Before drilling holes for the rivets that join the lower longerons and auxiliary longerons to the Wd-603 brackets, the F-684 gussets had to be fitted. These required some careful edge filing to fit really well, but this was an important juncture, so I made sure all the parts fit before riveting. The forward edge of F-684 needed to be 1/8” aft of the firewall bulkhead and the lower edge needed to align with the lower edge of the F-713 Aux. Longeron. I adjusted the bend angle as necessary to make the gusset lie flat inside the Wd-603 bracket and the vertical firewall angle. See Section K-K’, DWG 23. I clamped the assembly, drilled as shown on Detail A, and clecoed. The holes in the skin acted as guides.
Time: 2 hours.
Leonard's RV-7A Build 