May 13, 2024

Clecoed the top skin. Have several questions about the L angles.

All predrilled holes are good. Everything clecoed as expected. It means I identifued the parts correctly.

The angle C75F20-1 seems too long. Its corners touch the top longeron. Because of this the fit between the L angle and the longeron is not tight. Should I trim 1-2 mm from each end of the L angle C75F20-1?

The angle C75F20-2 has a notch. What is this notch for? The L angle seems too…

May 08, 2024

Clecoed the rear fuselage. Attached the side skins to the bottom skin. A hint for the future - do not set clecoes on the inside. Set them all on the outside of the fuselage.

Have some problems with predrilled holes. Asking Zenith.

C75F18-1 Vertical L Angle overlaps a hole for C75F6-7 Baggage Back Side Angle. See the pictures. Should I make a small notch on C75F18-1 to clear the hole?

Zenith: make a notch

SD75F4-4 Rear Wing Attachment has holes…

May 07, 2024

The part C75F6-6 Side Channel Doubler comes undrilled. Will ask Zenith is it an error or I am supposed to drill it. How to?

Zenith answered - drill the holes accurately, try not to enlarge the predrilled holes.

Drilled Side Channel Doublers on a drill press.

Clecoed the rear fuselage sides.…

May 03, 2024

Clecoed the rear fuselage bottom.

April 30, 2024

Filled the left tank with gas. Checked for leakages. None detected.

Added fuel sender wiring.…

April 17, 2024

Set flexible grommets to the large holes to protect wires and tubes from sharp edges.

I used a slotted flexible grommet.

Pitot tubes will not lie on the grommet. They will be pushed up when the pitot tube is actually installed.…

April 16, 2024

Wired the fuel tank.

Added holders for the return fuel line and pitot tubes.…

April 10, 2024

Set all left tank fittings. Used Locktite 567 sealant. Very scary. On one hand I do not want to destroy the threads on another do not want a loose fitting.

Now it is difficult to remove the fuel tank.

Cut the fuel line in size.…

April 09, 2024

Added more cork. Dry fit the tank with sump and finger filter installed. Everything looks good, I can start screwing all the fittings.
Crimped fuel sender wires.

March 08, 2024

Drilled the rear tank support angle. Used a strap duplicator to match the existing holes. Added some cork.

Continued adding cork to the tank. Now it sits reasonably tight. Cork strips marked with X probably will never touch the skin.

Drilled a hole in a rib for a return fuel line.…

March 22, 2024

Clecoed the pitot and static lines support. Will use nylon push to click bushings.

March 21, 2024

The tech counselor Dale checked the wings before closing.

We discussed the fuel tank placement. He recommended to use silicon caulk as a cushion.

Dale recommended to use aluminum or teflon fuel lines. I will think.…

March 15, 2024

Making access covers.

No dimpling or countersinking. Exactly like Zenith demonstrator has. The rivets heads are almost flat, the plane is slow. A tiny gap does not make a performance difference.

March 09, 2024

Checked leak in the left tank fuel sender. Tilted the tank and put 5G of gas. Waited for 6 hours. No leak detected.

March 03, 2024

Added cork to the left fuel tank bottom. The tank shape does not fit well the wing shape. Had to add a lot of cork to make the tank stable inside the wing.

See the number of cork laters on the picture.

50 ft of cork Zenith provided will not be enough.…

March 02, 2024

Started adding cork to the fuel tank. The original fit is loose. I had to add 3 layers on the front L angles.

Tried to see it I can remove the tank with the fitting screwed in. I cannot. It means I will check fuel leaking with the tank in place.

Checked how the top skin hole matches the tank fuel neck. They match.…

February 27, 2024

Riveted the left wing craddles to support wires and lines.

Fabricated wing supports for pitot tubes and return fuel line. I will rivet them to the wing skin angle.…

January 17, 2024

Checked the fuel sender arm is bent correctly. I used the technique described here: 6k1b-fuel-sender.pdf
Drilled the hole for the fuel sender using a circle cutter from Harbor Freight. Deburred the edges.

January 16, 2024

Bent the fuel sender arm accordingly to 75-KA-1.pdf.
Checked the fuel sender resistance range. The full range is about 4-73 ohms. When installed in the tank it will be less.

January 09, 2024

Made a simple strap duplicator to drill to hole for the AN3 bolt in the root of the spar angle.