November, 2005 fuselage work

Nov 1 - look over LED options in catalogs  1.0 hr

Nov 2 - put away Wicks order, clean up bench some, planning for LED lighting  0.5 hr

I read an ad in the SportAviation magazine for Dynon's new larger D-100 EFIS.  I called them to see if I could exchange my uninstalled D-10A toward one.  No dice.  They won't even consider it.

Nov 3 - update web site  1.0 hr doc

Nov 4 - Work on top fuselage skin brace kit.  Match drill & cleco more F774 top skin holes.  Remove F632A rollbar brace channel and file F732B angle and F732G spacer so they clear each other.  Ended up needing just a bit more off, then suddenly ended up with too much off.  Quite irritating.  Reinstalled F632A rollbar brace channel and F774 skin.  Update web site  1.5 hr + 1.0 hr doc

Nov 7 - update web site  0.5 hr doc

Nov 9 - The poor fit on the F732G spacer was bugging me, so I cut a flat piece of 1/8" aluminum from angle stock and remade the F732G from scratch.  I then redrilled it the way the first one should have been done - by pushing it into place against the F732B angle, then match drilling it to the skin holes.  The directions had me doing it the opposite way - drill holes in plate first, then match drill skin to it, then try to fit the spacer in there fwd of the F732B angle.  Then I drilled the F774 skin, F732G spacer, and F632A channel to #12.  Countersunk F732G holes.  Clecoed and match drilled more of the F774 skin holes, marking the "done" holes as I went along.  Took it all apart and deburred everything.   Studied rear window and F774 installation instructions in the manual.  It's probably too cold now to attempt anything with the rear window, anway.  2.25 hr

  I've got the F774 aft top skin mostly completely match drilled now.  You can see the marks I put on each hole, so I can tell which holes have and have not been match drilled.

Nov 10 - make mounts for using a halogen house light or an automotive backup light.  2.0 hr

  Here are the 2 version I made of the cabin interior lighting.  I couldn't decide which was better, and it wasn't that much more difficult to just make both mounts.  Either will screw to the nutplates shown in the bottom of the F632A rollbar aft brace.

Nov 12 - drill nutplate holes in F632A.  Dimple F632A nutplates, rivet nutplates.   Prime and paint light mounts.  Rivet nutplates to light mounts.  2.5 hr

  Here are both interior lighting systems, complete, painted, and ready to be installed.  The LT one is from Home Depot, and it's a 20w 12v halogen accent replacement bulb for kitchen lighting.  I fabricated the 2 plates to hold it in place.  It has 2 straight pins on the back.  I will either try attaching a pin socket to them or I'll solder the wires directly to the pins.  The one on the RT is a generic auto parts store backup light.  I think I like the halogen one better, but this way I can use either one.   I still plan to add red LED lighting in there somewhere.  I'll probably make a strip along the side of the F632A for that.

Nov 14 - update web site  0.5 hr doc

Nov 16 - update web site  0.5 hr doc

Well, I didn't get a lot done in November.   I got my Subaru STi upgrade kit finally, so now, it's back to working on the ENGINE.

GO TO JANUARY, 2006 FUSELAGE

BACK TO MY RV BUILDER'S HOME

BACK TO BRIAN'S HOME