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Leading Edge Assembly

This is not uncommon, many builders have had this problem to some degree. Make sure the rib flanges are bent to the proper point, they are likely pushing the skin outward and creating part of the problem. On my leading edges, the preformed bend was not bent enough at the factory, and I had to tweak it just a little bit more to get it to fit nicely.
 
Run a scotchbrite wheel across the front of the ribs to smooth out the nose of the leading edge. This will help a lot.
Once you match drill and dimple the fit will get better. After it all gets riveted it will pull together with no gap to the wing skins at the spar.
 
Smoothing the flanges

You may find that smoothing the flanges of the little fingers at the leading edge of the nose ribs will help. It will also prevent the outward dents that I (and other) builders have on the leading edge skins where the curvature of the rib forming is rather bumpy.
 
Even after I made sure all the flanges were 90 and took the corners off the flanges at the top I still had a small gap on the bottom side of the wing.
-david
 
Blue Plastic

....and if the blue plastic is on the inside of the leading edge skins you will be amazed how much better it fits with it removed.
 
I saw a similar gap between the main skins and LE skin. To make sure it wasn't due to poor fit from the ribs, etc, I simply clecoed on the LE skin without the ribs and still had the same, small gap. I can't see the wing right now, but I think the gap I ended up with was similiar to your quoted 0.025" value. By the way, your photo on the right seems to show the upper skin not aligned with the rivet holes in the spar.

Correction: I guess my memory's even worse than I thought. My bottom skins aren't riveted on, but on the top of the wing, which is riveted, the gap between the LE and main skin, and between the tank and main skin is less than 0.010" all along the span, except for a couple of spots here and there between rivets where a 0.010 feeler gauge made it all the way in to the spar. I think I remember that gap being larger before I riveted the skins (?)

I agree with the earlier comments about removing the blue stuff from the inside of the LE and smoothing the bumps at the edges of the flanges on the LE ribs; both suggestions make the fit much better and the assembly much easier.

John
 
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I see in the one piuc of yours the leading edge skin is out of alignment a bit as the other builder has noted. Mine pulled in really tight once I started riveting it all together and the ribs were riveted to the spar.
 
how did you make out with this j.moura?
i see the same thing but also see a fairly significant gap between the nose of the rib and skin? should that be there? almost seems the skins isn't the correct profile to match.
anyway, just thought i'd ask. i'm taking it apart now anyway to see if i can get a better fit.
 
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