Brief Description: Assemble the wheels, tires and gear
I wasn't planning on lifting the fuselage to put the gear on until the cabin top was done. Plans changed with the slow curing of the epoxy/micro filler.
The engine mount will have to wait as I didn’t get the bolts with the finish kit. I forgot to call Vans on the shortage, so now just ordered them from Aircraft Spruce.
Tires completed; gear next.
The rear gear legs are installed, bolted and torqued. The right leg took almost 3 hours, the left only 30 min. I had to remove the seats, seat tracks and closeout panels on the side wall and seat area to access the bolt holes. I also had to break down and purchase an angle drill and 12" 5/16 bit, then cut it down to fit the location to drill the holes. So, I figure it cost me $40 per hole. The good part is I have a new angle drill for the rest of the hard to reach holes.
Brakes and wheel install come next.
Rear wheels and tires are awaiting some Aeroshell 22 grease and a second brake bracket for the final install. Both are on order from Aircraft Spruce and Vans. The front gear is assembled and awaiting grease for the final install. I needed to do a small amount of machining to the front wheel spacers. There was a mismatch in the OD of the spacers and the ID of the grease seals on the bearings. I machined a small groove for the seal to fit in. See the pic below. Brake lines on the rear wheels are in. Aeroshell 22 grease came in today, so I packed the bearings and mounted the wheels.
Right gear with the wheel off still
Front gear and engine mount compressing rubber rings
