Didn’t spend much time in the hangar this weekend but the 80+ heat was a reminder that my building days are soon coming to a pause, or at least my building days in comfort. I’d been reviewing the DVD during the week, looking ahead and I noticed that it seemed safe to finish the top channel and wing attachments. A little riveting always cheers you up!
First though my plan was to install the flaperon control mixer. The previous entry showed the mixer bearings and these go on to the bolts of the mixer and are secured by a castle nut and cotter pin.
At first the cotter pins I had were way too small for the purpose but I eventually found the ones I needed. By way of example is the contents of a bag marked “Controls Hardware”, digging through this pile takes a while (and the cotter pins turned out to be in the Finishing Hardware box!).
Anyway, I wired it how I thought it would go but clearly (see picture) this will not hold anything on. I asked on the Zenith website and there is apparantly a proper method for securing castle nuts with cotter pins. It has been explained to me but still makes little sense. I need some pictures or video….. Anyway, this meant I couldn’t finish the mixer but I could get the actuator mount installed. Riveting from underneath is fortunately not as painful as drilling.
With my new 1/4″ drill bit in hand I could open the holes in the motor and assemble the end and secure with the proper bolt.
Next I removed the top channel assembly from the fuselage and drilled all the holes in the wing attachments with a size 12 bit for an A6 rivet. I also drilled similar holes in the side channels on the fuselage. Each attachment is held on with three bolts and many rivets.
The kit has changed since the DVD and the top channel is a self contained unit now, and doesn’t require a closing cover (or if it does I have some unriveting to do). This meant I could rivet it closed.
Next I used the hand riveter to install the A6 rivets that go into the top channel. I need to eat more cereal or something because this is tough work, it would be nice if I could get a rivet head for the air gun. And not least because if you recall I drilled the two rows of holes in the top skin and top channel to A6 instead of A5 and that is going to be an awful lot of hand riveting.
I’ll do the lower rivets a few at a time so as to save my wrists.
Since there was still air in my compressor I next riveted the torque tube bearing channel to the bottom skin. Note that I also riveted the side gusset.
I have also decided that it is safe to rivet the bottom gusset at least up to where the cabin will join the rear fuselage. What I don’t yet know if whether the cabin will go underneath the gusset or on top.
Anyway I left enough holes so that I can easily slip it under if needs be.
All in all it felt like a productive day, a few things I need to understand before they can continue but I’m close to joining the two fuselage halves and getting on with the firewall.
UPDATE: I keep forgetting what a great resource the EAA is for building things and so I took a look and found this video on exactly how to safety tie a castle nut with a cotter pin. Never would have figured this out.