RV-7 N890GF

I added some more epoxy and filler to the tail fiberglass tip fairings, and while that was curing I spent some time wrapping up additional finish items.

I started by marking the wing root fairings for a 3/16th” gap. I marked the fairing with some black sharpie, and then used a 3/8″ bolt to score a small line, resulting in a 3/16th” gap from the side of the fuselage. I then removed the fairings from the wings and used my snips to cut back to this line. I then filed this edge to smooth out the cut. After this I installed the rubber seal that will bridge this gap, and reinstalled the fairing to the wings.

After this I spent some time inside the cabin installing support braces for the panel. Originally, the design has two large ribs that extend from the firewall all the way back to the panel through the sub panel, making the entire structure very rigid when riveted all together. With my panel design however, I removed those ribs between the sub panel and the panel so that I can fit all my avionics. As a result, I needed to fabricate some new supports that I can install between the sub panel and panel so as to not lose any rigidity. I fabricated the supports out of some 3/4″ angle stock, and cut to length so I could use my avionics trays as the anchor point on the panel, and then drilled two holes through the sub panel for a screw to hold the supports.

While I was in the cabin, I finished securing all the wiring below the seat floors and in front of the spar. Additionally I also added rubber edging to the fuel line passthrough holes in the sides of the fuselage so the steel braided hoses won’t rub against the fuselage. I will additional silicone tape around the hoses to make an air tight seal (or at least more of a seal).

I also added the four remaining wing spar bolts. They are AN4-13A bolts that are inserted from the aft side of the center-section spar into some nutplates on the wing spar. These bolts are often missed as they are not part of the larger main bolts that go through the entire assembly. (The paint marker got a little runny)