RivetBangers.com

Its been a while since lots of use have given project updates. Lets hear them.

YEP! First, I spent this last weekend bringing my wings BACK home, so I can fit them to the fuse here in a couple of weeks. Remember, these were hanging on my friend Jack's walls at his airport...





I have the seat pans and baggage floors temporarily in place (still deciding on the under floor storage).



I've riveted the side rails in place-



Cleco'd the top rear skin in place over the J stringers-



Oh, and I bought a new air compressor! THE air compressor of choice...



Who's next!!??

Spike wrote:Its been a while since lots of use have given project updates. Lets hear them.

Framing on my shop is on track to be finished by Saturday this week!

Wing waiting on bottom skins, skins completely ready to put on. Having a bottom skin riveting party with a few other builders on Saturday 6/30/07. Hope we can knock these out in one big swoop!

The ailerons are in progress and I should finish them this weekend. The flaps are after that but I expect to get them out of the way by the riveting party because the wife and kids are going out of town next week leaving me with complete freedom to work on the plane.

The fuse is scheduled to ship on 7/23 so it won't be long till I am following Chad and Brad (that rymes) again!

Just finished flaps. Started push rods/tubes by cutting to length. Vacation for the next week (pina coladas in Cancun!), then back at it.

Need to finish rigging/pitot plumbing, as well as the pito mast, and then the bottom skins go on.

Not ordering Fuse kit until I figure out where the he** we are going to be living 2 months from now

Joe


PS Chad--I've got that same compressor...it rocks, you'll be happy with it.

Finishing up on fitting my fiberglass to the empenage bits. I'll finish the glass later in the building process. I'll take a pic hopefully this weekend. Empenage is done for all practical purposes!

We are getting close to being able to go boating. About one more good evening or a weekend day and we will be able to flip the canoe. Looks like it will be next week at this point as Luke is acting as a staff leader for a mission group called Hope for the Heartland this weekend.

Here is a photo of the outside as it sits now.



and here is one of the inside just for kicks.

I am completing the wiring of my RV-6A Panel and the airplane. I have the Intercom, Bus Bar, Key Switch, ICOM Radio, Transponder, panel lights, fuel pump, primer relay, Grand Rapids, and encoder all wired and working. I won't be able to fully test the transponder until it is flying. I am now wiring up the Dynon D-10 and that will complete my wiring. I will have to bundle some wires and group others. I hope to be done with that next week.

I need to attach my spinner, oil cooler, connect heat muffs to heat boxes, and make the wing fairings. I also need to fiberglass the windshield in place permantly. I will probably make my geal leg and wheel pant interfaces before start moving it to the airport. Then I will move it to the airport and start the final installation of the wings.

I haven't been doing much work on the -8 lately ... a little deburring here and there, and lots of internet research to plan the interior, etc.

I did fly out today in the 170 with Stu to a local old timer's grass strip. This guy has 4 (yeah - four) HUGE hangars - like FBO size - on his farm and they are FULL of airplanes and airplane stuff. A Waco, straight tail 172, Waco in parts, couple of Aeronca's, C-120, Stinson gull wing, and more. He is just an old salt of the earth guy who has been collecting "stuff" for 50+ years. It was one of the coolest places I've seen - my dream home!

T.

I have been slowly framing out the fuselage and am close to taking it apart to prime it.

In the meanwhile, I have been finishing the interior of the hangar.

My goal for the end of the summer is to have the hangar insulated and heated. Also, I plan on having the fuselage riveted together.

The hangar is slowing the airplane project down but, I need to get it done. Otherwise, I will not have someplace nice to keep the plane.

Time well spent, I think.

CJ

I just hung the firewall. My wife, Lynne, is helping match-drill.

Deburring Ailerons!

Still doing more work on my shop than anything else, but did put a few rivets in the VS in the last few days. I broke down last weekend and bought an air conditioner for the garage, have to finish putting that in. With only a few hours a week to put in on the actual project it is very slow.

If you get the shop right it will help a lot later. I know once I got mine more organized and heat and air in it I got more done.

CJ, you're right the hangar is a needed item at some point. Probably better ot get it done now rather than later. I think I will be able to get one without to much trouble, at least I hope so.

Finally! Done with the empenage!! Will be ordering the wings at OSH next month. Sorry... it's a BIG picture.

Spike if it annoys you I'll scale it down.

Scott, that looks real nice! You even have the fiberglass done. I am saving all of my glass work until the end or close to it. I'll probably regret it but we'll see.

Nice job!

Nah... fiberglass is only mostly done. Just clecoed on. I'm saving it for later too.

Finished the new workspace late Tuesday night, RV7 QB arrived Wednesday morning. Currently inventorying all the fiddly bits. That counts as building, right?

Good timing John! The new workspace looks very nice. What finish is on the floor? It looks great!

And yes inventory is part of the building process.

That finish on the floor is actually snap-together plastic tiles from Home Despot, Traffic Master brand. I needed about 300 of them. There are other, better ones, but not cheaper, or more readily available. They come in charcoal and gray. I went for the darker ones to make spilled chips and rivets more easily visible.

There are one-piece PVC mats available, but pvc in this situation is bad, since pvc slowly outgasses VOC's. With that much surface area, it becomes a factor.. The floor tiles are polypropylene.

google Swisstrax or 'garage tiles' for more info on other brands.