RV-8 build begins... - Page 5

David-aviator · #41 08-26-2012, 01:58 PM

The center section has been assembled and also the seat-floor section just aft of it. The bottom floor skins are primed and curing as this is an area that will collect dust and occasional moisture if the airplane is left out in the rain.

Should be able to rivet the floor skins tomorrow.

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David-aviator · #42 08-31-2012, 06:33 PM

The past 5 days have been spent locating, de-burring and match drilling some of the many parts that go into the fuselage.

The center section spar has been trial cledoed to the forward and aft sections separately and one of these days I suspect it will all be assembled in to one piece. The aft section side skins were worked on today as were all of the side ribs and braces yesterday. The plan is being followed as closely as possible so as not to do anything that needs undoing later. There is a method to the process although I don't always understand the why of it, they generally do have a reason for not doing something now.

I really got hung up with the lower forward longerons, F-843's a couple days ago. I thought I had to build the pieces and could not make any sense whatever of the instructions or #66 drawing so I contacted Vans. Guess what dummy - they are already made and in the kit and just need to be massaged a bit to fit properly.

No wonder the drawing made no sense without dimensions.

PS We got more rain (2 inches) since 8 this morning than we've had for weeks. Isaac is slowly drifting across Missouri and dumping a lot of moisture. it is rather incredible that a weather system can carry so much water for so far. It has rained a lot all the way from New Orleans and is still coming down in buckets this evening.

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David-aviator · #43 09-02-2012, 07:35 PM

....and it looks like a fuselage!

The forward section, center section spar, and seat structure have been clecoed together with side skins attached as per the plan. The whole thing is taking on weight and is solid but not quite airworthy, yet.

Tomorrow it is on to the aft section bulkheads. I have not read ahead but it appears the entire fuselage will be clecoed together for one huge final drill session and then it will be take it all apart, dimple and begin riveting.

I ran out of #30 clecoes yesterday and friend Mike Bradsher came through with a loan of a couple hundred, that should do it as the aft section probably uses mostly the #40 devices.

Slowly but surely, the pile of parts is getting smaller and taking less time to locate. I guess that's is a good sign.

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David-aviator · #44 09-07-2012, 08:57 PM

...and now it begins, the assembly of the aft fuselage.

The past few days have been spent deburring and priming parts from the aft baggage area to the tail wheel. The side skins are ready to go in next and then the bulkheads.

The process has been slowed down a bit on account my wife had spinal surgery this week and I've spent quite a bit of time at the hospital. The problem was arthritis putting pressure on the spinal column causing chronic worsening pain. The fix for it is a "fusion"procedure. We don't understand all the details but basically the arthritis is removed and the disks in the affected area are then held together with vertical pinned metal devices and the area packed with ground up bone material.

So far so good - the original pain is gone. But there will be some discomfort as the 6" incision heals. If all goes well, I will bring her home tomorrow and resume building the airplane with a bit more diligence - but I will also be chief cook and bottle washer for about six weeks.

She is grounded while things heal up.

The doc who did the work is an excellent neurosurgeon. His skill and technical ability is just awesome - makes building an airplane seem like child's play.

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David-aviator · #45 09-09-2012, 07:33 PM

It's difficult to get a decent picture in a small shop area, but after some 5 hours of work all the pieces below the top longerons are in place. There are some holes yet to line up but the skins, bulkheads and ribs are all in place. The toughest most time consuming section was the aft lower skin. It is ready made to go in but it sure took a lot of massaging to get the aft 3 bulkheads and it to fit the side skins and lower longerons. Once it was in place the bottom skin went in relatively easily. Once all of its holes get lined up with the bottom longerons and side skins, the top longerons will be trial fit next.

It sure is a skinny fuselage compared to the RV-7 but will indeed satisfy an aviator's primal instinct to sit on the center line of an airplane.

This is looking aft from the firewall -

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This is looking forward from the tail -

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David-aviator · #46 09-13-2012, 07:08 PM

After some 10 hours of longeron fitting and final drilling this is where the project sits - almost on the floor (as per the plan).

It took about 45 minutes to clean up the aluminum shavings from all the drilling, what a mess it was. Then I rigged up a hoist of sorts with cargo straps from the ceiling and got the fuselage up off the table and down on to some 8x8 blocks for final interior drilling. The aft top skin is beginning to be clecoed on to get the aft end properly aligned before drilling the empannage attach stuff.

Things are moving forward without a serious hitch. It's a good thing I ordered some extra #40 and 30 drill bits a few weeks ago, they do wear out drilling so many holes through the longerons. In a few more days this part should end and the disassemble, de-burr, dimple part will begin before some serious riveting takes place.

I do understand the benefit of a QB fuselage, this work is work but its cost is only time. Maybe there will be a few extra shekels left over for a good engine.

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David-aviator · #47 09-18-2012, 07:02 AM

Seems like it has been "final drilling" for a coon's age but at last I've arrived at a point where the fuselage is being unclecoed. About time.

One very vexing issue was resolved early this morning (seems like problems get solved better early in the morning after some sleep). It was the tail wheel spring weldment not being centered or vertical after a drill with F-812 bulkhead on the bench in accordance with the plan.

The problem did not come to light until the tail wheel weldment and F-812 were clecoed into the aft fuselage and an accurate level line established on the forward attach point, F-811. The original "keeper" holes on the F-812 were not going to do the job as the weldment was not aligned with the level line on 811. So, after looking at the situation and thinking about it for 2 days, it was decided to drill and cleco 2 more "keeper" holes vertically with the thing properly aligned and then redrill the 2 original holes. The end result will be 4 "keeper" rivets instead of 2. The weldment is now indeed straight and properly aligned - it simply would not do to have the tail wheel extending aft not on center line or straight up and down. The image would indicated it still is off to the left a bit but it is centered based on a line coming down across the centered rivets and the lower machining center line hole.

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Lots of holes drilled into the longerons including the side rails and the front seat support hardware. All that is coming out today in the "unclecoing" process.

My wife thought this was the final assembly until I told here you can't fly an airplane held together with clecoes.

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David-aviator · #48 09-25-2012, 07:08 PM

Finally after seven days of un-clecoing, deburring, countersinking, dimpling and priming (some parts), I arrived at "Final Fuselage Assembly", a minor milestone for sure. What goes together now will stay together, no more clecoing.

The lower forward longerons are bolted and riveted to the floor, the gear tower aft braces are attached to the forward side of the spar, and the seat ribs are riveted to the aft side of the spar.

Tomorrow will be work in the aft spar area.

The recent week was not fun, this part is fun, again. The motivating factor beyond all else is not having an airplane to fly so this thing is going together on a daily basis. I do miss flying.

PS After 2+ weeks of daily pain pills, the uncomfortable recovery of my wife's lubar fusion event is beginning to taper off. The surgeon said the first two weeks would be painful and he was right. At this point, the purpose of the procedure seems to have been a success, the original chronic back and leg pain is gone, however she can not bend or lift anything for another 4 weeks so I remain chief cook, bottle washer and laundry specialist.

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David-aviator · #49 10-04-2012, 06:42 PM

....out with the clecoes.

Neighbor Bill Jagust stopped by yesterday with a camera just as I finished riveting together the 812 tail wheel assembly. If I can sit and work, I sit and work.

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It feels good to finally be setting rivets after clecoing the fuselage together twice, once for final drill and again after de-burr, dimple, counter sink and some priming. Tomorrow it will be setting AN3's that can be reached solo, Saturday morning a neighbor is do in to help out with the AN4's with the forward section in the gear towers.

The forward skins are pro-sealed clecoed to the firewall flange.

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David-aviator · #50 10-20-2012, 08:13 PM

After completing the side skin riveting the fuselage was attached to a rotisserie for ease of doing bottom riveting. This particular device was built by Rick Galati for his 8 project and it is indeed a most useful item. It has been floating around the area going from one builder to the next and will be returned to Rick when this is over. His generosity is most appreciated.

The aft end to aft spar flange bottom riveting was completed this week with the help of some friends. Interior arm rests and floor cross braces are riveted in as are the side rails. Next comes the forward bottom skins.

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