Chapter 5 - Fuselage
5.4 - Fire wall
Page 48
5.4
Fire Wall
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The fire wall will be fabricated from a ¼ inch thick piece of plywood included in
the kit parts. This piece of plywood must have the external lines and component locations
(such as engine cradle) marked at the factory. Light planing may be required to fit the
fuselage. Some plywood boards can be warped due to shipping, so some square should
be done now. Store the firewall plywood in a flat place with weights or clamps, this should
straighten the material. In severe cases affix some 1x4'' plywood strips to the
edges of the engine side to keep it flat.
Clean and prepare the sides of the fire wall for gluing, laminate a layer of fiberglass
cloth over them and allow to cure. Disassemble the upper part of the fuselage and set it
aside, the fire wall will be installed in the lower section of the fuselage. The rear face of
this fire wall is to be placed in station 0 with considerable care and accuracy since this
will be a reference for various procedures in assembly.
Make sure the fire wall is vertical and square. Use a level line to ensure vertical
positioning relative to the level lines in the lower section of the fuselage (notch on WL
1.25 and flat edge on WL 0). Drill three or four holes about 1/16 inch in diameter through
the station to the middle of the fire wall ( -1/8” station ) so that the firewall is temporarily
fixed during external lamination. Remove the firewall, prepare a