to be re-drilled for the main bearing bolt due to the new horizontal stabilizer. I had the old holes in the elevator horns welded closed and ground flat.
• I made a drill bushing with 2 nesting pieces of tubing
• I adjusted rod end bearings on both elevators for correct fit
• The holes were drilled using the bearing as a guide then enlarged and reamed to final size

Drilling right elevator horn:

"Rocket" style fuel vents complete: 9 hours

This work was done over two days:

• I went with the same style of fuel vents used on the Rocket (RV modified with larger engine etc.)
• The standard Vans vent arrangement have more complicated plumbing and run through the cockpit. The rocket vents are all contained in the wing root.
• I added a mounting tab and an extra platenut then cut out the wing root fairing so the fairing can be removed with out having to disconnect the vent line.
• I'm using JD Air's streamlined fuel vents and I would recommend them.
• My vents are in slightly different locations on each side. The left side was more complicated due to having to fit in with the aerobatic fuel line arrangement.
• The small tubing was easy to work with. I used some 4" PVC pipe as a form for the coils.
• I also spent some time organizing the shop because we will be moving the wings back to storage for a while.

Locating the left wing vent fairing:

Tracing the vent fairing to cut out the wing fairing:

Locating the right wing vent fairing:

Left wing mounting tab in place:

Flaring the left vent tubing:

Left wing vent complete:

Right wing fairing vent cut out:

Right fuel vent - cut out is slightly oversize to get fairing on and off:

Right wing vent complete:

Wing fairings and fuel vents: 4 hours

• Finished riveting all wing fairing and fuselage skin platenuts to both wings - this took the majority of the time
• Started on right wing fuel vent

Left wing with fairing attached:

Working on the right wing tank:

Fuselage skin platenuts:

More wing fairing work: 5 hours

• Countersinked both wings for plate nut rivets
• Drilled fuel tank angle brackets for plate nuts and safety wire hole
• Prepped and primed inside edges of wing root where plate nuts will mount and wing skin that will be covered by fuselage skin
• Installed fuel tank bracket plate nuts
• Started installing wing fairing plate nuts - completed left wing fuel tank plate nuts

Left wing fuel tank plate nuts complete:

Getting ready to prime wing root:

Drilling fuel tank angle bracket for plate nut:

Wing fairing work: 3 hours

• Finished drilling right wing for wing fairing plate nuts
• Deburred all holes for right wing fairing
• Edge finished and edge rolled wing fairing and fuselage to wing skin
• Used pneumatic squeezer to flatten some fluting for better platenut mounting
• Used pneumatic squeezer to dimple wing farings and fuselage skin for #8 screws
• I ground down the female dimple die to clear the wing rib and fuel tank edges then dimpled all of both wing roots
• I countersunk the wing for #8 screws in the area of the wing walk doubler - I used a new single flute countersink from Cleaveland Tool - it worked great - no chattering 

Countersinks turned out great - used the dimpled scrap to check fit

Dimpled fuselage to wing skin:

Fuel tank dimples:

Squeezer with dies (notice cut down die):

Wing root fairing work: 3.5 hours

• Drilled / reamed left and right wing fairings and fuselage to wing skin to final size (#19)
• Edge finished and edge rolled left wing fairing and left fuselage to wing skin
• Removed excess fuel tank sealant from left fuel tank for platenuts
• Drilled all of left wing and half of right wing for fairing platenuts

Burning a lot of time on these fairings: