Status Brantel #72823

Brantel · Post by **Brantel** » Tue May 27, 2008 7:45 am

Finish kit is suppose to ship this week with Partain.... Hope he gets it here quick!

Spent a few hours over the weekend drilling, deburing, dimpling and priming the front deck structure. This took what seemed like forever. I primed it all light grey using my Stewart Systems (AFS) stuff in order to make it easier to see under their when I am upside down under the panel in the future.

I took the hint off Chad's website not to rivet the stub ribs to the center subpanel yet like the directions tell you to. Not sure when to go ahead and rivet this structure to the fuse. I thought it might be nice to wait till I paint the interior but I don't want to paint it too soon and then get in there and mess it all up while working on the canopy.

Should I rivet this all in before working on the canopy?

Post by **bullojm1** » Tue May 27, 2008 8:03 am

Brian-

Looks good! The only thing I riveted together was the F-644 to the center subpanel section using two flush rivets and the F-745's to the side subpanels using two flush rivets so I could move ahead with the canopy frame install. Everything else was clecoed.

Before I mount my engine in the next few weeks, I drilled out the rivets holding the F-745 to the side subpanels. I am going to rivet just the F-745 to the firewall since it would be pretty difficult to do so once the engine is on. I am doing it this way because I know I need to cut the subpanels to accomodate long radios and a map box, but now I don't know exactly where they will go. By just riveting the F-745's to the firewall I give myself a lot of options. If you aren't going to hang an engine anytime soon, my vote is to leave it all clecoed together.

Brantel · Post by **Brantel** » Tue May 27, 2008 8:13 am

Thanks Mike,

Right now I riveted the panel ribs (never remember the numbers) to the side sub panels with the two flush, I did not rivet the stub ribs yet to the center subpanel. The rest are just clecoed at this time.

I am completely leaving out the hat section (#???) because I am going to use pins or bolts instead of the release mechanism. That stuff is just all in the way of my planed panel layout and I just don't think it is worth fooling with. I can suffer for a minute or two to reach up in there and pull a pin if I need to get the canopy off later.

I guess I will wait if you say I can move forward with the panel without riveting these in permanent just yet. I was afraid something will move around and cause problems.

I plan on adding the forward canopy stop brackets/bolts like others have been doing to prevent the struts from pushing the canopy frame forward. This seems like a really good mod.

Post by **bullojm1** » Tue May 27, 2008 8:25 am

Brantel wrote: I plan on adding the forward canopy stop brackets/bolts like others have been doing to prevent the struts from pushing the canopy frame forward. This seems like a really good mod.

I agree it's a good mod, but everyone I have seen do it uses hardware store grade nuts and bolts. I can't see any reason why not to use a simple AN3 nutplate on the angle instead of two nuts on either side

cjensen · Post by **cjensen** » Tue May 27, 2008 8:27 am

I don't think it matters too much either way Brian, as far as riveting the sub-panel in place. I did, and haven't had any need to take anything out or had that thought of "MAN! I wish I hadn't riveted this in already!" The only thing, which you already caught, were the stub ribs. That was a mistake for me.

The stop bolts are a good mod, and very easy to do...

Lookin' GREAT!!!

cjensen · Post by **cjensen** » Tue May 27, 2008 8:30 am

bullojm1 wrote:I can't see any reason why not to use a simple AN3 nutplate on the angle instead of two nuts on either side

I thought about doing just that Mike, but chose the two nuts to "lock" the bolt. I don't have the lock washers installed yet, but plan to. Since the bolt isn't snugged down against anything, it could move if using a nutplate. Those are my thoughts anyway...

Post by **bullojm1** » Tue May 27, 2008 8:37 am

cjensen wrote: I thought about doing just that Mike, but chose the two nuts to "lock" the bolt. I don't have the lock washers installed yet, but plan to. Since the bolt isn't snugged down against anything, it could move if using a nutplate. Those are my thoughts anyway...

Chad-

I thought about that too....My stab at it was going to be to put the nutplate on the aft side of the angle. That way most of the force would be pushing the nutplate towards the angle instead of trying to pull the nutplate out of the angle. It's gonna be a while before I get to that (working on FWF first), so I will let you guys experiment

Brantel · Post by **Brantel** » Thu May 29, 2008 7:26 am

cjensen wrote: With the gascolator mounted in that position (which I assume is to plans), how do you drain it for a water check?

Here is how this guy dealt with it....

weezbad · Post by **weezbad** » Thu May 29, 2008 11:54 am

thats my plan....

Brantel · Post by **Brantel** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 8:08 am

Well,

I sit here waiting on my finish kit that has been sitting at Vans ready to go since the 23rd.

Back when I ordered I decided to use Partain for shipping in order to save over $200 bucks in shipping.

Partain must batch loads in order to be able to exist so I must have hit during a bad time because he has it scheduled to leave Vans on the 13th and then it will take 10-15 days to get here.

My decision to save $200 bucks is costing me another month just for delivery.

At the time I was not sure that I would need the kit by now but now here I sit with no parts.

Sure there are things I can do but I am not really prepared to do the other stuff right now. Most of what I can do require more supplies and that means more money I don't have right now. After scrapping the bottom of the barrel to get the cash for my Instrument rating last summer (ended up totalling about $6500 not counting the King DVD's) and fall, saving for the finish kit and then scraping together the money for the huge shipping bill, the airplane fund is broke. (Ok I also bought a seat foam set from a guy that did'nt use it and they are being covered at Flightline as we speak. I am also buying me some crow harnesses today).

So here I sit drowning in my sorrow as I have no parts.

I am concidering scraping together the money for painting the interior and do that while I wait.

Looking seriously at the Zolatone product. I think I can get by with about $250 for materials and a HF pressure pot gun to shoot it with.

Anyone else use this stuff. A few I have talked to about it realy, realy like it.

weezbad · Post by **weezbad** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 12:00 pm

well if you can get paint for that it sounds worth a try..i bought primer the other day and i spent 455.00$ 1 gal k 38, 1 gal dx 1791 some sand paper and 1 qt kit of dplf 40 (makes 2 qts.enough to do a 2 door car) All with appropriate hardeners. man the paint is gonna really pi$$ me off.

now i just hope it sticks

note : i could probally get by with 1 qt of k38 primer, but more like two. but two qt's cost as much as a gallon. the reducers are where you get smoked.

Post by **bullojm1** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 12:11 pm

Brantel wrote: Looking seriously at the Zolatone product. I think I can get by with about $250 for materials and a HF pressure pot gun to shoot it with.

No offense dude, but you are talking about the airplane fund being broke, but yet you want to spend some big bucks on paint and a gun? Go with old fashion spray paint or get 2 quarts of JetFlex and a Harbor Freight cheap HVLP gun! Either way will be less than $150!

Brantel · Post by **Brantel** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 12:57 pm

bullojm1 wrote:
Brantel wrote: Looking seriously at the Zolatone product. I think I can get by with about $250 for materials and a HF pressure pot gun to shoot it with.
No offense dude, but you are talking about the airplane fund being broke, but yet you want to spend some big bucks on paint and a gun? Go with old fashion spray paint or get 2 quarts of JetFlex and a Harbor Freight cheap HVLP gun! Either way will be less than $150!

Ha! Being as I will never be one of those guys that have all kinds of money for the airplane fund, I must make every buck count but I also do not want to cut corners and end up with a plane that I always wish I had built differently. That being said, certain things are important to me like the look and durability of the interior.

Dude I already have a cheap HVLP gravity feed gun. (works great by the way).

I really like the apearance of the Zolatone and that is why I want to use it.

It is not so much a thing of being broke, as it is on what to do while I am waiting on the finish kit. Painting the interior is an option.

$250 was for gun ($49 bucks), primer, paint and other supplies like good masking tape and paper. Some of which you need for your $150 solution as well so there most likely aint as much difference in the cost as you think. I found out I can get quarts of the Zolatone as well which gets my total down to closer to $200 including the gun to shoot it with.

I am although concidering a less expensive alternative in the Rustoleum Hammered stuff. I just need to find out if I can spray that stuff. The bulk cans say to roll it on which I doubt would look good.

Some say that since you will damage your interior anyway somewhere down the road, why not make it inexpensive and easy to touchup????????

jim_geo · Post by **jim_geo** » Fri Jun 06, 2008 2:25 am

Your coming along so fast, you'll be in the air long before the rest of us. Well at least me probably. I discovered that I made a bunch of metal chips not long after reaching the point you're at. Not really a problem but they all were inside the fuselage and had it been painted they may have crapped it up a bit. Not really pertinent to what I meant to say though. I wanted to show you picture of the Rustoleum job I did recently on my bird. It's regular ol light machine gray and I think it looks pretty good for what it is. If you buy bulk Rustoleum let me give you a heads up. It's thick as honey straight from the can and certainly wont work with any spray equipment that I know of that way. Don't do what I did at first and guess at thinning. Take your paint and add 2 pints per gallon acetone, that gets it pretty close if not right on to sprayable. For good measure I added 1 oz. Japan dryer per quart which I think helped a bunch.

Any touch up later on can be done with a rattle can. Oh by the way, I had to buy two gallons of Rustoleum because our local Home Despot doesn't stock my color in bulk. Two gallons cost me $48.00. Kind of no big deal compaired to what it may have been had I used some other paint. It took less than a quart to spray everything that needed covered inside.

BSwayze · Post by **BSwayze** » Fri Jun 06, 2008 4:18 am

Hey Jim...

I think that looks really nice!

Brantel · Post by **Brantel** » Fri Jun 06, 2008 8:14 am

Thanks for the response Jim. I keep mine vac'd pretty much after each major drilling event so I hope not to do too much damage.

I can get the paint here by the quart so that should help too.

Yours looks great by the way.

As for finishing quicker, maybe if I had all the parts laying here but that ain't the case so it will slow down from here out.

Brantel · Post by **Brantel** » Fri Jun 06, 2008 12:04 pm

Well, After Mike made me come to my senses by being blunt, I decided to go with the Rustoleum Hammered finish for the interior of my plane.

I talked to several people that have done this and all have been favorable and would do it again.

So I bought two quarts of the stuff in bulk from Lowes and some xylol they say to thin it with. (had to buy a gallon of that crap) had a $10 coupon so my total was $30 bucks a Lowes. I doubt I will need two quarts after thinning but I went ahead and got two just in case.

Later I went to the autobody supply store in town an picked up a case of maroon scotch brite (needed to restock), the good high end 3m green masking tape (4 rolls), and went ahead and bought a log of masking paper for now and the future (36"x 400') when I paint the exterior.
Total there was $50 bucks.

So thanks to Mike I am out $80 bucks instead of $250 and will have some supplies left over for the exterior.

Thanks Mike!

weezbad · Post by **weezbad** » Fri Jun 06, 2008 1:06 pm

if you use more than a quart you really over did it. that stuff goes forever.

Post by **bullojm1** » Fri Jun 06, 2008 1:18 pm

Brantel wrote: Well, After Mike made me come to my senses by being blunt...

Brian-

Glad my bluntness could help! In hindsight, I wish I did that sort of finish. JetFlex has been somewhat expensive ($40/qt) and tough to work with.

Brantel · Post by **Brantel** » Fri Jun 06, 2008 1:29 pm

weezbad wrote:if you use more than a quart you really over did it. that stuff goes forever.

Thanks for the heads up. I hate running short on stuff like this so I went ahead and bought two cans. If I don't open it, I'll take it back. Something tells me I may like this stuff and will paint other things around the house with it....