3 May 2024

Completed riveting the right support rib. Riveted most of the left support rib 4mm rivets (3.2mm done previously) but discovered that I have been short supplied, so have 11 left to complete. Installed the seatbelt brackets (note - larger 4.8mm rivet size for these!) and drilled for and installed the M4 bolt, applied torque seal.

Installed the billet line separator at the lower M3 rivnut on the pilot's side to hold the brake hoses in position. Used stainless steel allen head M3 x 13mm machine screws with Loctite 243. I had to drill the threaded section in the baseplate out a bit to allow the M3 screw to pass through. Works nicely - rivnut acts as both a standoff and a nut.

After elicting some help from my son and applying the supplied Rinolit M2 EP lithium-soap based grease to the undercarriage supporting bolt shanks (to protect them from corrosion inside the pipes) as well as the bracket inside the landing gear tunnel and on the undercarriage leg, the main gear leg was installed. We found that securing the top bolt on one side allowed the gear bracket to "clip" onto it, and whilst holding it in position the top bolt on the other side was installed. Because the brackets on the gear leg are slightly angled outwards, it is not possible to install the two top bolts prior to lifting the gear leg into position as the manual recommends. The upside to this, though, is that the top bolts then hold the gear in position whilst the bottom bolts are installed. The bolts were then torqued to the 25nm recommended in the KAI and torque seal applied.

I then painted the main axle angled shims with heat resistant black paint to prevent corrosion behind the axle.