4
Step 1: Check Forward Fuselage
Remove the fuel tanks from the fuselage.
Also remove the two forward component boards. Now would be
a good time to put a coat of paint on these parts if you would
like to protect the wood surfaces.
Vacuum and thoroughly clean the fuselage.
If the nose gear was installed at the factory with bolts and lock
washers, check these for security now.
Put a very small dab of thin CA on the three nuts that secure the
nose gear door cylinders to the door actuating arms. A small
toothpick helps limit the amount of glue applied.
Repeat this step for the three nuts that attach the door cylinders
to their respective mounting blocks.
Check all door hinges for security.
Newer kits have carbon fiber reinforcement in the nose section.
Older kits will require that this be added. Start adjacent to the
intakes and epoxy carbon fiber strips forward to the nose.
Run a bead of Aeropoxy down the sides of the three nose
formers to reinforce the joint with the fuselage side. See
photo
1.
photo 1 – optional fuse strengthening
Step 2: Prepping the Fuel System
Disassemble and inspect the tank cap hardware. As
photo 2
shows,
the process used to cut the tubes may leave behind a rim that
constricts fuel flow and could result in excess tank pressure and
leakage. The vent tube to the top of the picture shows what the
constriction looks like before repair, while the fuel tube on the lower
left shows what the tubing should look like after clean up. If the
tubing is not constricted, skip forward to the leak check.
photo 2 – correct tube constriction if necessary
Loosen the Philips head screw and remove the stopper assembly
from the tank.
Use a small, round Perma-Grit rat tail file or an Exacto knife to
remove the excess metal. You will need to inspect the ends of
all tubes.
When finished, make sure to blow out the metal fragments and
clean up any sharp edges.
While the components are apart, check the Tygon pickup line for
equal lengths in both saddle tanks. They should be long enough
to reach the back of the tanks without being so long as to
restrict their ability to move to the top of the tank when the
aircraft is inverted. Allow a small amount of play to allow the
tubes to stretch slightly over time.