Construction Blog and Builder's Resource
Right side Camloc flanges drilled in place.
Upper central Camloc flanges drilled in place. I only had to fudge the spacing on one of them (both sides of the middle flange) and I’m fine with the results.
All upper and side firewall Camloc flanges drilled in place.
All upper and side firewall Camloc flanges drilled in place.
Right side Camloc flanges deburred, countersunk, and clecoed in place for riveting.
First pass at fitting the two halves together. A little more work needed on the left side (right in the photo, of course), but that’s been done now.
Initial set in place for the top cowl. It’s resting on the spinner here, not in the proper 3/16″ position aft.
Top cowl approaching its proper position.
Top cowl in pretty much its proper position here. Aft end still needs to be final-sanded once the Camloc flanges have been installed.
MF’ing hinges have all been removed with the bottom support plates to follow. Good riddance!!
Lower cowl Camloc flanges drilled in place. The uppermost one shown here is in line with the cowl side hinges (along the top/bottom split line) and defines the starting position for the remaining flanges.
Camloc flanges going up around the curve. Sharp-eyed viewers will note a slightly reduced spacing between the previously noted side flange in line with the cowl split line and the flange immediately above it.
Sticking with the recommended 3.5″ hole center spacing would’ve created a conflict between the Camloc receptacle and the engine mount bolt. So, a little adjustment was necessary – the eventual spacing that worked turned out to be 2-11/16″.
I’ll do the equivalent right side flanges tomorrow, adjust the spacing on the last two top center flanges to make them fit, then deburr, countersink, and rivet the flanges to the firewall. Once that’s all done, it should be relatively short work to finish fitting the cowling.
Empennage fairing fit, post-initial trim.
Empennage fairing fit, post-initial trim.
Empennage fairing drilled to stabilizers and aft fuselage. The Van’s-suggested method of placing a light under the fairing and trying to spot the holes is a Rube Goldberg solution, at best. Use the right tool for any job, in this case a strap duplicator. Easy-peasy.
Empennage fairing drilled to stabilizers and aft fuselage. The Van’s-suggested method of placing a light under the fairing and trying to spot the holes is a Rube Goldberg solution, at best. Use the right tool for any job, in this case a strap duplicator. Easy-peasy.
Empennage fairing countersunk and nutplate installation underway. Many of the nutplates will be VERY challenging to solid rivet without removing the vertical stabilizer as suggested by the manual. In my case, that’s simply not going to happen. I’m using MK-319-BS pop rivets to attach the nutplates.
Empennage fairing countersunk and nutplate installation underway. Many of the nutplates will be VERY challenging to solid rivet without removing the vertical stabilizer as suggested by the manual. In my case, that’s simply not going to happen. I’m using MK-319-BS pop rivets to attach the nutplates.
Cowl attach hinges and pins underway.
Cowl attach hinges and pins underway.
Cowl attach hinges and pins underway.
This is how far I got when attempting to insert the left-side upper pin. Yes, it was pre-curved and lubricated. Yes, I filed the hinge eyes, though more is probably necessary. The aluminum pin, though, has the integrity of overcooked spaghetti. It may very well get easier as time goes by, but the initial fit – and the pin’s unavoidable tendency to bend – is entirely unacceptable.
I initially intended to use Skybolt Camlocs (as I did with great satisfaction on my first RV), but they were out of stock when I riveted my fuselage-to-firewall skins way back when and I figured I’d try the stock hinges this time around. Yeah, the hinges are a no-go.
I’ll be ordering the Camlocs this week and drilling out the firewall-mounted hinges. I suppose it could be worse, but I’m definitely annoyed. Ugh.
Spaghetti pin…
