Brief Description: Installed NACA vent for cabin air (front)
Some builders install the NACA vents with RTV or tank sealant alone. While I will seal the NACA vent with one or the other, I also plan to place a few flush rivets around the circumference of the plastic vent. Because the plastic is too soft for rivets it is necessary to fabricate a metal reinforcement ring to place around the back (inside) of the vent where the rivet shop heads will be formed. The toughest part of this task was to cut the material from the inside of the ring. It was done using a hand nibbler. It is slow but does a good job once the edges are cleaned up by filing, sanding, and/or scotchbriting.
I will seal and rivet the vent a little later (all holes for the rivets have been drilled and dimpled).
