Mounting Avionics Trays

It's great to be moving on to avionics. I mounted my panel back in AZ and I stare at it all the time thinking what its gonna look like all powered up. Serious eye candy. Before that occurs there's much to be done. Like many things associated with building a plane it seems a little overwhelming at first until you break it down into manageable chunks. I started with a couple needed chores. I first dropped off my two steel boarding steps to be powder coated gloss white. Then I unbolted and mailed off both control sticks to Tosten Mfg. Tosten will shorten each stick by 3 inches, so the grips don't hit the panel and install their CS-8 grips and associated wiring harnesses. The grip switches will control pitch/roll trim under the coolie hat, PTT (VHF push to talk) under the trigger, autopilot disconnect under the index switch and the 2 thumb switches will control TOGA (Takeoff/Go Around logic for missed approaches) and radio comm flip/flop. Then I spent a full day reviewing the nearly 1000-page Garmin G3X manual to get smart on installation stuff and more familiar with all the capabilities my panel contains. I unboxed and organized all my LRUs and reviewed the large SteinAir wiring diagram they provided me. There's a lot of information to absorb. My next issue was removing the canopy to get access behind the panel. With the help of my wife and a neighbor that was accomplished uneventfully. I decided to tackle my center avionics stack first because it was the most accessible. My GNX375 GPS navigator/ADS-B transponder and GTR200 VHF radio go there. Each unit has a tray that needs to be mounted securely that they slide into. Getting those trays in correctly is no small feat. Fortunately, my building buddy Craig back in AZ is a smart guy. His clever mind came up with a template designed on CAD that's specific to my panel. This template will be clecoed into existing holes and then I can accurately match drill additional holes in the template to my structure corresponding exactly to the mounting holes for the two trays. At least in theory! If this works as I expect the two trays will be mounted in the exact correct position. I got nut plates riveted to the 4 clamping plates used to secure shims mounted on each side of the trays. They are designed to take up some excess space in the sub panel on either side of the trays. Before going further, I need delivery of my new 90-degree pneumatic angle drill and associated short drill bits. I've needed this tool for a while. At over $300 I always managed to borrow one when needed. I finally bit the bullet and bought my own and it should let me drill the needed holes in the tight confines behind the panel as well as all the other holes I'll be drilling for various LRUs.