Brief Description: One way gas tank door fabrication.
These little guys actually took a while to make. They are installed in the gas tank on the second rib from the inboard side. The idea is that while doing aerobatic manuvers these doors will stop fuel from flowing out of the inboad fuel bay where the fuel pick up tubes are located. These one way doors allow fuel into the fuel pickup bay but not out.
Image 1 shows how I cut the hinge to get both left and right hinges using the least amount of hinge. The red pen marks the right side and the blue pen marks the left side. The pointed end is bent up providing a door stop. This pointed end must span 2 links with out a hinge. This is important. Look close at image 1. If you draw this cut pattern off by one link it will not work.
Image 2 shows the hinge cut up and debured.
Image 3 shows it all put together. I designed the top hinge to be longer so that I don't have to put a rivet through the rib bump out.
The door is riveted to the hinge using small, #3, counter sunk rivets. The hinge is riveted to the rib with larger, #4, universal rivets.
The bummer about this handy work is that once the tank is sealed it will be inside the tank and never, ever be seen again. Will be out of site for ever.
To get the door to lay flat I had to bend the ilets up slightley off the rib on the top hinge. Doors lay perfectly flat.
