One thing I have discovered after several years of building is often the part you believe will be easy is not so easy! After a quick look at the instructions and plans, I anticipated an hour or so would be needed to fabricate and fit the F-996Bs and Cs. I am now at least 16 hours into this and really not close to completing them.
If I build them according to DWG 38, they can't go together the way I intuitively believe they should fit. From the outboard: F-970 skin, F-996B spacer snugged between the lower and aux longerons, F-9101 gear attach web tight to the longerons. The F-996C reinforcement angle would fit perfectly over the spacer with the F-9101 between them.
I emailed Vans and the response I got only confused me more. The plans show 6 holes 7/16" from the fwd edge on the outboard face of F-996C. The instructions say to draw a centerline on the outboard face and use this to locate the lowest of the 6 holes, making this hole center 3/8" from the fwd edge and not in line with the other holes. Vans told me the holes should be 5/16" from the fwd edge. Only one of these three can be right.
If I make the spacer to the dimensions shown on the plans it cannot be moved forward enough to sit under the reinforcement angle. I made a spacer 1/8" shorter. It fits, but this can't be right?? Further, centering the holes for spacer and reinforcement angle according to DWG 38 guarantees the two pieces will not perfectly line up.
I must be seeing this wrong since many others have done this easily. Any help appreciated.
If I build them according to DWG 38, they can't go together the way I intuitively believe they should fit. From the outboard: F-970 skin, F-996B spacer snugged between the lower and aux longerons, F-9101 gear attach web tight to the longerons. The F-996C reinforcement angle would fit perfectly over the spacer with the F-9101 between them.
I emailed Vans and the response I got only confused me more. The plans show 6 holes 7/16" from the fwd edge on the outboard face of F-996C. The instructions say to draw a centerline on the outboard face and use this to locate the lowest of the 6 holes, making this hole center 3/8" from the fwd edge and not in line with the other holes. Vans told me the holes should be 5/16" from the fwd edge. Only one of these three can be right.
If I make the spacer to the dimensions shown on the plans it cannot be moved forward enough to sit under the reinforcement angle. I made a spacer 1/8" shorter. It fits, but this can't be right?? Further, centering the holes for spacer and reinforcement angle according to DWG 38 guarantees the two pieces will not perfectly line up.
I must be seeing this wrong since many others have done this easily. Any help appreciated.