9/02/2007 - 1 Hour
Finished up the rear spar of the left wing. No pics.

9/03/2007 -  0.75 Hours
Cleaned up shop and got the parts ready for attaching the skins to the skeleton. Started working on the doublers for the top inboard skins that will reinforce the walk area when I someday get to walk on my wing to enter the cockpit! Cool thought eh?!! No pics.

9/04/2007 - 2.5 Hours
Finished cutting both doublers to 26"x9 3/8" . Mated them to the proper main skins and drilled away. After that I put the both main skins and the doubler plate onto the skeleton. My right hand is wasted now from the cleco tool. Oh and by the way... I do have a pneumatic cleco tool but it has it's disadvantages too... it's just easy if not easier to use the hand cleco tool. I will explain someday on the tools page.

Here are the pics. The top two are the doubler plates for the walk area. The bottom two show the skins on the right wing skeleton. I don't know about you but I think this is cool as heck!



9/05/2007 - 3 Hours
I spent about an hour (not counted above) going over my leveling situation. I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong and I didn't understand why other builders were getting so meticulous about leveling the wings while in the stands. I figure if the top is level and you use the fishing line method from Van's then that should be all you need to do. The skins will pull everything into line. I called Chad (forgot he was on vacation in the Bahamas - stupid brain) and he said I was right on with my thinking. With that pressure relieved I moved ahead with constructing the outboard leading edge of the right wing and also hanging the bottom skins on the right wing as well. I will get the bottom skins drilled and removed so that I can use the clecos elsewhere as I have a limited supply.

The leading edge was hard to do at first. I figured out the best way was to put the bottom side, most forward cleco in first then move around to the top and put them all in starting at the most forward position. Van's has you start on the top forward and work back then do the bottom. This took me about 20 minutes Van's way for the first 2 then the last 3 went in about 10 minutes my way.

Thanks again to Chad Jensen. He gave me one of his leading edge cradles earlier this year!


9/07/2007 - 3 Hours
Drilled the left wing top skins. Also drew the intersecting lines from the bottom main skins on the right wing onto the leading edge in preparation for opening up the hole for the tie-down. Ordered another 150 cleco's as I am now out!



9/10/2007 - 4 Hours
Nothing exciting to report.  I final drilled the bottom skins on the left wing. I then put together the left leading edge and cleco'd to the left wing skeleton. After that, I cleco'd the right leading edge onto the skeleton as well. I extended the lines from the bottom left wing skins onto the leading edge to intersect at the tie-down hole. Removed bottom skins. In all, I think I installed, moved or removed over 400 cleco's today! Not much fun but better than deburring!

9/13/2007 - 1.5 Hours
Worked on both leading edges today. Fitted the inboard most rib and installed the metal strip that will be used with the tank once it's assembled. Here's how it went:


Draw the 1/2" line from the edge, prebend and then start working it in from the top.

Wrapped tape around a screwdriver to help me figure out if the rib was lined up with the edge of the skin or not. This worked out great.

Finished product! The last pic is from the inside showing the holes and how far the are away from the spar web.

9/14/2007 - 4 Hours
Match drilled both leading edges. I think I moved or placed some 500+ cleco's today! What a pain.
Started working on the fuel tanks. I cleco'd the tanks together with the baffles. Nothing hard there. Next I got the Z brackets out and started making my marks on where to drill the center hole. (I am using the Dan Checkoway method - not Vans). Not sure why I was so stupid in drilling today. But let's just say that I will be ordering 5 new Z brackets! Everytime I went to drill, even after center punching, the bit would move just enough to be too close to the web of the bracket. I found out later that I had two problems. 1 was I didn't clamp anything down and 2 the cheap drill bit I used was not quite round.. it was sligthly bent at the tip. Nice Eh. Oh well these parts are cheap at $1.60 each.

Drilled the holes for the Tie downs. I don't have these yet but here's a pic of a 3/16" bolt screwed in:

Right tank cleco'd together:

Ok so I have like 450+ 3/32" clecos. Vans says I only need 300 (I think) so then why do I only have 1 left?

Z Brackets in place on the right wing. Bolted down and ready for drilling from the underside of the spar.
 

To end the day ... I ordered a bunch of stuff from Van's:
3/16' clecos
Tank Sealant
AN3-4A Bolts and AN365-1032 Nuts
7 T-712 Z Brackets
2 Tie-downs
2 Flop Tubes

Also waiting on the Pitot static and AoA plumbing kit from SafeAir1.

10/15/2007 - 1.5 Hours
SafeAir1 products arrive. Back drilled the Z brackets on the right wing from behind the spar. So all of them now have 3 holes each for the AN3-4 bolts. Then I took 3 K1000-3 plate-nuts and tapped them so the bolts would go in easy and mated them via bolt to the Z bracket. Made them straight as possible visually then clamped the bracket to a board on the side of my workbench. I drilled one hole in each platenut, then cleco'd the open hole. Then went back and drilled the remaining three holes. Next up was to take it apart, debur and then do it all over again on the next one. After all was done, I managed to get one countersunk before my tv show came on. Here's some pics:



10/16/2007 - 1 Hour
Countersunk the rest of the Z brackets and riveted the platenuts. Also countersunk the holes for the inboard Z bracket. No pics.

10/18/2007 - 1.5 Hours
Riveted the platenuts on the spar for the inboard Z bracket then bolted it to the spar. Next up was installing the tank to the wing. Cleco'd it on the spar and then took the 12" #30 bit and drilled the inboard rib/baffle/bracket holes. Messed up on one somehow so I drilled 2 on either side of the dorked up hole and pressed on. Next, removed the outboard leading edge then drilled the outboard tank rib/baffle/bracket holes. Removed the cleco's holding the outboard ribs and baffle and removed the leading edge of the tank. What is left is the baffle and inboard/outboard most ribs. Drilled the holes of the baffle to the remaining Z brackets. All in all it turned out very nice except on mis-drilled hole on the inboard Z. Gap between the outboard leading edge and the tank is super small!

Z brackets installed, tank fitted and rib holes drilled:

Gap between leading edge and tank:
 
Just the baffle and 2 ribs remain:


10/19-20/2007 - 5 Hours
Did the same as above except to the left wing.

Check this gap out... extremely small!

Finished up by cleaning the garage and putting the tools away. I won't be touching this beast until at least the 29th as I am going to Hawaii!!