Final fitting of the landing gear weldments - 6 hours

 After reading up on the forums and blogs, Now is a good time to check fitment of the landing gear weldments with the centre spar (F-704) . Once I assemble the fuse making adjustments to the landing gear become much more difficult.

First I drilled out the rivets for the three nutplates in the forward spar ends. I noticed on initial fitment, that these will get in the way later. Once the weldments are permanently installed, it will be super easy to install the nutplates....again 

Now begins a very very slow process of fitting the weldments to the center section. The instructions specifically indicate that holes may be filed a bit open to allow the bolts to fit. The process is slow since I test fit, remove, file, test fit, remove, file, over and over again until all bolts fit.

I am extremely careful to not file the close tolerance bolt holes if i can avoid it. So I started with the placing those bolts first securely and then working/fitting all the other holes.

Once I was happy with the weldment fit, I was ready to assemble the F-704 center spar to the center section in preparation to fit the fuse all back together.

Installing the seat belt anchors - 1.5 hour

Small build night tonight. But a little bit is better than nothing right?

I spent an hour installing the seat belt anchors in the center section. Took a bit longer than it should purely because one of the anchors on the passenger side needed to be trimmed to fit the seat rib. Guess that the fit has changed a tiny fit between drilling and final riveting. 

I used a spacer to help align the anchors. I didn't want to wreck a perfectly good nut so I used a ton of washers so I didn't engage the nylon lock portion.   lol

Riveting the F-706 bulkhead assembly to the aft fuselage - 6 hours

 I decided to fit and rivet the F-706 bulkhead assembly to the aft fuselage before I fit the entire fuse. Reading some of the builders logs, seems that this has worked out well. When I fitted the bulkhead, I noticed that I have a bit of interference on a rib flange with one of the new dimpled holes in the fuselage skin. 

I marked the interference on both sides removed the bulkhead assembly and then trimmed a relief hole with the dremel. Then refitted the assembly. 

Once happy with the fit, I riveted the F-729 bellcrank rib to the aft fuselage. Quick note, avoid riveting the F-728 bellcrank channel to the aft fuse if you can. I riveted it now, only realising I wasn't supposed to (like sooo many other builders). I am not worried though, I have an alligator squeezer that will allow me to rivet the F-728 angle to the rib without removing the rib.

The accessibility for riveting the F-729 rib to the F-707 bulkhead is crazy. I managed to buck the middle hole, but ended up using cherry max rivets for the top and bottom holes. So frustrating.  

Next, I decided to rivet the F-715 seat ribs to the center section. Again reading the build logs, this seems to be a common practice. Accessibility is much easier now. I struggled setting the top most rivets at the F-705 bulkhead. Extremely tricky and poor access. I opted for cherrymax rivets here. (I did try to buck them but did a horrible job). 

 I then riveted the F-715 seat ribs to the bottom skin, which went extremely well.

I now fitted the longerons into the aft fuse assembly. 

 

 

Started riveting the forward fuselage pieces - 8 hours

 Now that the primer has had a day to cure. I started in on riveting. First piece was to rivet nutplates onto the F-684 gussets and then rivet the gussets to the firewall. Admittedly I didn't get all of the rivets pointed the same direction as after the first three, I then noticed I didn't have enough clearance to get the squeezer in there. Oh well, not a big deal at all and nobody is ever going to look at it. 

Next step I need to install the six AN426AD4-9 rivets at the bottom of the firewall that I didn't install originally (As I didn't have enough rivets).

I installed the nutplates on the F-902/F-724/F-722 bulkheads. I riveted the F-7101/F-902 assembly. Then riveted on the fabricated flanges on the F-724 bulkhead. 

Next I riveted the F-719 skin stiffener and clips

Still on a roll, I riveted the F-704H side plate onto the F-770 side skins.

 

More Priming - 10 hours

 Another big day of priming. I touched up some of the pieces I didn't get good enough yesterday and then I primed the floor skin and the side skins. I am absolutely chemical-ed out!

 

Started priming - 10 hours

 Ready to start priming and it was a huge day. For the cockpit I had decided to change things up and go with a 2-part epoxy primer. No doubt the cockpit is going to take a lot of abuse so why not toughen things up. The prep was extremely long. Wash, scrub, acid etch, so on

More dimpling - 2 hours

 More dimpling work on various parts. I focused on finishing up the dimpling for the F-796 shims and the F-902 bulkhead. After a bit of research that the F-770 side skin, the F-902 bulkhead and the thinnest F-796 shim (0.032") is dimpled, while the thickest F-796 shim (0.063") is countersunk. This allows the F-796B reinforcement angle to sit nicely in place.....no need to countersink the angle. 

 

More edge breaking and beburring - 6 hours

 This is actually a number of small sessions from Nov 1st through the 4th. Lots and lots of edge breaking and deburring. Super boring.