Installed the wings for what I think will be the last time. Thanks to Rick, Tom and Don for the help. It is great to see them on again. Getting the right wing into the center spar was tough. The left one slid right in much easier. The bolts were tough to install. I had to use a combination of tapping them with a hammer, flush set on the rivet gun to get them in. NOTE: the bottom two large bolts on each side need to go in just a little, then add the nut and tighten and push the bolt in a little at a time to avoid hitting the gear leg weldments. I'll have back mine out since I hammmered them all the way home. Ugh.
Finally got everything all prepped for laying fiberglass strips around the windscreen. Double and triple checked a few times to make sure I would not glue my slider canopy to the windscreen permanently. I started by mixing "single serving" doses of epoxy with the black dye. I painted around the entire perimeter of the windscreen where the fiberglass would be laid up on the windscreen with the black epoxy. I started laying 2" strips across the top and down the sides. I laid up four layers across the top and down the sides initially, then began laying up around the front to the sides, overlapping where they met aftward at the rollbar. I laid up all seven of the progressing layers around the windscreen/forward skin, starting with the 1/2", then progressing at 1/4" each time to end up with the final 2" layer. I had to cut the strips and overlap them each layer to get them to lay down nicely, shaping each layer with my fingers. After getting the seven-layer progression done around the windscreen/top skin, I put another two layers across the top to end up with six layers there.
Did more prep work around the windscreen to get closer to fiberglassing the windscreen. I had to put a lot of filler along the lower sides to fill the deep gaps and try and cover the anchor clip rivets. Also cover the windscreen and canopy with plastic to protect it from stray epoxy. Some sanding and perhaps one more session with micro balloons and I should be ready to lay up the fiberglass.
I finished installing all the windscreen anchor clips across the front of the windscreen. I heated the windscreen again nice and hot with my patio heaters. It got pretty darn hot. I expect a good bit of stress in the windscreen has been relieved. Next up, fiberglass!
My good friend Steve "volunteered" to help me install the clips on the windscreen along the sides. I could have cut the windscreen lower and avoided having to use so many. It took a lot of pressure to push the sides of the windscreen in so I used five clips on each side to spread the load. I used my patio heaters to heat the windscreen up nice and hot for a couple of hours to help relieve stress in the windscreen.
Pam helped me rivet the top forward skin on. After a few sessions, we finished all but for rivets that are hard to get to, so I will use a pulled rivet in those places.
Installed the tail light and strobe wiring through the fuse aft bulkhead and got it working. I choose to route the wiring through a hole located in the center of the aft bulkhead between the two bolts located on the lower rudder bracket, drilling a 1/4" hole through the center of the tie down bracket.
Prepped W-925A flap hinge brackets & fabricated the W-925B & C's
Today I prepped the W-925A flap hinge brackets & the W-925B & C's. I went ahead and made the 925B & C -R's for the right wing because you need one set of R's for the left wing.
This afternoon I constructed the wing cradle. Almost time to use it. Materials list: 2 ea. 2x4x8', 1 ea. 2x6x8, 1 ea. 1/2"x4'x4' BC plywood, 1 ea. 2x4x10'. Still need to find some carpet and foam padding. This was actually pretty easy to build and didn't require a lot of time.
