Build log date: Sunday, December 14, 2003

• Drilling the F-782C floor cover to the stiffeners - per plans. Btw: I love this eBay drill!

  

• Match drill the firewall recess so I can install nutplates to F-782C. I was sloppy and let the rightmost drill hole 'wander' but I think my boo-boo will be covered by the screw head.

  

• Using a 2 1/8" hole saw to drill the heat vent opeing. The plans call for 2", but I don't have a hole saw of that size - but it will fit the heater box just fine.

  

• Temporarily bolting the heat box in place. Before final assembly I'll add some high temp RTV, but this will need to wait for the recess riveting.

  

• Dimpling the bottom skin for the auto pilot servo bracket.

  

• This is my 'art' photo - from the bottom of the skin after riveting the four auto pilot bracket rivets. Beck was bucking from the other side.

  

• Done riveting the autopiliot bracket.

  

• The last two rivets on this longeron had to wait a couple of weeks ago - cause I didn't have the correct sized rivets. The correct rivets arrived from Van's - so I could finish up the riveting today.

  

• The battery box is totally finished now - i.e. I just installed the nutplates.

  

• The nutplates for F-782C are now installed in the firewall recess.

  

• I've countersunk all the holes in the VA-161 gascolator reinforcement.

  

• Drilled the remaining nutplate holes in F-782C - now this goes to priming.

  

• Bent the heat baffle openings.

  

• Drilled the right forward seat cover to #19 and installed a nutplate for the forward tunnel cover to attach.

  

• I did a pretty crummy job riveting these nutplates into the firewall recess, but stainless is such a pain in the ass - I'm not going to replace them.