.
3. Nose Assembly
a.
Epoxy the die-cut plywood firewall parts F1A, F1B and F1C together. Make certain that F1C is centered on the back.
Carefully mark the vertical centerline and the thrust line on the front of the firewall assembly. Position your engine mount on
the front of the firewall, drill holes for mounting, and install blind nuts.
b.
Join the nose main frame sides at the top with the die-cut lite-ply Nose Joiner. Note that the Joiner should not be flush with
the front of the sides, but leaves clearance room for F1C.
c.
Epoxy the nose assembly to the fuselage main frame. Make sure that the nose main frame sides are lined up with the fuse
main frame not flush with the lite-ply fuse side sheeting. The nose will have its own lite-ply side sheeting added later.
d.
Epoxy the firewall assembly in place. Double check with the Side View plan that you get it correctly located vertically. The
easiest way is to draw the thrust line on the main frame sides and match up the line on the firewall with it.
e.
Refer to the F5 cross-section drawing. Make a 5/32"x5/16" hole in the top of plywood former F5 where the 5/32" Cabin
Wires will pass through.
f.
Cut a groove through the top 5/16" square main frame pieces so the Cabin Wires can enter the slot that is between MF-1
and MF-2.
g.
Trial fit the Cabin Wires in place and rebend them slightly if necessary to get a good fit in your model. Take coarse grit
sandpaper and sand the wires in the areas where they will be glued into the model structure. This will improve glue
adhesion. When satisfied with the fit, epoxy the Cabin Wires into the side slots in the nose main frame. Use the glue
liberally, to completely cover the wire where it imbeds into the structure. Be careful that the wire doesn't stick out past the
surface of the main frame since lite-ply sheeting must still be applied later.
h.
Wrap with copper wire and solder the Cabin Wires together where they meet at the front of former F5. When cool, clean any
excess solder flux off the wires and surrounding plywood with dope thinner and a stiff nylon brush. Let the thinner evaporate
out. Smear a fillet of epoxy around the wire binding and onto the front of F5 where they meet.
SPECIAL NOTE:
It is best to make provisions now for the fuel tank mounting, while you still have easy access through the
bottom of the nose. Refer ahead to "Tips On Tanks" (section 18), for some recommendation on the type of
setup to use. At this time you should drill any necessary fuel line holes in the firewall, and make any
provisions you prefer for securing the tank in position.