The fuel tanks on the quickbuild are already riveted, sealed, and supposedly pressure leak tested. All that I had to do was install the inner rib access plate that hold the fuel pickup tubes and the fuel quantity sensors. Sounds easy! The fuel pickup tubes were already bent with the tube nut and flare. The resistive fuel sensors, Stewart Warner, had to be put together and tested by using a multimeter. The float wires had to be bent per the drawing and cut to length then installed on the rotator arm of the rheostat. No problem. But the pickup tubes had to be installed with an anti-rotation flanged piece that had to be riveted to the access plate cover. The fuel sensors also had to be mounted on the access plate cover. The cover then is screwed to the inboard rib with a cork seal that must be sealed with fuel tank sealant. The riveted anti-rotation flange rivets must be sealed using the sealant. The AN tubing fitting must be sealed on the inside of the cover plate, and then the cover plate screws and the quantity sensor plate screws must have sealant dabbed onto them before inserting. The riveting was done using a rivet gun and bucking bar due to space limits not allowing a squeezer. The working time of the sealant was only 30 minutes, therefore, all the prep work had to be accomplished before mixing the sealant in the tube applicator. Needless to say that Charlotte and I had to work quickly. I have real respect for the guys that built the entire fuel tank. It's a messy job that calls for real planning before mixing the sealant!
Pickup tube with anti-rotation flange to be riveted.
