Date:May. 12, 2018

Hours:3.9

Brief Description:


VS skeleton done and conduits installed.

For the two bad rivets in the skeleton so I took a 12″ long #40 bit and drilled out the bad rivets and re-set them using the same 3x gun with double offset set.  I drilled the bit through a small block of wood first so I could use the wood as a hand held guide for the bit.  Even with the #40 bit you must be extremely square to the hole or it will wallow out.  I also installed the 5/8″ conduit and conduit stand offs (part #ES-00301) I bought from Vans for the VOR antenna behind the forward spar in the first holes available.  I also intend to put a forward looking camera in the tip of the tail so I ran conduit in the nose ribs as well.  I build another doubler for the front conduit to mount onto the top rib.  This camera conduit does not need to be flush with the top of the top rib as it will have the cavity in the fiberglass tip covering it unlike the conduit servicing the VOR antenna that sits flush ontop of the top rib.  For the flush conduit install I used one of the stand offs modified.  I cut the top of it off to allow it to sit flush with the top of the top rib yet still was able to use a zip tie to hold the conduit tight.  For the installation I pulled the conduit through the 3/4″ hole and allowed the conduit to click through the hole a few rings.  I then installed the zip tie in the modified standoff followed by proseal to give the zip tie/conduit union some integrity.  Once the pro seal was dry I took a sharp razor and cut he top of the conduit flush with the top rib to allow the VOR antenna to sit flat.  The cable and connector will sit inside the conduit perfectly.

 

#40 drill bit held just slightly off of perpendicular to the original hole and this is the result.

Vans conduit on Vans stand off.

 

Wood block used as “guide” when trying to bend the bit to get tighter into the corner of center nose rib to spar connection to drill out two bad rivets.

Conduit in place right before standoff installation and proseal. This conduit “tail” was cut off once the proseal dried.