One problem I had here was the fuselage ended up a bit too wide at the fuselage location of the roll over bar. This width is determined by the center section (the top of the 804's). I assumed that since all the pieces are pre-punched/jig drilled there wasn't any adjustment to be had here. Not quite true. There is a little "slop" in these pieces and Van's told me it is possible to slightly change the dimension of the top of the 804's by putting the assembly in a little bit of tension one way of the other when you rivet it together. Unfortunately, nowhere on the plans is there a dimension given for the width at the top of the 804's (at least I couldn't find it and the people I talked to at Van's couldn't either). This wasn't a killer, but I did have to do a bit more shimming, adjusting and stretching here (roll over bar had to be stretched, sides of the instrument panel had to be shimmed, etc.) than would have been necessary had the fuselage come out a little narrower. I understand this is a fairly common problem.
So, what to do about it? Only things I can suggest is try to squeeze a dimension out of Van's or, failing that, try to find someone with a completed 8 who says his came out "just right", measure it and try to hit that dimension.
John Miller
