Author Archives: pclifton

A bunch of random stuff

Didn’t get a lot done today for various reasons. First I got woken up by a nasty thunderstorm around 6:30 AM, and about the time I was noticing how windy it was getting, my phone buzzed with a tornado warning…fun … Continue reading

Posted in Fuselage | Hours Logged: 3.5

Gear box riveting, center section prep, etc

Started off the day today by making and prepping some paint test patches. Numerous other RV builders have had good luck with, of all things, Rustoleum hammered finish spray paint for an interior finish. So I got a few different … Continue reading

Posted in Fuselage | Hours Logged: 6

Gear box weldment riveting

Another short night. I started out deburring the edges of the mid-cabin braces. Frankly, I think this is a weird time to do this, but I might as well keep working in the order of the instructions, I guess. Apparently … Continue reading

Posted in Fuselage | Hours Logged: 1.5

Firewall riveting

Pretty good night’s work, at least by after-work standards. I managed to get all the rivets in the firewall done. The vast majority of the rivets can be back riveted, though an added complication is that the firewall has a … Continue reading

Posted in Fuselage | Hours Logged: 2.5

Fitting gear towers to forward floor

First order of business tonight was to finish bolting the weldments to both gear towers. When I did the right tower last night, I actually took the time to torque all the bolts, but tonight I refrained from doing that. … Continue reading

Posted in Fuselage | Hours Logged: 2

Priming and gear tower assembly

Finally, a good day’s work, Unfortunately, it wasn’t all fun and games, as we’ll soon get to. I wanted to get started priming as soon as possible, since I know the epoxy primer takes longer to spray than the rattle … Continue reading

Posted in Fuselage | Hours Logged: 9

Forward baggage area prep

Started out today by finishing up the riveting on the forward floor assembly. There were only eight rivets left, through the two intercostal ribs, but getting to them was an interesting undertaking. Actually, even access wasn’t bad at all, it … Continue reading

Posted in Fuselage | Hours Logged: 5

More forward floor riveting

Pretty much just a token hour in the shop tonight. Since Houston drivers can’t handle wet roads without ramming each other, I stayed at work a little late to let traffic die off. When I got out to the garage … Continue reading

Posted in Fuselage | Hours Logged: 1

Forward floor riveting

So tonight I switched gears back to the forward flow assembly. First order of business was to rivet some nutplates to the lower flanges of both crossmembers. I believe these nutplates are where the gear leg attachment covers will mount. … Continue reading

Posted in Fuselage | Hours Logged: 1.5

Assorted part prepping

Tonight mostly consisted of getting the parts I have lying around fully prepped and ready for priming this weekend. I double-checked the flush screw countersinks in the gear tower angles and found that they were a little shallow, so I … Continue reading

Posted in Fuselage | Hours Logged: 1.5