Brief Description: Main Landing Gear, Aborted Floorboards
I began the day working on the main gear again. I was still a bit unclear about the proper mounting of the Matco brakes and was not feeling like reading the manual. I was thinking about calling Pete but figured he would be getting ready to go to Triple Tree so I didn't want to bother him. About this time, Ginger got a text from Kecia asking if she and Pete could come by and check out the plane. Heck yeah! Pete and I got the brakes mounted, and added a bit of additional clearance between the U-810 wheel pant bracket and the brake caliper. We got everything bolted up and then mounted the wheels. We used a 12" #30 drill to "dimple" in between the threads. The manual states that you should centerpunch the dimple, remove the nut, and then drill the holes. I have heard from several sources that using a punch increases the chances of damaging the threads. I think it was Tony Spicer that suggested using the 12" drill. It worked like a charm. Pete and I then used the handle from my floor jack to simulate the landing gear and check the clearance to the fuselage. Pete marked where to remove material and I used the dremel to enlarge the cutout. We then decided to fabricate the floorboards I wanted. I had purchased some sheet aluminum and Sun N Fun this year to use for this purpose. Pete and I constructed a template from cardboard and then cut the pilot side floorboard. It dropped right into place. We decided to mount two pieces of angle with platenuts to the center ribs to hold the floorboards down. I grabbed the foam boards that Abby from Flightline Interiors sent with my carpet set. The floorboard then did not fit as well as the foam is tall and dense. We decided that we didn't really need floorboards as Abby has it covered with the foam boards and carpet. Although we didn't use the foorboards, it was educational.
