Chapter 29 - What A Beast!!! I started this right after new years of 2020, and finished early July. There was at least a couple week detour in there for getting some tunnel fuel lines done while they were more accessable. Also got a new job. So despite working from home because of the 'Rona, my work rate actually descreased.
Bending the longerons took some time. I was lucky to find someone who would borrow me the bending dies that are no longer available for purchase.
Vans provides you a piece of Alcad that serves at the bending and drilling template.
Once you get the skins bent and start slapping them on, you all of a sudden have something that looks like an airplane! Woa!
After drilling deburring and dimpling what feels 1 million holes, the whole works gets the primer treatment. Then assembly starts. On the two parts where the longerons meet the aft deck with brackets, don't stray from the instructions. I did because I thought I was smarter and had to drill out a few rivets. You'd think I'd know by now...NOPE.
This was a frustrating step - getting the firewall corner braces match drilled to the fwd fuse channels. These are notorious for not lining up correctly, especially the upper left. I swapped a few emails with Vans about it. Basically you have to clamp the steel piece you are drilling to shove it deeper into the fuse channel so you get proper edge distance. It seems like a lot of force, and I wasn't entirely comfortable with it. But Vans said do it, so that's what I did.
See in this picture the first hole is nowhere close to proper edge distance. Good thing I only drilled this one before discovering it. To fix I clamped it in farther to get good edge distance on the remaining holes. For the bad one I drilled a new hole nearby the bad one.
Here's a gotcha - make sure these nutplates get installed before riveting on the upper forward fuse channels. You can see the bracket will make that impossible once they are on.
Riveting the skins took more help than any other step on the plane so far. There are simply a bunch of them you just can't reach. I also had to buy a few more odd rivet sets for my gun. Nothing fancy or expensive, just different. My dad, neighbor Tracy, and even the wife (image that!) all pitched in to run the rivet gun while I bucked.
Once that huge job is done, the front floors go in. The $15 Harbor Freight pneumatic blind riveter saved my bacon again here. Notice that there is no sound insulation in here. Many folks do, but for me that only serves to hold moisture and rot out an area that will be VERY difficult to access in the future. And add weight. Everybody gets noise cancelling headsets in my plane, no need to carry weight beyond that.
Before floor install:
After floor install:
Putting the landing gear weldments in for the last time is satisfying too. Those things are a beast with all the holes that never line up twice in a row. The plans have you making some tubing pieces with very specific length tolerances. I cut barely over then sanded down to get within a few .001"
Man it felt great to finish this chapter. Really looking forward to getting a few things done with a little more instant(ish) gratification.
Bending the longerons took some time. I was lucky to find someone who would borrow me the bending dies that are no longer available for purchase.
Vans provides you a piece of Alcad that serves at the bending and drilling template.
You make a few long-edge cuts at an angle in an oak 2x4. I paid $20 at Menards for a 4' board - not cheap. Had to use some friends tools to get this done - a radial arm saw and table saw.
Once you have your 2x4, then you use a bunch of clamps to start bending the skins. This is probably the least fun step I've encountered in the build so far. The skins are TOUGH. If you don't equally bend and push, you'll crease the skins. I did put a small crease in one of my front skins, but you have to look to see its there. Vans should really think about bending these for you as part of the kit.
Here is the rear skin bent up underneath. Even clecos won't hold it tight. But once you put a slight break in the edge (I think thats missing from plans) and rivet it, it sits nice and flush.
Once you get the skins bent and start slapping them on, you all of a sudden have something that looks like an airplane! Woa!
After drilling deburring and dimpling what feels 1 million holes, the whole works gets the primer treatment. Then assembly starts. On the two parts where the longerons meet the aft deck with brackets, don't stray from the instructions. I did because I thought I was smarter and had to drill out a few rivets. You'd think I'd know by now...NOPE.
This was a frustrating step - getting the firewall corner braces match drilled to the fwd fuse channels. These are notorious for not lining up correctly, especially the upper left. I swapped a few emails with Vans about it. Basically you have to clamp the steel piece you are drilling to shove it deeper into the fuse channel so you get proper edge distance. It seems like a lot of force, and I wasn't entirely comfortable with it. But Vans said do it, so that's what I did.
See in this picture the first hole is nowhere close to proper edge distance. Good thing I only drilled this one before discovering it. To fix I clamped it in farther to get good edge distance on the remaining holes. For the bad one I drilled a new hole nearby the bad one.
Here's a gotcha - make sure these nutplates get installed before riveting on the upper forward fuse channels. You can see the bracket will make that impossible once they are on.
Riveting the skins took more help than any other step on the plane so far. There are simply a bunch of them you just can't reach. I also had to buy a few more odd rivet sets for my gun. Nothing fancy or expensive, just different. My dad, neighbor Tracy, and even the wife (image that!) all pitched in to run the rivet gun while I bucked.
Once that huge job is done, the front floors go in. The $15 Harbor Freight pneumatic blind riveter saved my bacon again here. Notice that there is no sound insulation in here. Many folks do, but for me that only serves to hold moisture and rot out an area that will be VERY difficult to access in the future. And add weight. Everybody gets noise cancelling headsets in my plane, no need to carry weight beyond that.
Before floor install:
After floor install:
Putting the landing gear weldments in for the last time is satisfying too. Those things are a beast with all the holes that never line up twice in a row. The plans have you making some tubing pieces with very specific length tolerances. I cut barely over then sanded down to get within a few .001"
Man it felt great to finish this chapter. Really looking forward to getting a few things done with a little more instant(ish) gratification.
