Today was very productive! With the help of my buddy Jim, I got the forward fuselage skin drilled and clecoed to the fuselage. I didn't have the wherewithal to take many photos of the process, but here's what I did:
I started out by completing the installation of the two baggage compartment support strips that go between the skin and the two bulkheads (one of which is the firewall). I attached these with flush keeper rivets located in between the existing pre-punched skin holes. Next, I marked the flange centerlines on both bulkheads.
I then set the skin in place and measured everything to make sure it was centered. I coerced the firewall into its proper 8-degree-bent position, and clamped it securely in place. I tweaked the bulkhead position until it was reasonably close to its final position, then clamped the skin down with a band clamp. Then I began drilling and clecoing the skin to the firewall, starting in the middle and working outward.
One the firewall was clecoed, we moved aft to the bulkhead. Jim reached through the cockpit with a padded wooden rod and pushed or pulled the bulkhead until I could see the centerline mark on the flange through the skin holes. Then I drilled and clecoed -- again, working from the center outward. It all worked out very nicely -- the skin is smooth and wave-free. Gotta love CNC technology.
My final task was to drill and prep the instrument sub-panels for nutplates. These will be attached tomorrow. Then the subpanel attach angles will be drilled and clecoed to the skin as well.