Time: 3 Hours
Today was another milestone for me, completing the rudder. The first step was to match and enlarge the holes with the drill. Then I dismantled the leading edge and removed all the blue protective film and deburred the holes. Now was the fun stuff, reattaching the leading edge. That took me close to 45 minutes. Once complete the next thing to do is use pop rivets to secure it.
I’m real pleased with the outcome! The joint is tight and the curves look good, it will fly!
To install the rod end bearings, the parts that fit in between the hinge brackets on the HS you need a special tool. I took a lesson from a fellow builder, Jason, at www.rv7-factory.com and built one. As per his instructions I took a piece of 3/4″ PVC pipe and created a handle. I then took a smaller piece of 1/2″ PVC pipe and cut a slot in the end that was just wide enough for the rod end. That piece was then glued inside the 3/4″ piece after removing a little bit of the outside of the 1/2″ piece. What you end up with is a socket of sorts that works perfect. I went a step further and added a 3/4″ T on the end for a handle.
After installing the rod ends and setting them at the correct length I brought out the VS. I just laid them out to see the layout. Looks awesome!! I decided to call it a night as it was after 11pm and want the neighbors to still like me! :-). Tomorrow I will make a few temporary hinge pins and a tool to hole the hinge bolts in the very tight space.
