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Date:  2-4-2006
Number of Hours:  3.00
Manual Reference:  
Brief Description:  Closed out Left Tank

This morning I went to our EAA Chapter 690 pancake breakfast, where I saw Jamie Painter, who is in the last stages of his RV-7A. He said he would lend me the fittings to pressure test my fuel tank. I went to his home after the breakfast and saw his project. The construction is flawless. He is doing a beautiful job. While I was there, Jamie loaned me the fittings and sold me an extra tube of fuel lube.Jim Anderson came over to help me close out my left fuel tank. His wife, Cathy, made us some wonderful ham sandwiches for lunch. After the yummy sandwiches, we hit the basement. We used Jim's ohm meter to set up the fuel level sender. A few bends of the float rod and we were right on the money. Then we mixed 5 oz. of proseal for the large job ahead.First, we cleaned all of the surfaces with MEK and then we slathered the proseal on the top and bottom skins where the rear fuel tank baffle was going to sit. Then we put a thin coat of proseal on the rear tank ribs, as per the plans. The rear baffle clecoed on easily and we set the top and bottom baffle to tank rib holes with sealed pull rivets. Then we set rivets for the baffle to top and bottom tank skin joint with the pneumatic rivet squeezer. Every hole had a cleco in it and it was tedius work. Thank goodness Jim was there, or I might not have made it. Last, we set the tank brackets to the rear baffle and ribs with more pull rivets. I used my pneumatic pop rivet gun, which worked like a charm. Last, we set the solid rivets for the end ribs with a hand squeezer (the pneumatic squeezer refuses to set 1/8" rivets lately). Cleanup took well over an hour because I had to clean over 60 clecoes. The closed in tank looks great. Now, all I have to do is screw on the tank access plate, wait a few days for the proseal to cure, and then pressure test the tank. I will use the fittings that Jamie Painter loaned me.
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Left fuel tank closed up.

Left fuel tank closed up.

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