.
The lower Side Stringer goes in a straight line from the notch in the doubler, back
to the tail end of the fuselage.
Builder’s Tip:
Crooked stringers look bad! It’s best
to hold a straight edge alongside the
stringer as you tack glue it to the
fuselage. Then, remove the straight
edge and finish gluing the entire
stringer in place.
36.
Cut the two 3/32"x3/32"x36" balsa sticks provided to 32" long for the bottom
Corner Stringers (save the remainder for the wing). Glue one stringer on each side
of the fuselage right along the bottom edge.
37.
Glue the two pieces of 3/32"x1/2" scrap balsa just ahead of former F-7.
38a.
Sand the front of the Side Stringers flush with the fuselage doublers.
b.
Taper the rear of the Side and Corner Stringers from full width at former F-7 down to nothing at the rudder post.
39.
The fuselage is now ready for final sanding. Use a sanding block with 80 grit
paper to sand smooth all the exterior glue joints. Block sand the exterior corners
using the cross-sections on the plans as a guide. After sanding with the block, go
over the entire fuselage with hand-held 220 grit paper.
40.
Two 1/8" od x 6" hardwood dowels are provided to simulate the diagonal cross
braces that run from the corners of the instrument panel up to the center of the
wing spar on a full-scale Piper J-3 Cub. Cut the dowels to length, bevel the ends
to fit, and then glue them in place. Refer to the front view plan.
Door And Window Latch
41a.
Locate the .130" od x28" nylon tube left over from step 32. Cut a 1/4" piece off one
end and glue that piece in the hole in the door. Make sure it is flush with the
outside of the door.
b.
Locate a 2-56 x10" threaded rod. Cut the rod to 1-3/4" long, including the threaded
end. Slide the plain end of the rod thru the nylon tube that you glued in the door.
Slide it thru until the threads are right up against the nylon tube. Then, on the
other side of the door, mark the plain end of the rod flush with the side of the door.
42.
Remove the rod from the door and
solder a #2 flat metal washer to the rod
at the mark. Builder’s Tip: The best way
to do this is to slide a short piece of
heat-proof silicone fuel tubing over the
wire to hold the washer in place on the
wire and to prevent the solder from
seeping onto the other side of the
washer.
43.
After the wire cools, bend the unthreaded part of the wire 90 degrees to form a handle.