Bad Instructions
Rick,
This is one place where Van's blew it. If you want to install (and remove) the controls as an assembly, you must cut the "door" on four seat ribs, two on either side of center. Just two doesn't provide clearance.
You will be in and out of the fuse, and lying on your back across the spar, head under panel, a LOT. Keeping the controls out of the way until final rigging is being kind to your anatomy. Also, wire routing is easier with the controls removed.
It's immensely easier to assemble all the washers/bolts/bearings, including the tabs for the roll trim wire, on the bench, then hunched over in the dark bowels of the center section, blindly groping to cram in spacer washers. Two tricks (besides needing the extra two doors): You'll need to temporarily position the weldment and mounts to determine the need and placement of spacer washers about the mount bearings to accommodate your particular weldment, then adjust the center pushrod length (can be done on the bench) to get the sticks parallel. Second trick: install all rod eyes. It's a trivial exercise to simply screw pushrods onto a dangling rod eye than fitting the eye/pushrod/washers/screw with the column installed.
Recognize also, there's an order to installing the bolts, because the weldment blocks access for the bolts penetrating the mount bearings.
John Siebold
