Finish Kit

Main Gear Leg - RH  ( 4 hrs )

Completed torquing LH Upper Gear Brace.   Then installed Main Gear Leg per Sect 40A-04 with Attachment Angle and Attachment Bar.  Lots of bolts with awkward or limited access...so time consuming.  Worst was the Main Gear was very tight fit into U1402 forward and aft edges ...but applied Boelube, and lots of rubber hammer blows, and eventually "walked" it up to alignment.  Didn't need the shims per Fig 3.

Sect 40A-04.   It's tighter space than appears in dwg.

RH Leg done.   Yet to remove temp leg on spar.

Finish Kit

Engine Mounts & Gear Brace ( 3 hrs )

Received replacement longer AN6-26A bolts from Vans for Engine Mount upper corners (see Dec 12 log).  Installed all 6 nuts and torqued.   Yay....2-3 threads showing each, so correct lengths.  Vans product support also confirmed these nylock nuts are A-OK since inside fuselage on firewall, not reverse as in RV-7 or -10 etc, so don't require all steel locknuts for heat exposure.   Installed Upper Gear Brace per Sect 40A-03, Step 9.   Some awkward reaches for nuts...but completed RH side.  LH side still needs tighten/torqueing.

Upper RH corner

Lower LH corner

RH Gear Brace 

RH Gear Brace.  Alum spacer fit
perfectly  between spar as bolt
ties FWD and AFT Spar sections

Washer wrench and Handee Clamp valuable
for reaching deep into narrow opening

Finish Kit

Priming Gear Attach Braces, etc ( 2 hrs )

Got to go flying Friday AND enjoy annual Christmas potluck lunch at airport...so no building but did make good progress refining Avionics Panel with Stein Air's Nick Millard. Today, back to buffing, cleaning w/ acetone, and priming with Napa 7220.  Got lucky weather was just warm enough to spray outdoors...probably last time until Spring thaw.  Ready to install Landing Gear.  Since "warm" weather, also quickly prepped and primed 2 Flap Pushrods and 2 Stk to Torque Tube Pushrods (ailerons)  - not in pics.

 

Finish Kit

Nose Wheel assembled ( 1 hr )

Assembled Matco Wheel and Axle for Nose Gear.  Prefer the sealed bearings, and bearing pre-loading for this unit vs std included in Van's kit.  Also, the Valve Stem clears supports even with the valve cap on.  The part numbers are shown in the blue sheet in pictures.

Parts list on blue sheet.  

Locking axle installed with pre-load on tapered bearings

Valve Stem side....

Finish Kit

Tires and Wheels  ( 4 hrs )

Trial fit Gear Attachment Braces - some effort required to get bolts to pass through multiple layers at Center Section of Spar.  Now I'm ready to begin mounting Main Gear Legs.    But 1st...a first for me...I assembled 3 inner tubes into tires and mounted on wheel hubs.  Completed 2 Main Wheel assemblies ( kinda fun packing grease into roller bearings) per Steps 1-8 at Sect 40A-03.   Using talc powder per instructions helps slip tubes inside and position correctly.  Multiple partial inflation cycles insures no wrinkles, too.  I did Mains first, since identical to instructions.  Next, I'll assemble the Nosewheel.  I've purchased the Matco Nosewheel & Axle per numerous builder recommendations for better valve stem clearance, and upgraded axle retention (deleted Vans wheel & axle from Finish Kit order).

tube inserted, ready to dissamble wheel

re-assembled and bolts torqued.   Valve stem lines up with
red dot on tire for best balance prior adding weights 

brake disc on inner side

two Main Wheels.  Next Nosewheel...

Matco Wheel and Axle

Finish Kit

Engine Mount and Gear Attachment ( 2 hrs )

Separated on band saw the "heavy" aluminum angles for Gear Attachment per Sect 40A-02 in Step 3 - then ground smooth.   Per supplemental insert to Step 9 at Sect 40A-03, filed clearance for U01404-L & -R Upper Gear Braces due to interference with Seat Rib and Doubler. Required a few iterations to get just right.  Spent lots of time on phone with Vans product support to determine the Engine Mount weldment has 1.675" long tubes (vs 1.375") for upper bolts such that specified AN6-24A bolts are too short.  Vans mailing AN6-26A longer bolts so correct thread engagement.  Their inventory is all correct at 1.375" - so mystery about how mine was welded with incorrect tube length.  Note:  Vans will NOT expedite replacement parts (not their policy)...aarrrgggh !   They also aren't concerned other builders may have completed their build with insufficient thread engagement, believing apparent at assembly.  In another issue, when I couldn't find the Gear Shims, determined they should have been included Gear Shims F14129AB (0.016") and CD (0.025")  -- but missed including in inventory for QB Fuselages (quick build).  In the mail now... double aarrrggghhh !

Upper corner - bolt is too short

Lower bolt....correct bolt length

culprit is wrong tube length in weldment 

sawn to shape, deburred

extra instructions requiring filing clearance prior
to following Step 9.

Finish Kit

Engine Mount ( 3 hrs )

Per Sect 38 - 37, Steps 2-7, and Sect 38, Steps 1-8 installed Guide Plates on Fuselage Rail.  Used silly putty instead of modeling clay - worked fine for Step 3.  Templates are helpful for alignment, too.   Per Sect 40 "Tricycle Landing Gear and Engine Mount", first reamed 6 holes in firewall with 3/8" reamer, then installed Engine Mount.  Three different bolt lengths used...and I re-checked length of top 2 since seemed fewer exposed threads than expected - especially vs the other 4.  All the bolts met length specs.    I'm confirming A-OK with Van's prior to torquing.

silly putty instead of modeling clay worked fine

 

ta dah...  guide plates ready