Dec 06, 2022     Fuel tank mounting bolts - (2.0 hours)       Category: Wings

Torqued the fuel tank mounting bolts and finished riveting F-705 bulkhead

  Dec 05, 2022     Pressure tested fuel tanks - (2.5 hours)       Category: Wings

Pressure tested the tanks. Sprayed them with soapy water, no leaks noted

  Sep 10, 2022     More wing work - (3.0 hours) Category: Wings

Riveted the trailing edge of the lower skins, attached the aileron hangers, made delrin aileron stops.

  Sep 08, 2022     Wing close out - (4. hours)       Category: Wings

Finishing out the wings. Installed flight controls in the right wing and then discovered I had two right bell cranks and no left. So the left wing will wait until I order the new bell crank. So I turned to cleaning the skins.

  Sep 07, 2022     Left wing - (4 hours) Category: Wings

The left wing is out of the jig and setting on the workbench. I finished a few remaining rivets on the top skin, riveted on the aileron hinges (including the modification for the SB), riveted the aileron and flap braces.

I still need to install the aileron and flap, the pitot tube and the flight controls. I'm waiting on the pitot tube parts. All of that work can be done in the wing storage.

  Sep 06, 2022     Ailerons - (6 hours)       Category: Wings

Finished both ailerons except for mounting the hangars on the right side, don't have enough AN3-4A bolts. On order

  Sep 04, 2022     Ailerons - (5 hours)       Category: Wings

Finished the left aileron, the right should be done by Wednesday

  Aug 28, 2022     Finished cleaning - (3.0 hours)       Category: Wings

Finished cleaning the top skins. They are ready for polish

  Aug 26, 2022     Riveted top skin - (4.0 hours)       Category: Wings

My wife and riveted the top skins on the left wing. The skins were pretty dirty after 20 years of storage and movement around the country. I spent an hour and cleaned a lot of it off. Another hour or so and they will look almost new

  Aug 25, 2022     Left wing - (5 hours) Category: Wings

The left wing fuel tank is installed. We have started to rivet the top skins and are about 80 percent done. Tomorrow we should be done with those skins and I will start on the interior of the wing; wiring, Pitot/AOA etc.

  Aug 18, 2022     Left wing - (2.0 hours)       Category: Wings

Busy day so I only accomplished a few things . The left wing is in the jig, the bottom skins are off and I riveted the nut plates in place for the fuel tank retention screws. Hopefully I can test fit the fuel tank tomorrow and rivet the leading edge onto the wing.

  Aug 17, 2022     Right wing close out - (4 hours)       Category: Wings

The right wing is back in rolling storage. I riveted the flap and aileron braces in place. The bottom skins will be clecoed in place as I need to install the roll servo and the aileron flight controls. I did install the wiring conduit and coax for a VOR antenna in the wing tip.

  Aug 15, 2022     Riveted lower skin - (5.0 hours)       Category: Wings

Finished riveting the lower skin. We will move it to the workbench so the left wing can go into the jig

  Aug 12, 2022     Clean up, prep and priming - (4. hours) Category: Wings

Cleaned up the shop in preparation for riveting the top skins. Collected the needed parts for installation inside the wing; aileron bell crank, bolts, washer etc. The aileron push/pull tubes needed to be primed, did the outside once that dries I'll prime the inside.

No photos today

  Aug 11, 2022     Riveted leading edge - (4.0 hours)       Category: Wings

Finished riveting the leading edge, installed the fuel tank and clecoed the top skins on the wing.

  Aug 10, 2022     Starting right wing assembly - (6 hours)       Category: Wings

Check fit of the fuel tank, riveted the leading edge to the spar. Those 25 rivets attaching the leading edge to the spar plate are particularly difficult to reach and set. Vans says you can use blind rivets but there is no way to get a puller in to the rivet. I ground down one side of a rivet set so it could reach the rivet . We still had to drill out rivets and replace them. Next the top skins get riveted on.

  Aug 08, 2022     Right fuel tank finished - (6.0 hours) Category: Wings

Finished sealing and riveting the aft baffle of the right fuel tank. Mounted the fuel level sender. Next up is the beginning of riveting the right wing together

  Aug 06, 2022     More tank work - (3 hours)       Category: Wings

Finished installing the ribs in the second tank. Both tanks are ready for sealing the aft baffle. I plan to seal one at a time, install it on a wing and then finish the wing to quick build. That way the wing can stay in the jig until the front skin is riveted on

  Aug 03, 2022     More fuel tank work - (6.0 hours)       Category: Wings

Continued work on the second fuel tank. Today I prosealed four of the ribs, the sump drain connector and the refueling port. Tomorrow I plan on finishing the remaining three ribs.

  Aug 02, 2022     Left tank - (2.5 hours)       Category: Wings

Despite the best of intentions I made little progress today. I did get everything cleaned up and the first row of stiffeners riveted.

  Aug 01, 2022     Second fuel tank - (6 hours)       Category: Wings

Drilled to size, deburred, dimpled and countersunk the second fuel tank skin and ribs. The tank is ready for sealant and riveting.

  Jul 31, 2022     Second tank - (2.5 hours)       Category: Wings

Started the second tank today. Clecoed the stiffeners in places and drilled everything to size. Installed the fuel tank ribs, they are ready to be drilled to size. Worked for a couple of hours until it got too hot.

One of the fuel level senders I purchased from Vans was defective. I'll pick up a new one next and then close out the first tank.

  Jul 20, 2022     Fuel level sensor and tank fit test - (4.0 hours)       Category: Wings

I discovered that the right fuel level sensor is broken, Vans has agreed to replace it. After finishing all the rib installations I decided to test fit the tank on the wing. It fits really well. I also installed the fuel pickup.

  Jul 14, 2022     Proseal wing ribs - (4.5 hours)       Category: Wings

Began proseal and riveting process of the internal wing ribs on the fuel tank

  Jul 13, 2022     Update - (10 hours)       Category: Wings

Latest work completed.

Installed nutplates in leading edge section for fuel tank attaching screws.

Started to sealing process on right tank. I have prosealed and riveted the stiffeners, the fuel sump and the fuel cap flange.

The first jig that I built did not have sufficient clearance for me to get the rivet gun to the leading rivets (lowest point of the jig.) I have been using the Vans Aircraft fuel tank video as I am building these new tanks. Their jig is different than the one in the plans. So I made a new one today based loosely on the Vans video and the plans. That is what is pictured here.

  Jun 30, 2022     Fuel tanks continue - (8 hours)       Category: Wings

Continued work on the fuel tanks. Ribs are finished, first tank has been prepped and in jig

  May 30, 2022     Fuel tanks - (2 hours)       Category: Wings

Continued work on fabrication of new fuel tanks

  Apr 20, 2022     Polishing - (5.0 hours)       Category: Wings

Its polishing time for my flying RV-7

  Mar 13, 2022     Fuel tanks - (2.5 hours)       Category: Wings

Started work on the new fuel tanks

  Feb 20, 2022     Flaps and fuel tanks - (3.5 hours)       Category: Wings

Finished flaps, performed an initial polish. Started on fuel tank jig.

  Feb 19, 2022     Flaps - (3 hours) Category: Wings

Continued work on the right flap. I'll finish riveting it tomorrow.

  Feb 13, 2022     Flaps - (1.0 hour)       Category: Wings

Only got an hour today, do something every day. Took the second flap apart and counter sunk the lower flange of the spar. Now deburring, primer prep, primer and dimpling.

  Feb 10, 2022     1st flap done, fuel tank parts arrive       Category: Wings

  Feb 07, 2022     Left flap - (5.0 hours)       Category: Wings

Completed most of the riveting on the left flap.

  Feb 05, 2022     Flap - (2 hours)       Category: Wings

Worked a couple of hours on the left flap. Deburred, dimpled, cleaned up and primered the components. I'll counter sink the spar tomorrow after the primer dries.

  Feb 02, 2022     Flaps - (3 hours)       Category: Wings

Drilled skins to the flap structures. Next step is to debur, dimple and prime. After riveting I'll move to the ailerons. Still waiting for the fuel tanks. EDIT, spoke with Vans today (2/3/22) and they believe the fuel tank kit will be ready for pickup early next week. I ordered the aluminum tubing used to fabricate the aileron push tubes.

Spent time cleaning / inventorying fuselage parts in preparation of started the fuselage.

  Feb 02, 2022     Flaps and other parts - (4.0 hours)       Category: Wings

Continued work on the flaps, installed the hinges and fabricated a part for the spar. Started cleaning and priming parts in prep for final assembly.

This is a used kit so I'm still discovering missing parts. Two I knew about are the AT-6 tubing for the flight controls. I'll order them today. I spend a little time each day looking through the fuselage parts making sure there is no corrosion.

  Jan 22, 2022     Wing rack and wing cleaning - (3. hours)       Category: Wings

I finished the wing rack, it needed to be anchored. The first wing is in the rack waiting for the fuel tank otherwise ready to rivet the top skins.

I put the second wing on the work bench, removed the skins and started cleaning. Initial inspection is favorable. Only one questionable rivet and the riveting is further along. I'll finish cleaning tomorrow and get it caught up to the first wing.

  Jan 20, 2022     Right wing and fuel tanks - (3.0 hours)       Category: Wings

Finish all the prep work for moving the right wing to the wing jig. After careful review of the two fuel tanks I have decided to replace both tanks. Due to the previous work I doubt that I can seal the baffle sufficiently to prevent fuel leaks. Folks must have difficulty building tanks as Vans sells a fuel tank kit that contains all the parts necessary to make two tanks.

  Jan 17, 2022     Vans response and other work - (4.0 hours) Category: Wings

I received an email from Vans Aircraft about the spar web damage. They recommended removing any sharp edges without removing too much material. I cleaned up the edges of the damage and primed that area.

I have been working on getting the work completed aligned with the build manual. The original builder jumped around so some tasks are out of sequence and rivets that should be set are not. So I finished the rivets in the aft spar that should be done (the ribs) and continue to fix rivets. I noticed two more that somehow escaped my attention. This are not horrible rivets that are cleaved over, just not full set.

I also fabricated the two wing walker doublers and drilled the right one to match the wing skin. So the top skins of the wing are clecoed and the wing is ready for the jig.

  Jan 16, 2022     More rivets and aileron hinge brackets - (2.5 hours)       Category: Wings

Drilled out a few more rivets. There are 11 more to set. Fitted the inboard aileron bracket with the doubler in accordance with the SB

  Jan 14, 2022     Continued assessment - (5 hours)       Category: Wings

Continued assessment and cleaning, found a dent in the center web of the spar. It looks like a mark from a dropped bucking bar. Talked to a friend who is an engineer and an IA, he said don't worry about it. Just to be sure I sent photos to Vans for their assessment.

As I walk through the instructions and checking work I've been completing task that were skipped.

  Jan 12, 2022     Disassemble - (5.0 hours)       Category: Wings

Time to move onto the wings. I put the right wing on my workbench and removed all the clecos. First step was cleaning all the dust and insects off the material. Found a few rivets that will need to be removed. Next I started walking through the assembly steps, checking to ensure they were completed and to identify any issues that will need to be addressed.

  Jan 11, 2022     Wing jig - (3 hours)       Category: Wings

Holidays have prevented me from getting any more work done. I have started fabricating a wing jig.