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N674P

Well Known Member
Due to finances, I will not be able to order a fuselage before the end of the year - probably not till next Dec. So for the next year, how far can I go?

Can I prep and paint the tail and wings through final topcoat? Any cons to consider?

I wasn't planning on riveting the bottom skins on the wings till much later, but will if I have nothing to do but paint. I haven't put a lot of thought into what I must do before closing, and seek advice:
This 9A will be pretty much as basic as I can make it with an O-320, fixed pitch, EFIS and GPS. I want lighting for day/night VFR (in tips only), AOA, and the possibility of wing leveler or auto pilot. What should be installed before close?
I thank you in advance and appreciate all the input I get from these forums.
 
Unless you're really good at touch-up work -- or unbelievably careful -- I wouldn't paint now. You'll have a lot of fitting to do with the wings and emp on the fuselage. They'll go on and off a few times, probably and there's a pretty good chance that a nice paint job will get dinged up.

So what CAN you do? Have you done the fiberglass work on the tips? A lot of folks wait until later for that but you could probably do it now and that'll keep you busy.
 
Painting now would be a bad idea. One thing that will take considerable time is planning out your panel and preparing a wiring diagram.
 
Servo

If you can afford a roll servo, if you decide to go that route, install it in the wing before you close it up. It can be done later thru the inspection plate, but it's alot easier this way. Hope this helps.
 
Just run some conduit and decide where you're going to put your pitot. Once you've done that, everything else can pretty easily be done later. I've waited to do my bottom skins for a long time (waiting for the right time to recruit a good helper). I wish I had just finished them up a long time ago. My vote would be starting on the fiberglass as mentioned above.
 
Painting the wings

I differ a bit on the painting. I painted everything before final assembly (yes, I did install the wings once unpainted.) It was about six months between painting the wings and tail and painting the fuse. I had absolutely no scratches and was pleased with my decision to go ahead with paint. I believe painting before assembly was right--for me, anyway. I had a corner in a hangar for the wings and I brought the tail home for a few months (I had them painted at an auto body shop.) You DO need someplace to store them where they will be safe, but it is doable. I would think you would be less hurried if you are going to do the painting and that is a good thing. Not being a painter, I just couldn't see myself sanding off $400/gal paint, so I had it done. Metal prep and base coat painting cost $1750 plus paint. I did the fiberglass prep and used vinyl for the 2nd and 3rd colors.

I would suggest mounting an AP servo before closing. Most AP companies will sell the servo, saving the big expense of the head to a later date. It is in their best interest; they know you will be back. I think that is what we did with Trio AP but I could be wrong.

Bob Kelly
 
Same here. Completely painted mine in pieces before taking to the airport for final assy. I ended up with a couple of small dings, but nothing that would have changed my plan based on what was good for me. If I were you, I'd definitely think about painting while you waited on more parts. It'll give you a fair amount of time to practice and get your painting skills top notch.
 
When it comes time to fit the wings and tail to the fuse for the first time, you'll probably be doing a fair amount of fiberglass work on the wingroot and emp fairings to get them to fit right. To do this right without messing up a paint job would be pretty tough.
 
You will also have to install nut-plates at the wing root for the wing/fuselage fairings. If your wings are already painted, you will be drilling/deburring/dimpling your freshly painted surfaces. I would wait. I painted before final assembly but had all the initial assembly and fitting done. Still got some minor scratches...

Karl
 
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