9-13-2020

During the times I was removing/installing the engine cowling I noticed the lower cowling had small pillows develop between the fastner holes where the cowling attached to the fuselage. I tried slight bends in the aft edge of the cowling as it seemed to not quite conform to the fuselage lines but that did not fix the problem. 

I realized two items contributed to this situation: I had not been able to snug the aluminum to the fuselage tight enough when I drilled the lower side skins and to a lesser degree, my short fastener spacing contributed to the problem.

I decided to replace the lower side skins but since I was going to change the fastner spacing I chose to also replace the top section with the same fastner spacing (where it joins the fuselage). 

Using 2024-T3, 0.032" aluminum, I back drilled and cutout a new top sking being careful to only back drill the fastner holes I wanted to use. After deburring the holes and edges, I installed the new top skin back onto the fuselage. Next I'll start on the lower side skins.