Project: DaveBellairs   -  
            Listing for Category : fuselage
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Builder Name:Dave Bellairs   -  
Project:   Vans - RV-7   -   VIEW REPORTS
Total Hours:1452.9
Total Flight Time:
Start/Last Date:Jun 24, 2017 - No Finish Date
Engine:Lycoming IO-360
Propeller:Whirlwind 200RV
Panel:Advanced Flight Systems Avionics
 
Friendly URL: https://eaabuilderslog.org?s=DaveBellairs

Home or Last Project Picture

Feb 28, 2024     Vans reply to front left gusset holes - (.5 hour)       Category: Fuselage
Got word from Vans that I can drill holes in the front left fuselage gusset to secure the SV-EMS-220 mount.


 
Feb 27, 2024     Final installed side subpanel, SV-EMS-220 support and ElectroAir MAP sensor - (2 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Riveted left outer subpanel (F7105B-L) to the fuselage rail gusset (F-721A-L). Was able to squeeze two rivets, but had to use the rivet gun on the two inboard rivets. Tried to connect the ElectroAir MAP sensor to the MAP line, but was unable to due to the size of the fuel vent tubing and the inner diameter of the MAP sensor tubing. (1/4”) Will try to find a 1/4” fitting tonight. Modified a Z angle to aid in support of the bracket for the AFS SV-EMS-220 (engine sensor module). Not sure if this is the best solution, since I have to drill two 1/8” holes in the forward left gusset. Probably give Vans a call or email.


 
Feb 24, 2024     Subpanel rib and manifold transducer - (2 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Removed the manifold transducer to rivet the subpanel rib (F-745-L) to the firewall. Used solid rivets, pulled rivets and AN3-5 bolts to secure the rib and manifold transducer to the firewall. Had to use the pulled rivets due to the inability to reach the two lower holes. Used both the hand squeezer and pneumatic squeezer to reach the other rivets.


 
Jan 24, 2024     Reinstalled the baggage floor pan - (1 hour)       Category: Fuselage
Reinstalled the baggage floor pan with #8 screws. Also reinstalled the flap arm weldment with AN3 bolts and difficult to reach nuts and washers.


 
Jan 23, 2024     Baggage floor pan - (3 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Removed the flap arm weldment to reinstall the baggage floor pan. Opened up and deburred all the rivet holes to allow installation of #8 screws


 
Jan 17, 2024     Flap position sensor bracket - (6 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Reinstalled the flap actuator weldment (WD-613-EF) that was removed to install nutplates. Removed flap position sensor to fab new mounting bracket. Used a paper template to aid in fabbing a new bracket for the flap position sensor that would align it better with the travel of the flap actuator arm. Deburred and primed a new bracket. Removed the left seat belt anchors to allow room for my pneumatic squeezer and installed a one legged nutplate. (Knew I'd miss at least one). Installed an additional tie down for the flap position sensor wires to prevent chafing.


 
Jan 16, 2024     More nutplates - (3 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Finished up the nutplates on the rear edge of the baggage floor pan. Added a couple more nutplates since I removed several rivets that used to secure the floor pan and found one not done on the right side as well. All done with nutplates; at least for now, I think. Match drilled the new (added) nutplates to the baggage area bulkhead (F-701). You can see in the photo the left side (bottom of photo) has 3 additional holes for #8 screws.


 
Jan 15, 2024     More seat pan nutplates - (2 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Finished installing the one legged nutplates I got from AFS. Also installed several regular nutplates too. Just need to install a few more near the rear to finish up.


 
Jan 03, 2024     Seat pan nutplates - (4 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Drilled, deburred and dimpled the seat pan ribs for nutplates. Installed all the #8 nutplates and the one legged nutplates I had. Need 11 more one legged ones to finish. Used the pneumatic squeezer for the ones closest to the fuse sides and tried to use it for all the others. Had limited success due to access so went back to using the manual squeezer which worked much better. At least I didn't have to drill out any rivets. Not sure it was worth the time and effort versus just reinstalling pulled rivets, but it's almost done now.


 
Jan 02, 2024     Baggage and seat pans - (3 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Installed 15+ dimpled #8 rivets for the rear baggage area. Used my manual squeezer and two different yokes to reach all the rivets. Drilled and deburred for about 15 more nutplates that will secure the seat pan. I made both pans removable since I had already drilled out the pulled rivets to install some corrugated tubing underneath for rear aircraft wires. Used a long #40 drill bit to reach some awkward spots and the #8 nutplate installation tool (template) which sped things up.


 
Nov 26, 2023     Elevator pushrods - (2 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Sam reinstalled the elevator push rods and the aileron connecting rod with some help from the washer tool. Tight quarters


 
Nov 20, 2023     Sam installed nutplates - (2 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Sam installed all the #8 nutplates for the bag floor I had on hand and drilled for more.


 
Nov 19, 2023     Baggage area nutplates - (1 hour)       Category: Fuselage
Sam drilled for nutplates where I removed the floor pan to install some corrugated tubing for wiring.


 
Nov 14, 2023     Torqued rudder pedal mounts - (1 hour)       Category: Fuselage
Torqued and marked with torque seal the rudder pedal mounting bolts. Used my new digital torque wrench for the first time. Very easy to get the proper torque.


 
Nov 13, 2023     Subpanel mod - (3 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Trimmed the canopy release tunnel to make room for the Avidyne navigator that extends past the subpanel. Removed the four rivets that support the rear of the nav tray to allow room for the control bracket and reriveted it to the subpanel. Realized later that there was no interference and the rework wasn't necessary. Oh well, at least no harm done. Trying to decide if I want a cable mechanism for the canopy release or forget it and just bolt the canopy hinge in place.


 
Nov 11, 2023     Subpanel riveting - (2 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Dimpled and riveted the F-745L to the center panel F-768A using a couple countersunk rivets to prevent interference with the back of the ACM.


 
Nov 06, 2023     Wire chafing prevention - (2 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Added some trim edge covering to the center and cover plate. (F-982C and E). Also RTV'd a cap to the nutplate on the fire wall to protect the corrugated tubing from chafing. Belt and suspenders. Reinstalled the snap bushings -6 and -7 at the firewall for the cable pass thru.


 
May 10, 2023     Brake lines - (4 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Finished leak test on right fuel tank. Tank pressure remained steady overnight so I feel this tank is leak free. Torqued and applied torque seal to all brake lines and fittings. Installed aftermarket vent line exit ports to bottom of fuselage and aligned with air flow. Torqued all fittings and applied torque seal. May have to go back and prime mating surfaces of aluminum washers.


 
Mar 23, 2023     Brake lines - (2 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Fabbed a bracket to secure the Bonaco brake lines to the rudder pedal brace, since the Bonaco brake lines wouldn't fit thru the plastic snap ring bushings. Also attached the brake lines to the parking brake valve.


 
Mar 17, 2023     Rudder pedals - (3 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Installed remaining rudder pedals and secured all castle nuts with cotter keys. Installed entire assembly into the fuselage. Very tight fit with NACA ducts and hinge pin tubing installed.


 
Mar 13, 2023     Rudder pedal anti skid paint - (1 hour)       Category: Fuselage
Decided to try some anti skid paint on the rudder pedals since they seemed a bit slippery after paint. Well see how this works.


 
Feb 20, 2023     Rudder pedal paint - (.5 hour)       Category: Fuselage
Added another coat of paint to rudder pedals. Also searched for a good location for the ELT antenna without any luck. Will spend some time researching.


 
Feb 16, 2023     Rudder pedals - (1 hour)       Category: Fuselage
Painted the rudder pedals.


 
Sep 25, 2022     Right Seat back - (3 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Drilled out hinge half from bottom of right seat back. Match drilled and installed new hinge to prevent interference with the roll bar. Started out using the manual squeezer and quickly switched to the pneumatic one as the -4 rivets proved more than my post Covid hands were ready for.


 
Jul 06, 2022     Completed SL-00014 tail brace - (2.5 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Primed angles, dimpled tail cone and riveted angles to tail of fuse per SL-00014. Used the squeezer to dimple and rivet the top 3 holes. Had to use the rivet puller to reach the bottom two. Same with the rivets. Squeezed the top three rivets and was able to buck the bottom two without the need to drill any out. Service letter 00014 is officially done.


 
Jul 05, 2022     SL-00014 tail brace - (1 hour)       Category: Fuselage
Marked and match drilled the angle for the right side. Deburred, dimpled and primed both angles. Used my trusty compass from my old engineering days to mark the two end hole locations. Rivet fan works great to speed up the spacing of rivet holes


 
Jul 04, 2022     SL-00014 tail brace - (4 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Began the SL for the tail brace. Researched on VAF. Decided to not order the two angles and just fab up my own. Used .032 instead of the .025 that Vans used since that is what I had on hand. Took some time to get the exact hole locations from the drawing.


 
May 26, 2022     Modified subpanel - (2 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Trimmed the aft portion of the subpanel ribs (F-745) to accommodate the Advanced avionics EFIS screens. Fabbed some flanges to attach to new location on subpanel. Won't install these until avionics panel arrives.


 
Apr 06, 2022     Park brake valve - (2 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Finished riveting park brake mounting bracket to firewall. Would have been a lot easier to do before mounting oil cooler. Used my smallest bucking bar to back rivet bracket. Installed park brake valve and connected to interior brake lines. Rubber washers seemed to get smashed out of place so need to check on proper torque of AN3 bolts.


 
Mar 04, 2022     Canopy fairing - (1 hour)       Category: Fuselage
Sprayed some primer filler on the canopy fairing. A few minor blemishes but overall it's looking pretty good. Gonna sand a little more and then leave for paint.


 
Feb 10, 2022     More canopy fairing work - (1 hour)       Category: Fuselage
Sanded some epoxy I added to the canopy fairing a while ago. Used the pneumatic sander which was too aggressive and had to add more epoxy to fill in the divots I made with the sander. Oops


 
Aug 27, 2020     Brake lines - (2 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Installed new Bonaco brake lines


 
Oct 31, 2019     Canopy glued on - (4 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Canopy cured and struts installed


 
Aug 11, 2019     More tip up skin pics - (1 hour)       Category: Fuselage
Checked fit of cabin frame attach brackets and left side pic of new tip up aft fuse skin


 
Jul 30, 2019     Clamped cabin frame supports       Category: Fuselage
Clamped cabin frame supports to cabin frame to locate positions for ��old together��rivets


 
Aug 11, 2018     Tip up skin - (3 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Slider skin removed and tip up aft skin clecoed in place


 
Aug 09, 2018     Drilling out lots of rivets - (4 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Drilling out the rivets in slider skin to replace with tip up fuselage skin


 
Aug 05, 2018     Aft fuse rudder support holes - (3 hours) Category: Fuselage
Marked location of rear bulkhead holes
 
Jul 29, 2018     Photo of fuse       Category: Fuselage
Quick photo of project with slider skin on forward part of aft fuse. Will replace it with the appropriate skin for a tip up canopy. QB wings in cradle.


 
Jul 29, 2018     Cabin frame - (2 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Finished riveting cabin frame


 
Jul 29, 2018     Cabin frame assembly - (2 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Began final riveting cabin frame by using my pneumatic rivet puller. Worked like a champ. Can understand how popular the RV-12 is for just that reason.


 
Jul 28, 2018     Cabin frame angles       Category: Fuselage
Began fabbing large angle for cabin frame bottom supports


 
Jul 27, 2018     Cabin frame assembly - (1 hour)       Category: Fuselage
Began assembly of cabin frame by enlarging holes to #30


 
Jul 22, 2018     Cabin frame splice plate - (2 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Riveted splice plate onto aft cabin frame channels and opposite side with angle at the top


 
Jun 28, 2018     Cabin frame paint - (1 hour)       Category: Fuselage
Painted interior of cabin frame to test color. Think I'm going to go with something darker.


 
Jun 26, 2018     Jdair rudder stop - (1 hour)       Category: Fuselage
Installed delrin internal rudder stop. Had to do some trimming, but eventually got a good fit.


 
Jun 26, 2018     Elevator upstop - (4 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Installed elevator up stop. Clecoed for now.


 
Jun 25, 2018     Antisplat vertical stab reinforcement - (2 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Installed the antisplat vertical stab reinforcement mod


 
Jun 25, 2018     Cabin frame - (2 hours)       Category: Fuselage
Began working on cabin frame first by using a hole cutter to make the two access holes that face aft at the bottom of the frame. Beware using the tooling hole to center your drill. As you can see from the scrap it is not colocated to the center of access hole.


 
Jun 16, 2018     Trimming longeron top plate - (.5 hour)       Category: Fuselage
Trimmed top plate to allow cabin frame anchor braces to sit flush on longeron and F-757 brace. F-757 installed is for the slider canopy so I'll need to replace it with the correct one for a tip up.


 
Jul 14, 2017     More Wing mating - (3 hours) Category: Fuselage
Mated the wings with Sams help
 
Jul 03, 2017     Wing mate prep Category: Fuselage
Attempted to install the wings with Sams help the and couldn't understand why it was so difficult to get them to fit properly. Turns out that QB wings do not have the tab trimmed on the aft spar. Removed material from the tab per the drawing and wings fit well.
 
Jun 24, 2017     Temporary wing bolt prep - (1 hour) Category: Fuselage
Modified temporary wing bolts to use as pins to mate the wings to fuse
 
Jun 24, 2017     Wing mating prep - (1 hour) Category: Fuselage
Began marking the wing for the wing root fairing
 


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