1/2/07, 3 hrs: more work on the FAB.  Installed the hot air fitting over the flap mechanism and riveted the flap mechanism.

1/3/07, 4 hrs: riveted the FAB together and trimmed the lower cowl's duct connection to the FAB.  Installed the rubber seal to mate the FAB and cowl duct, but it's too tight.  Fitting work coming up...

1/4/07, 7 hrs: finished installing the strip of baffle seal on the FAB after a few tests, and everything fits really nicely (see pics).  Moved on to restarting the rear skirts.  I determined that there is too much "pushback" from the wax paper, so I tested whether Saran wrap sticks.  It does not, and is very sheer, so I will use it.  Also, got a big sheet of Peel Ply so I can cover each skirt without a seam.  Did the right side first because it fits better than the left.  After that, did a few cleanup things firewall forward. to include installing Uniwrap under all zip ties which are around the engine mount and at possible chafing locations.

• Using construction paper and the metal right rear skirt, cut a template to lay the fiberglass on.  Taped it to the fuse and canopy with ordinary tape.

• Covered the template with a continuous sheet of Saran wrap, taping it in a few places in order to draw it tight.

• Cut two sheets of 2mil plastic drop cloth and pinned them on top to the table.  Traced an outline of the metal skirt, plus 1" on top of the upper plastic sheet.

• Cut a piece of BID ply a couple of inches oversize the outline on a 45 degree angle so it would adjust to irregularities and taped one edge to the top of the lower plastic sheet.

• Cut a sheet of Dacron PeelPly to cover the whole skirt.  Tape it at the top end to facilitate laying it on the ply.

• Mixed four shots of epoxy and slow hardener and dabbed it on.  Cut the ply to the outline, peeled off the lower plastic sheet, and laid it on the template.  Smoothed it down with a balled up paper towel and then peeled off the upper plastic sheet.

• Laid the Dacron over the ply and smoothed it down with a balled up paper towel.  Apply tape on edges or light objects on the upper edge or corners to facilitate conforming to surfaces.  Make sure you put a small strip of Saran wrap under any object that touches the PeelPly.

1/5/07, 7 hrs: removed the PeelPly from the right side; everything looks good.  Made the left side rear canopy skirt the same way.  Replaced the engine mount cotter pins supplied by Van's (24665-208) with longer 24665-283, since the shorter ones were judged to be too short by my tech counselor.  Replaced the cork valve cover gaskets supplied by Mattituck with silicone rubber ones from Spruce (pn08-01187), again on the recommendation of my tech counselor.  Installed the fuel drain extension, finished tightening up the lower cylinder baffles.  Did some more anti-chafing work in the engine compartment.  Left rear canopy is looking real good.  Will apply the center portion and two more plies next week.

1/8/07, 6 hrs: installed two layers of fiberglass to both right and left canopy skirts.  Finalized the exhaust system although it's not possible to ensure 3/4" clearance from the cowling everywhere.  Hope to deal with that by using heat shielding.  Installed new drilled-head screws for the FAB mounting plate to carburetor connection and safety wired them.  Began installing the cabin heat scat tubing and am almost done.  Purchased a small 1/2", 1/4" drive socket from Sears to be able to properly torque the inboard exhaust flange nut on the #1 cylinder, and did so.  Secured the LSE spark plug wires with silicone-lined Adel clamps from McMaster-Carr.

1/9/07, 7 hrs: finished the cabin heat tubing.  Peeled the Peel Ply off the rear skirts and drilled them to the canopy.  I am electing to do this before making the doghouse part because I want to achieve the optimal fit of the skirts individually before tying them together.  Then, laid three layers of fiberglass over the cut-down doghouse with the slide seal in position.  Will see tomorrow how this turned out.  I anticipate having to use Superfill on top and under in order to get everything nice and snug.  Installed the FAB one more time in anticipation of installing the carb heat cable once I can open the canopy.  Also, installed the little exhaust pipe heat shield that comes with the firewall forward kit on the left side, across from the carburetor fuel line.

1/10/07, 3 hrs: resumed installing the prop spinner.

1/11/07, 8 hrs: back to the rear skirts, removed, and trimmed the edges.  No SuperFilling for now, as it needs to cure at 70 degrees.  It's 25 outside and not much over 40 in the garage, so that will have to wait.  Poly Fil says it has to be 70 or else nothing happens, so I'll have to use a space heater to cure it.  For fun, installed the oil sump quick drain valve.  Back to the spinner.  Began by making the templates and then cuts for on the spinner's base.  To check eccentricity, I used the setup pictured below.  Made the filler plates and marked the screw holes before calling it a day.

1/12/07, 7 hrs: safety wired the alternator.  Installed the nutplates on the spinner; deburring the holes in the rear bulkhead was a bitch because the only way to do it was by twirling the tool with my fingers.  The only alternative was to take off the propeller, which I would only do in an extreme case.

1/13/07, 1 hr: put 1" wide strips of two layers of BID 8.8oz fiberglass over the mounting holes of the rear skirts in order to ensure there is enough material to countersink for rivets or screws.  3 layers of cloth yielded a thickness of .044", so the mounting area should end up at about .07".

1/15/07, 7 hrs: warm day, so decided to attack the canopy.  Removed the plexiglass and put it in the kitchen with a space heater under it.  Drilled all rear/front bow, and center holes to 3/16" to provide space to use #8 screws to attach canopy to the frame.  Countersank as necessary, tapped all frame holes, painted all side skirt components, and installed the GPS antenna while I was at it.

1/16/07, 1 hr: a little here a little there.  Preparing for final installation of the canopy.

1/17/07, 8 hrs: installed the plexiglass on the frame and screwed everything down.  Fits well and I was able to control the pressure on the canopy, unlike if I had used rivets.  Began riveting the side skirts.

1/18/07, 7 hrs: finished riveting the side skirts.  Overall, the canopy fits good.  This phase has turned out to be the biggest ball buster of this project, but it's getting there.  There is the issue of sealing it up remaining, which according to other builders is something you can't truly begin to address until you've seen how the canopy behaves in flight.  Began the preparation for installing the windscreen.  Worked on the spinner filler plates.

1/19/07, 3 hrs: finished the spinner.

1/22/07, 3 hrs: etched the top skin windscreen bonding area with phosphoric acid.  Safety wired the propeller.  Finalized the adjustments of the throttle and mixture cables.  Worked on installing the carb heat cable and finalizing its connection to the FAB.

1/23/07, 7 hrs: finished the FAB.  Installed a nut plate on the center floor cover to secure the carb heat cable.  Sealed the firewall from the inside using red RTV in the pressure can shown below and on the engine side with fuel tank sealant.  The RTV can is an essential tool, as it allows the precise application of RTV with only one hand in the very tight confines of the cockpit.  Installed soundproofing around the NACA vents.  Test fit the windscreen and scuffed up the relevant area of the top skin as directed.  Also scuffed up the glare shield in preparation for painting.  Ready to begin fitting the windscreen tomorrow.

1/24/07, 6 hrs: fit the windscreen and finalized the location of the hold-down tabs and the screen's position on the deck.  Sanded and taped off the edge.  Sprayed the glare shield with black crinkle finish paint.

1/25/07, 4 hrs: too cold to install the windscreen, so worked on reinstalling the panel and avionics.

1/27/07, 3 hrs: finally a day in the low 50s, so I moved the windscreen out of the house and installed it.  An hour available before a family get-together, so I went ahead with the fillet of epoxy with microballoons.  It was too liquid initially.  Proper proportion would be two shots of epoxy, two of hardener, and 4 heaping tablespoons of microballoons in order to achieve the correct, toothpaste-like consistency.  May have to do some parts again, but generally, all went well.

1/28/07, 2 hrs: finished re-assembling the panel.

1/30/07, 3 hrs: fixed a 430 configuration issue and fuel pump wiring.

1/31/07, 8 hrs: reinstalled the parking brake, cabin heat control cables, floor cover, and static line.  Covered up the expensive screens so that I don't poke one while wriggling into and out of the airplane.  Filled the brake system with hydraulic fluid; unable to get rid of all the air, as a couple of bubbles travel back and forth between the left and right lines at the tee that goes into the reservoir.  Need to bleed it thru suction a little.  Installed a new and better fitting canopy latch.  Filled in gaps in the windscreen-skin fillet in preparation for installing the strips tomorrow.

2/1/07, 7 hours: installed the strips, up to the 13/4" size.  Had to use fast hardener because it works down to 40 degrees, whereas the slow hardener needs a minimum of 60 degrees, which is tough to sustain in my uninsulated garage.  So, I and ran out of time and had to cover the work with Peel Ply and put off installation of the last strip(s) until tomorrow.  Moved on to filling the rear skirts' gaps with the fuselage and fabricating the doghouse, and then used the leftover microballoon mixture to finish off the FAB intake.  Also, torqued the spark plugs.  Finally, began installing the elevator and horizontal stabilizer tips.

2/2/07, 6 hrs: installed the last strip on the windscreen and three layers on the top.  Again, best I could do with fast hardener.  Sanded air scoop smooth.  Worked on fitting the right elevator and stabilator tips.

2/6/07, 7 hrs: installed three more strips on the windscreen top.  Added epoxy and microballoon mix to the underside of the rear skirts to make the seal more even.  Smeared microballoon mixture at the base of the windscreen, but my technique leaves much to be desired, so there will be a lot of sanding and re-smearing.  Worked on the right horizontal stabilizer and elevator tips, and on the rudder bottom fairing.  Yesterday, spent about 4 hours on the computer printing out FAA forms and starting extensive checklists for the flight testing phase; that time is not added to the total building time since I sat on the couch while doing this.

2/7/07, 8 hrs: sanded the windscreen strips and applied some more microballoons mixture.  Riveted the right elevator tip and continued prep on the right horizontal stabilizer tip.  Ditto for the lower rudder fairing.

2/8/07, 7 hrs: more windscreen work, dabbed some microballoon mixture on the outside of the rear skirts.  More sanding tomorrow.  Continued work on the rudder tips.  Riveted the right elevator tip and glassed in the back of the right horizontal stabilizer tip.  Both will need to be blended to the metal surface, but that can wait.  Ditto for the rudder top.

2/9/07, 6 hrs: sanded windscreen seals; looking real good.  Touched up right horizontal stabilizer, right elevator, and upper rudder tips, as well as surface of the doghouse.  For mounting the strobe in the lower rudder fairing, got some 3/4" stainless #4 socket head screws and #4 locknuts and glassed the nuts in.  There is not enough room for nut plates and no other way to tighten things up, and yet make them removable in the future.  For sanding the windscreen forward seal determined the best tool is a 4" PVC pipe coupling, and sticky 80, 150, and 220 grit sandpaper tape by Easy Touch which I got a local hobby airplane store.

2/13/07, 7 hrs: finished top of rudder.  Lower rudder fairing will wait until I have clear access to the tail area, which is not possible in this 20 foot deep garage.  More sanding and filling of the rear skirts, with projected completion by the end of the week.  Filled a few spots on the windscreen strips, and they are pretty close to done.  Finished and riveted the right stab and elevator tips.  Started on the left side.  Put a couple blobs of RTV on the flap position sensor clevis pin keepers which are too small to safety wire.

2/14/07, 5 hrs: fit the slide seal in the doghouse.  Sanded the rear skirts; planning to paint on epoxy on them and on the windscreen strips tomorrow when I can keep the heat on all day.

2/15/07, 7 hrs: I am putting off finishing the rear skirts and windscreen strips because I need some advice on how to finish up the edges that meet the plexiglass.  Inevitably, there are irregularities and I am not sure what is the best approach.  Added some lead weight to the left elevator and now need a longer screw to secure it.  So, that will also have to wait.  Started on the left wingtip.  Made the trim cut outside (25 degrees F, 15 knot winds) to keep the dust factor down.  Finished the day by riveting the wingtip rib.  Garage is a little crowded, but only for two more weeks!

2/16/07, 7 hrs: worked on the left wingtip.  Installed all the nutplates, VOR antenna, lights, and cut the piece of foam reinforcement.

2/20/07, 8 hrs: finished left wingtip and started on the right side.  Fitting the lens takes longer than I expected.  Will wait until wings are mounted to actually install the connections.

2/21/07, 8 hrs: finished right wingtip.  Started labeling the panel and other controls

2/22/07, hrs: labeled the panel, fuel selector, and other controls.  Used Bel Inc. decals with a white background, which worked out ok.  When the decal dries it stretches slightly and causes fine cracks (white lines) to appear in the lettering.  Doesn't look great and the labels are pretty friction fragile, but it'll do.  Tested Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch matt clear as a sealer and found that it eats away at the lettering.  Will experiment with sealants until I find something that does not attack the labels.  Go to the panel page to see all the pictures.

Checked the propeller track, which came out exactly right without adjustment (AC43-13, p8-42).  Re-safetied the prop with .041 wire; what a ball-buster!  First, cover up the ring gear and prop; ring gear is like so many little razor blades waiting to skin your knuckles.  Also, the prop needs to be protected from the torque wrench.  Had to loosen several studs, run the initial loop, twist the wire part way, and then re-torque the stud.  Very time consuming.

2/23/07, 7 hrs: riveted the tips of the left stabilizer and elevator.  Cleaned up and primed the fuel tank mounts and tailwheel parts.  Began the much-procrastinated process of getting the two halves of the cowling to fit together nicely.  Installed the ELT; only have the remote unit left to install.

2/27/07, 9 hrs: moved on to fixing the cowling.  Lots, lots of grinding, sanding, glassing, and filling to do.  Gotta start somewhere.  Here are progress pictures:

Right inlet, outboard

Right inlet, inboard

Left inlet, inboard

Left inlet, outboard

Finished the ELT install and tested it.  All functions are good.  Remote unit is located under the carb heat control because that fulfills the requirement, and it was easy to put it there rather than have to cut into the panel.  The missing "right tank" label came off with a simple rub of the finger, so that's something to redo on the fuel selector.  Next, test fit the panels and then cut the templates for the remaining soundproofing panels.  Cut out and test fit the soundproofing.  Before installing them, I have to make sure they fit under the panels.

2/28/07, 5 hrs: more work on the cowling, installed the glare shield trim and the compass.  Prepped the garage for moving the wings to the hangar and one load of stuff tomorrow.  Friday I get the trailer, and Saturday is move day!

3/1/07: moved the wings and much stuff to the hangar.  My full-of-airplane garage will be no more.  The Ranger is not a big truck, but it's big enough to transport one wing and a bunch of stuff.  Moving the bench and tools tomorrow, and then the fuselage on Saturday.

3/5/07: sealed the trim servo wire bundle with E6000.  Tested a variety of products to seal the panel decals.  Out of seven approaches, Minwax water-based Polycrylic protective spray in clear satin is the best.  It does not attack the laser printer's lettering and is completely transparent.  I will use it for the fuel caps and for the fuel selector markings.  I'll leave the panel labeling uncovered and see how things go.

3/6/07, 4 hrs: moved to the hangar.  I had to look at several different trailers and trucks in order to find the right fit.  This trailer was an 8x20 and I was able to put the plane in tail first and simply latch it down.  Placing the tool box at the rear caused pretty severe handling problems, so I had to remove it, making the trailer handle ok up to 47 mph.  If the airplane had been put in head first, handling would probably have been fine at any speed, but that would have meant having to pass the plane over the trailer's wheel wells.  The last picture shows my able, willing, and heroic assistants; thanks Bill and Martin!

3/7/07, 9 hrs: installed the tailwheel, fit the vertical stabilizer tip, riveted nut plates for rear inspection plates.  Positioned the right wing next to the fuse and ran the wires through into the cabin.  The fuel sender wire is ahead of the spar, while the electrical connection I have set up is behind, so after checking with Vans I drilled through the spar web to run the wire.  Ran the autopilot servo wire to the servo, rebuilt the connector, and secured it to the roll servo connector.

3/8/07, 7 hrs: reinstalled the empennage.  Labeled trim rocker switch and display.

3/9/07, 7 hrs: drilled and installed the lower horizontal stabilizer seals.  Vans' use of the rubber seals is idiotic; just turning them around avoids any trimming, and provides an infinitely better seal.  Discovered that after cutting the first side and checking a completed RV8's seal, so I may need to reorder some of the seal if the extra for the wings is not sufficient.  Began fitting the empennage fairing, which fits well except for the right side that will have to be cut and patched.

3/13/07, 3 hrs: worked on the empennage fairing.  Does not fit well, especially on the right side due to the rudder offset, so there is some fiberglassing to be done.

3/15/07, 6 hrs: did some patching of cuts and fixes to the empennage fairing.  Finished sanding the windscreen seals and canopy rear skirts, and then coated them with epoxy.  More patching of the cowling halves for a good fit.

3/19/07, 4 hrs: finished the vertical stabilizer tip.  Worked on the empennage fairing, patching cuts, misfits, etc...  Reinstalled the spinner.

3/20/07, 7 hrs: more work on the empennage fairing and cowling inlet fit.  Started to install the lower rudder fairing and found that it is too low, getting in the way of the tailwheel spring.  Sure enough, I didn't trim the front enough...  So, I ground the interference off, plugged it with foam, and glassed it over, allowing for plenty of space between the fairing and the spring.  If it doesn't work, I'll order a new one and do the install again.  Checked that the elevators are neutrally balanced.  Finished the day by installing the right aileron stop and installing nut plates on the Tyvek seal mounting ring.  May get to install the right wing tomorrow...

3/21/07, 8 hrs: finished the empennage fairing and installed the rudder bottom.  Will need to remove the fairing to drill on last hole, and to install Tinneman washers, but it's ready for flight.  Rudder bottom is on, light and strobe work.

3/22/07, 6 hrs: slipped the right wing into place, market the wing root fairing, and then prepped it and the wing.  Re-installed the right wing and installed one close-tolerance bolt, as well as the rear spar bolt and fuel tank bracket bolt.  Tomorrow, will tackle getting the other seven bolts in and making all the electrical connections.

3/23/07, 8 hrs: finished installing the right wing.  "Close fitting" bolts means tight fitting bolts and one has to perform some percussive persuasion on them in tight quarters, but eventually I got them installed.  Got the wires connected in the wing tips and then at the wing roots.  Much crouching in the confined space of the cockpit.  Lights and strobe work; marker beacon and VOR antennas will have wait for flight testing.  Made appointment for transponder and pitot/static checks (March 30th, 9am). Set up the left wing for installation next week.

3/26/07, 5 hrs: started work on the left wing.  Installed the pitot tube and the aileron stop.  Ready to continue installing the wing.

3/27/07, 10 hrs: installed the left wing and just about everything associated with it.  Got the pitot tube connection down pat, adjusted wiring to the tip, glassed the VOR antennas and foam form in both tips, installed the left wing root fairing.  Thanks to a nice suggestion, used the rivet gun turn up on high to get the spar bolts in, and only sweat a little.  Talked to Mattituck regarding pre-oiling the engine before starting it for the first time.  Mahlon Russell says hit the starter until I get an oil pressure reading -- no need to pull the prop by hand.  Put 8 quarts of Aeroshell 100, SAE 50 straight mineral oil.  He also said there's no point performing a differential pressure test until 25 hours are on the engine.

3/28/07, 8 hrs: finalized the pitot connection, started to install the inside paneling, installed the left side upright cap strip.  Finalized the electrical connections and had to recrimp a fast-on connector on one of the thin wires of the pitot display.  Strobes, position lights, landing lights, pitot all check out.  Checked that all the controls move freely and that the ailerons and elevators are within max/min angles.  Installed the pushrod Tyvek boots.

3/29/07, 9 hrs: installed the flaps, after modifying the hinges to accommodate the two-pin option offered by Vans.  Way superior to the through-the-inboard-aileron-hinge option -- which I tried.  Had to make some adjustment to get the flaps to lower within a degree of each other, and there is a little more adjusting to do.  Moved on to the inside of the plane, installing all the panels, rugs, and seat components, as well as the "EXPERIMENTAL" placard.  Proceeded to install everything else -- or to put it in the right spot for the weight and balance adventure.  Used the excellent digital scale system on loan from EAA Chapter 186 (thanks!) and got the data needed.  At 1,127lbs empty, the plane has lots of good useful load, so I am very happy.  Vans' instructions have you measure the datum of the wheels, and mine came out 3/4" further back than their data.  Ready to send the packet to the FAA to get the airworthiness inspection done.

3/30/07, 7 hrs: installed locknuts on the left VOR antenna leads, installed all the screws on the wingtips, ran the engine and bled the oil pressure line, got transponder and pitot/static certification accomplished, sprayed N number, peeled off the plexiglass protective film.