1 JAN 15: Page 18-7 steps 1-3, pg 18-8 steps 1-4 (left tank): 9.5 hours

Happy 2015!!  Bent the fuel sender for the left tank.  I read how crucial the lengths of the bends are – makes sense as precise bends mean full travel for the float.  The first bend calls for 4 1/8 inch.  Got it right on:

Precise bends result in full travel of the float.  Float at the top of the tank – you can see the sender is at its full travel:

Same with the float bottomed out:

Unfortunately, I didn’t read ahead on the right-hand float.  The bottom bend of the left float wire bends toward the front of the tank to enter the sender.  I bent the right float wire the same direction – toward the front of the tank.  BUT… the right sender is a mirror image of the left, so the bottom of the float wire bends to the rear of the tank to enter the sender.  I tried re-bending, but no way is the stiff wire going to take a 180* bend in the opposite direction without breaking…  Oh well, just another order from Van’s.

Proceeded to seal and rivet the baffle and tank attach zee brackets.  Attached the Zs to the baffle with pop rivets.  Look at all those clecoes in the baffle flange – this may take a while!

Well, I bit off a little more than I could chew starting so late in the afternoon.  Unfortunately, since I don’t want the proseal to set up, I have to complete all the riveting.  It took until midnight, but I got it all assembled.  All together except the locating holes which will be countersunk and riveted once the proseal has cured:

You know you’ve had fun when your shop bench looks like this!  This will have to wait until another time for clean up:

3 JAN 15: Page 18-8 step 4 (left tank): 1.5 hours

Countersunk and riveted the remaining positioning holes in the baffle flange – no pics.

4 JAN 15: Final sealing of the left tank, Page 22-5 step 6: 5.25 hours

Finished with the proseal on the left tank!!  Fingers and toes crossed that I have no leaks.  I’ll let it cure for a while and then do the pressure test.  All sealed up:

Spent the rest of this work session countersinking the FL-1009A/B trailing edge wedges; fun, fun:

5-7/9-10 JAN 15: Page 22-5 step 6: 9.25 hours

Spent several days deburring all the aileron/flap parts.  It seems like the holes are endless:

Working on flap rib sub-assembly doubler.  Knocking of the large tooling marks with the vixen file before hitting it with the Scotchbrite wheel:

10 JAN 15: Page 22-4 step 2, pg 22-5 steps 1-6 (right flap): 7.3 hours

Clecoed the right flap skeleton assembly and final-drilled #30 all the holes common to the parts and spar web.  Assembled the skins to the skeleton:

Match-drilled #40 all the skin to skeleton holes:

11 JAN 15: Pressure test left tank, page 22-5 step 6, pg 18-7 steps 1-2: 5.5 hours

The big news for the day was doing the pressure test on the left tank.  I let the proseal cure for about a week.  I filled the tank with my bike pump until the balloon inflated and sprayed the entire tank with soapy water looking for leaks.  I saw no bubbles anywhere!  Unfortunately, the balloon began to slowly deflate – my heart did the same.  I was really hoping for no leaks.  I couldn’t find where the leak was coming from.  One place I didn’t spray the soapy water was the balloon attachment itself.  Fortunately, these were the only bubbles I found!

I’m very happy to say that after attaching another balloon and properly sealing it, it remained fully inflated!!  After several hours:

I will leave the balloon for several days to make absolutely sure there are no tiny leaks.  For the remainder of the afternoon, I countersunk the FL-1009A/B trailing edge wedges for the right flap, bent the fuel sender float wire for the right tank, and continued to prep all the aileron/flap parts for priming.  Skins and spars all ready to go:

A lot of parts ready for Prekote and Akzo: