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Jabiru J450 Constructors Manual
Pre-Paint>Fuselage>Prepare the fuselage
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
26 of 343
Pre-Paint>Fuselage>Prepare the fuselage
Objectives of this task:
Once the
Underbody penetrations
and
Fit ventral fin and trim horn
tasks
have been completed the fuselage can be turned upright and the
remaining penetrations made. This allows the bulk (but not all) of the
mess to be made early in the build.
In the factory we place the fuselage in a jig at this stage, however you
can achieve much the same result by placing a sawhorse or a similar
platform or trestle under the cabin and a higher trestle under the
empennage. Cover both of these items with some padding to minimise
scratching the fuselage.
Large holes should be started with a pilot hole first to accurately place the hole and then be
drilled out with a hole saw. Slots should have each end drilled out first and then mark and use
a jigsaw to join the holes. Rectangular holes should have a hole drilled at each corner and then
be marked and cut from hole to hole with a jigsaw. This practise will ensure accurate cuts
with no sharply angular corners or irregular edges.
Materials and tools required:
4 lengths of 32mm OD grey plastic conduit, each 150mm long
Resin and flock, superglue, 5-minute Araldite and flock
Power drill with bits and hole saws in various sizes, jigsaw
Orbital sander, sanding blocks and 80-grit sandpaper
Sand the fuselage
Start by using your orbital sander to take any rough edges away: the moulding process can
leave sharp edges and the occasional few glass fibre prickles, so take a bit of time now and
remove all of these potential hand hazards before starting work. Fibreglass cuts are painful
and you can do a lot to avoid them by careful preparation at this early point in the build.
Think of it as an investment in your comfortable building future. Run your orbital sander
lightly across every internal surface: around the door frames, seats, console, windows, etc and
anywhere else that looks even slightly rough. There is no need to sand heavily; just a light
scuff is all that is required. Use a few hand sanding blocks for any hard-to-get-at places.
Superglue the rudder grommet in place
This is a simple thing that can save a lot of trouble later: put a
few drops of superglue under the lip of the rubber grommet
(circled at right, as viewed from the cabin) where the rudder
cable will pass into the ventral rib.
When you fit the rudder cable there is a possibility that the
grommet could be dragged into the ventral rib, so take a few
minutes now and prevent that from happening.
Use a screwdriver to lift up the edges of the grommet and put
at least 6 drops of superglue under it.
Access is from the cabin and the fit will be tight but this is well worth the small amount of
effort that is required.