All of the nut plates are installed on the two side panels. The nut plate jig I’m using is getting old and it is not cleanly spacing the rivet locations, so the nut plate isn’t lining up perfectly. I’m having to redrill many of the holes while installing the plates in order to achieve a flush finish. I am going to order a new and better quality jig before I finish the top panel. I don’t want to screw up that piece. I bought my last set of three nut plate jigs for about $15. The replacement jig is much better quality, but is $45 each. I should have spent the money and got the better tool from the beginning, but live and learn.
I really like the spacing and alignment of the screws on the side panels, and I look forward to finishing the top plate. Once that is finished, I can rivet the bottom frame pieces to the floor panel.
I also really like the way the front panel of the console looks, and that’s important because it’s completely visible and prominent due to the Bell 47 bubble. It has a very clean finish with no screws.
