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Kupe's Zodiac 650B
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Date:  7-24-2014
Number of Hours:  1.50
Manual Reference:  6-G-3 & 6-C-6
Brief Description:  Landing Gear Nuts and Rear Canopy Skin

In accordance with Zenith's plans, today I replaced the 1/2" castle nuts holding the spring gear on to the fuselage with 1/2" self-locking nuts. Use of the castle nuts requires a hole to be drilled through the steel main gear attach bolt after it's been assembled to the fuselage. I had little confidence in my skill set or tool set to accomplish this task without causing irreparable damage to the part, so I punted and purchased 4 x AN365-820 Nyloc nuts instead (at only $3.50 each). The change out is a simple task, but the location of the bolt and my lack of a 3/4" socket required that I use a crescent wrench at about 1/3 of a revolution per pull. As you can see in image #2, that took a lot of small pulls to travel up all those threads in the main gear mount bolt! But it was an easy task and it's all behind me except for the torquing.

I also finished drilling out the left rear canopy skin to the fuselage. Next, I need to set a rivet line in the rear canopy skins that will actually attach it to the rear canopy bubble itself.
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Original castle nut on a main gear mount bolt. No way I was going to drill a cotter hole in there!

Original castle nut on a main gear mount bolt. No way I was going to drill a cotter hole in there!

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Same mount bolt with the new Nyloc self-locking nut in place.

Same mount bolt with the new Nyloc self-locking nut in place.

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Left rear canopy skin fitted and drilled to the fuselage and rear top skin.

Left rear canopy skin fitted and drilled to the fuselage and rear top skin.

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