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Bills RV-7 Build Site
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Date: 8-11-2014
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Number of Hours: 7.00
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Manual Reference: 8-3, 8.4
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Brief Description: 710-712 bulkheads, longerons
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Today I fabricated the angle and bar stock parts for the 710 and 711 bulkheads. All parts were drilled, deburred and buffed, angle and bar parts primed and then bulkheads 710, 711 and 712 were riveted. This completes all the bulkheads.
Then I moved on to the 718 longerons. These are made from angle stock and run from the firewall all the way back to the tail of the aircraft. They have a curve, bend and twist that have to be applied to them to create the proper shape before installation. I read and reread the instructions for this many times over the weekend.
The first order of business was to mark the angle. I taped the two angles together with one end flush and then marked the meaqsurements on both for the bend, the start and finish of the curve and for the end cut. In between the curve marks I amde a mark every 1 inch.
This done I separated the angle and set up my bench vise on my Workmate and then used Bueller Longeron Dies to form the curve in the longerons. These really worked like a champ and made this very daunting task much easier. The dies squeeze a curve into the angle using the bench vise. You give it a squeeze, avance and inch, give another squeeze, and so on. Much better than pounding away at is using a mallet.
Once then curves were bent I matched the Aft Canopy Deck to the angle and drilled it to the angle for the right side. Then I used the vise, a mallet and an electronic level to introduce the appropriate downward bend. Lastly I used vise-grip pliers to introduce the proper twist in the front of the angle. The right side is complete and the left will be drilled, bent and twisted tomorrow.
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Completed 710, 711 and 712 bulkheads
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Longeron bending dies used to bend curve
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Drilling Aft Canopy Deck to angle
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