A big day in the garage for a weeknight. I just cant seem to get 100% fitment on the F-779 and F-773 side skins as the lower J-stiffners are in the way. I've decided to remove the lower J-stiffeners in effort to get access to fully cleco the F-779 bottom tail skin. I've read as much as I can on other blogs and after much thought, I've decided that this is the only way I can make all of the aft fuse fitment work. The idea is to plumb, and match drill everything. Then reinstall the lower J-stiffeners into the assembly and finally match drill those very last. That's the only way I can see I can get a full proper cleco as it's just impossible to fully cleco the assembly.
Before I disassemble for the millionth time to remove those stiffeners...I needed to address how I transition the stiffener along the side skin to the F-779 tail skin. Doing nothing there is quite a gap to deal with. If I rivet it with doing nothing, there is an area of potential stress to bridge this transition. I've put a question to the forums as nobody seems to address it on the build logs.
Update - With a little research and thought, I will file down the sharp edge on F-779 (similar to the lap joint on the wing skins) so that I do not have a hard 90deg edge digging into the J-channel after I rivet the assembly.
With the lower stiffeners removed....I managed to get everything clecoed up. Again...Not going to sugar coat it...Its a fight right to the end. Everything boils down to a specific method and progressive pattern to cleco in order to get it all done. Each cleco on the tail bulkheads are smothered in boelube before forcing into the holes. Ugh....But in the end I prevailed.
Much thanks to my good friend Mike A.K.A. @inspiringpursuit (Who's building both the F1 rocket and the Stewart S-51 mustang) who stopped by to give advice, encouragement and checked my work when I was uncertain.
