The fuselage is basically complete ready for painting and covering, but I've never had all the components installed at the same time and I need to ensure that all the mountings are drilled to final size and that where necessary nutplates or clinch nuts are installed. There is also a logical order of build that I need to understand such that the various components can be installed without having to remove others. I'll develop this on a separate page on the blog. For the test build, I'm going to put the aircraft together starting with the firewall and working rearwards so today I started by deburring the firewall, dimpling the holes where it screws to the fuselage and the holes round the edges and bottom where it will
rivet to the side cheeks and underfloor panel. The holes in the mount tabs on the fuselage were drilled to final size and countersunk for #6 stainless steel screws and the firewall screwed into position. Next the underfloor panel was dimpled where it rivets to the firewall and where it screws to the fuselage. Cut outs were made to clear the stub struts which were not there when the panel was originally made. It was then mounted in position. Holes were drilled in the panel for the brake pipe connections. Next, two supports were fabricated out of 0.063" thick 4130 steel plate and drilled to take the fuel tank breather outlet and the transponder antenna These were welded onto the lower cross member at station 18 with their bottoms lying flush against the underfloor panel. Matching holes were then drilled in the underfloor panel. Last job today was to install the left cheek panel which also needed cutting out round the stub strut. Tomorrow, after the right cheek, it's installation of nutplates to mount the main windscreen.
I think it's probably going to take 10 or so days to get the fuselage fully built but at that point it should be ready for painting (after it's all been taken apart again!).
The fuselage is basically complete ready for painting and covering, but I've never had all the components installed at the same time and I need to ensure that all the mountings are drilled to final size and that where necessary nutplates or clinch nuts are installed. There is also a logical order of build that I need to understand such that the various components can be installed without having to remove others. I'll develop this on a separate page on the blog. For the test build, I'm going to put the aircraft together starting with the firewall and working rearwards so today I started by deburring the firewall, dimpling the holes where it screws to the fuselage and the holes round the edges and bottom where it will 
rivet to the side cheeks and underfloor panel. The holes in the mount tabs on the fuselage were drilled to final size and countersunk for #6 stainless steel screws and the firewall screwed into position. Next the underfloor panel was dimpled where it rivets to the firewall and where it screws to the fuselage. Cut outs were made to clear the stub struts which were not there when the panel was originally made. It was then mounted in position. Holes were drilled in the panel for the brake pipe connections. Next, two supports were fabricated out of 0.063" thick 4130 steel plate and drilled to take the fuel tank breather outlet and the transponder antenna These were welded onto the lower cross member at station 18 with their bottoms lying flush against the underfloor panel. Matching holes were then drilled in the underfloor panel. Last job today was to install the left cheek panel which also needed cutting out round the stub strut. Tomorrow, after the right cheek, it's installation of nutplates to mount the main windscreen. 
I think it's probably going to take 10 or so days to get the fuselage fully built but at that point it should be ready for painting (after it's all been taken apart again!).
