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Jeff & Jackie's RV-8 Project
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Date: 4-26-2008
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Number of Hours: 0.00
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Manual Reference: n/a
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Brief Description: Tom Clark fastback - top skin (2)
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We cleco'd the right-hand side of the top skin back onto the fuselage and it was here that we had a big fright; the forward left side corner was almost an inch and a half aft and low! How on earth did that happen? What had we done wrong? After much head scratching, measuring, thinking and, ok, there was some swearing in there too, we made a choice; get on with it. Two worst case scenarios if it didn't work out:- 1) needing to purchase a new sheet and try again, or 2) remove the Tom Clark bulkheads and revert back to the Vans design.
We then found that by tightening the tiedowns and working the skin towards the correct position we could get to within 1/8" or so. We decided to mark where the forward hole *should* be, drilled it and then 'worked' a cleco into the corresponding longeron hole. We re-checked our center line inside and then used the same method to mark the aft hole line and match-drill the left-side holes using Vans skin as a template.
After drilling we cleco'd the skin back onto the fuselage, which went surprisingly easily, working both sides equally aft to forward. On the whole it doesn't fit too badly. We do have some bowing of the skin at the front right side but we think that will work out as we drill and cleco the bulkheads working from the longerons upwards. We may have to shim a little as we work towards the top, but we'll see.
Interestingly enough, on *both* sides the line of holes is not parallel to the edge of skin as cut per the instructions. Both sides are the same as the Vans skin on the forward end but are narrower at the aft end, which means we shall need to trim the skin to fit when we take it off. Basically, it is narrower at the aft end that the instructions indicate. Of course, had we followed the instructions to the letter we would simply have matched the Vans skin and the new skin edges and drilled the holes in completely the wrong place. Perhaps the instructions need updating for the new pre-punched fuselage, as this is not the first difference we have encountered...
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