Day 80

Got the left wing main fuel tank mounted today.

We started by bending the long range fuel tank line to run from the tank fitting, along the bottom channel of the main spar, then out and around the mounting ribs at the root of the wing. After it was all bent, the fuel line was wrapped with PSA Seal Draft Rubber to prevent abrasion of the line.

Once the line was hooked up we set the tank up on the wing. One of the brackets was a little too tight rubbing against the fuel line, so we took the tank back off, trimmed the tab and placed the tank back on the wing.

With the fuel line and rubber wrap it was a very tight fit. Using a ratchet strap and some foam pads we were able to ratchet the root of the tank on until the cleco’s and AN3 bolts slid in and aligned just so. Then Cleco’ed the top and bottom of the tank along the main spar to ensure it is properly aligned the entire length. Also torqued the AN3 bolts to make sure the tank brackets held correctly.

Next will be to rivet the tank on.