Began installing the nutplates for the forward floor. Since the nutplates are not used in a "structural" type of installation, I decided to tap out the nutplates so the screws would not be so difficult to install or remove. It was suggested to me by my buddy and builder par-excellent, Rick. I made up a little fixture to hold the nutplates while I tapped them. Worked like a charm! The nutplate threads are still plenty tight, but the screws go in far easier, hopefully averting a lot of stripped screw heads.
As I prepared to install the nutplates I found that using cleco's to hold the nutplate in place while riveting was not going to work. The cleco is really too tall and will not allow the squeezer to get postitioned to squeeze the rivet. So I cut a short piece of tubing and using a screw I was able to insert the nutplate and put the rivets in the holes. I then took the squeezers and without any interference squeezing the rivets was a piece of cake!!! A real stroke of genius that worked great.