Brief Description: Boot Cowl, Belly Pan - Sta. B to C
Installed Boot Cowl 'Belly Pan' between Stations B and C.
I made a cardboard template for the panel by trimming the cardboard around the pre-fab panel supplied with the kit. Then I fit the cardboard around the shock struts and the fuselage attachments to make sure everything lined up. Stiffer cardboard or thick posterboard would be better than this one-sided stuff I used - but it worked OK.
I am planning to use rubber inner-tube boots around the shock struts, so I will make a small panel to attach the edges of those to this panel. I just needed this one trimmed large enough around the struts to be able to install and remove it easily. I made the radius about 2.25", which leaves about 3/8" to 1/2" on the outboard side of the gear. The gear is in approximately the 'full-down' position now since there is no load on it. So it will move outward some under load. There will also be some outwards adjustment for track width once the plane is fully loaded to gross weight - but for now this is approximate.
I then bent the diagonal creases in the panel by clamping it in my oak bending boards and tapping it with a mallet while bending it down. This worked pretty well and gave some sharp but nicely radiused bends.
Next step was to install the #8 micro nutplates on the tabs welded to the fuselage tubes. These were a little tough because of where they are. Three of them, the ones between the gear attach points and the one between the struts, were the most difficult. I slightly bent the tabs down with a large crescent wrench to drill and debur, then bent them back up to rivet. I used #8 back-markers in the nutplates to mark the panel for drilling. I drilled the holes out to 3/16". Then I mounted it to check the fit - which is pretty good!
