Alex's Vans RV-10 Build Log

While working on the forward fuselage a while back, I gave some thought to how the SDS EFII fuel pumps will be installed in the tunnel. The fuel pumps will rest on a shelf that is attached using the same pull rivets that hold the floor panels and tunnel access panel doublers in place. Rather than installing a shelf that extends fully along the bottom of the fuel pump mount, as some others have done, I decided to create two smaller shelves at each end of the pump mount. I started by cutting 4 pieces of 3/4"x3/4"x1/16" angle to a length that would span 3 rivets (with appropriate edge distances) along the floor panel rivet line in the tunnel sides. Angle shelf supports cut to length and deburred After marking a line down each support  5/16" from the edge, I marked and drilled a #30 hole to use as the initial rivet hole Initial rivet holes drilled in all angle supports Angles were then clecoed in the appropriate locations in the tunnel ensuring that the shelves would su...

The next somewhat challenging task in this section is to match drill the holes from the fuse channels into the firewall brackets. The difficulty comes from the firewall bracket weldments not sitting in quite the correct locations next to the fuse channel flanges and web, and the risk of having hole edge distance issues if the weldments are not first aligned properly. Prior to starting any drilling, I first marked the center line of each fuse channel web and the center of each firewall bracket weldment that lays along it. That would provide a good reference to know when the weldments were correctly centered in the web. Starting with the upper firewall brackets, and the weldments that lie along the upper fuse channel web, I found that a scrap piece of 1/8" angle aligned the weldment perfectly with the centerline drawn on the fuse channel web. Clamping the weldment in position, I carefully match drilled and clecoed each hole. 1/8" angle holding the web weldment in the correct lo...