Matt’s RV7 Build Log

I finished all the parts fabrication and drilling this evening for the center section. Now I’m ready to clean, etch, and prime all the parts for the firewall and the center section this week before my trip to Arizona.

Tasks Completed:

• Finished drilling the conduit holes in the cover support ribs.
• Fabricated the spacers out of the aluminum tubing. 

We had great weather in Seattle over the weekend for the first time in ages. I worked here and there on the project this weekend so we could all enjoy the outside as much as possible.

Tasks Completed:

• Drilled and countersunk the web stiffeners
• Started drilling the conduit holes in the cover support ribs
• Dimpled the forward bulkhead for the web stiffeners

Tonight I started marching through all the remaining parts prep. The center section is proving to be quite tedious. There are a bunch of little items to do and you have to pay attention to the plans much more on the fuselage. I am reading the plans over and over to avoid drilling the wrong hole on these parts.

I almost plowed ahead with drilling a third hole in the small cover support rib before really seeing how it goes together. Also Ken Scott confirmed for me that you actually dimple the web of the forward bulkhead. I had initially assumed this would be countersunk! If I can get a good day’s work in later this week, I should be ready to prime the firewall and center section parts as soon as the weather is good. 

Tasks Competed:

• Installed all the nutplates to the bulkheads
• Drilled and prepped right web stiffener
• Drilled and prepped cover support ribs

The F-633 R control mount replacement magically appeared on the front steps today. I promptly went downstairs, drilled and trimmed the part per the plans. Using my drill press this time around yielded a perfect result. I mounted both brackets and test fit the control arms. It all worked perfectly.

Tomorrow I will be drilling and riveting all the nutplates and … 

Tasks Completed:

• Remade F633R
• Mounted F633R to aft center bulkhead 

Tasks Completed: 

• Matched drilled and deburred holes for F704 A,B,C,D parts.

With the size of the prefab’d center sections I just used the air drill to create the 5/8″ wire pass throughs in F704A and B. Actually I made the first one with the airdrill and almost screwed it up because of the high RPMs of the airdrill. I went back to the cordless at lower RPMs combined with some Boelube and got much better results.

Task Completed:

• Drilled wire pass throughson F704A and B
• Clecoed 704 assemblies together

Tonight I started drilling the wire pass throughs in the center section parts. This requires expanding a small hole into a biggerhole using a unibit. I just purchased a benchtop drill press that should help with the smaller parts.

Tasks Completed:

• Drilled F704C and D wire pass-throughs

NOTE: The unibit in the drill press worked great except for shaving of a bit of the flange when the unibit got too close. Van’s says, “buff, prime, build on.” So I will.

Tasks Completed:

• Finished drilling stiffeners and gussets to firewall
• Drilled spacers, doubler and L/R F601J
• Disassembled firewall structure for deburring and countersinking

Tasks Completed:

• Fabricated F601E stiffener
  
• Started match drilling stiffeners and gussets to firewall

Tasks Completed:

• Rolled left elevator leading edges
• Drilled and riveted leading edges
• Fit rod end bearings and jam nuts

Note: There is a badly seated pop rivet on the most outboard leading edge section. I’ll need to go back and repair later.