Brief Description: Remake Sub Panel and supporting structure
While waiting for Vans to return the longer exterior step tubes I went back to the forward fuselage and made a new sub panel (F668) and prepared new forward ribs (F646). Recall they were installed incorrectly on the quickbuild fuselage and required removal and replacement of parts as the original parts had holes drilled in wrong locations when I tried to reposition them correctly. So today was make-new day. Also, the attach angles holding the subpanel to the forward canopy deck (F621A) had to be altered. They are supposed to have a 7 degree forward tilt instead of typical 90 degrees in order to set up the instrument panel forward tilt later. So I drilled them out, laid them inverted over a 1/2 inch drive extension bar and tapped on the upside down V along the length of the angle to spread it. Used a 3lb sledge lightly. Eventually it reached the right amount of spread and I returned them to the F621A and match drilled them to the new sub panel for that 7 degree forward tilt. The sub panels required some cutting to fit properly over the fuselage longerons and those dimensions are in the plans. My width for this sub panel is 40 7/8 inches, so I clamped the two halves together at that width and marked 6 rivet holes along the vertical midline and dirlled them #40 then #30 to join the two halves. Its easier to not rivet those halves together until final installation. Otherwise you really bend them to get into place. Not good to bend them.... Took special effort to be sure the two forward ribs are located 18 inches apart, 9 inches each side of C/L to fit the tip up canopy frame correctly. So, its ready for priming now. So are the two new forward ribs (F46).
New sub panel and ribs fitted in place and drilled.
Angles at 83 degrees for a 7 degree tilt. Panel will now be correctly tilted. Was 90 degrees before.
Nuff said. Parallel ribs will transfer this tilt to the instrument panel now.
