A lot of work done on this snowy Sunday as I'm scrambling to get the last few pieces of the left elevator prepped and primed so that I can remove the paint booth to make way for the crates of the wing kit which arrives tomorrow! Fresh back and still jet-lagged from my trip to Europe last week, I really didn't feel like working on the project today but I had no choice. So first thing was to get the garage warmed up. A few hours with the space heaters going got it up to a comfortable 60F which is doable. First step was to figure out where I left off and get my newly arrived replacement parts prepped and ready. I had to order a new end rib, new counterweight and a new rear spar, all of which I had messed up previously. As far as drilling the new counterweight, same as before, used a #40 bit to make the initial pilot hole, then enlarged to #30 and finally #12 as required. After all the fuss and frustration with this part for the other elevator, I've come to believe that this is the best way to drill these counterweights. As far as the screw holes in the leading flange of the two end ribs, yes the pilot holes drilled by Vans could be a bit better placed but they will work as long as you drill your holes true and straight. So with the counterweight drilled successfully it was time to move onto the two new aluminum parts and get them prepped which of course involves final sizing of the holes, fluting the ribs, edge and hole deburring and finally scuffing for paint. Easy enough to do just takes time which is why it took me until after dinner time to be ready to paint. Of course it snowed all day and by the time I was ready to paint it has mostly stopped but opening up the garage door enough to vent the paint booth is less than ideal. I was able to get two good coats of primer on the parts and call that step complete. Next step was to take down the paint booth which has served its purpose very well since I constructed it a few years back. I'm not yet sure how I will approach the wings, if I will even prime them and if so, with what. For now, I can disassemble this current booth and prime the remaining pieces of the elevator on their own as needed. It is after all the middle of winter and getting the temp needed to paint successfully indoors can be a challenge so we'll see. Gotta say that taking down the paint booth was a dirty nasty process as I did my best to keep all of the dried paint dust from getting airborne. Ended the night with that fixture from the last few years being gone and ready for tomorrow's big delivery!