Having understood the positioning of the tank, the lower supporting straps were bent into shape - these are fabricated from 1" wide stainless steel strip 0.035" thick. The front of the straps were brazed onto the firewall top cross-member. Tabs 195 and 196 were then welded onto the rear tank support cross member in line with the direction the straps should take across the tank. The rear ends of the straps were folded over and brazed to double the thickness. With the tank in place these will then be match drilled onto the tabs to position the tank exactly. Straps will then be fabricated across the top of the tank. The picture shows the two tank end formers held in place by the straps with the stainless steel covered by rubber strip to protect the tank from damage. Next job was to make a start on the fuselage stringers. These are 1/2" diameter aluminium tubing that will support the fabric. They are secured to the fuselage cross members by brazing semi-circular sections of 5/8" * 0.035" steel tubing to the cross members where the stringers cross. At the front a piece of 3/8" tubing is brazed to the back of the channel at the back of the windscreen and the stringer slots over this. At each junction the stringer was match drilled to the support from underneath and clecoed into position. Eventually, once everything is painted, they will be pop-riveted into place before covering. There are 9 of these stringers to install, including two at the bottom of the fuselage that mount on stand-offs to keep the fabric clear of the control torque rod and elevator and flap push rods. Oh well, that's one done!
