[simpits-tech] Jay's F-16...

[Gene Buckle]

> I'm having a hard time picturing what you're talking about with the 
> skin.  Got any links to something similar that I could look at?  I mean, 
> hell, if I can do it now, I would rather get it out of the way.

I don't have any links, but I'll try to describe what I mean...

Say for example you're skinning with say .032" material...

You'll create a strip 2" + a little extra to account for the radius you're 
going to bend in it.

You'll have to create a few of these unless you've got access to a sheet 
metal bender that is as long as your cockpit. :)

Bend the first segment along the center line so it approaches the angle at 
the end of the strakes.  This will form a "cap" that can be permanently 
installed to cover the sharp angle that the strakes create.

Get a length of .062" thick 1/2" aluminum angle bracket and chop it into a 
bunch of 1/2" wide bits.  If you pre-drill your holes before slicing it 
up, your life will be easier. :)

Attach the L bracket to the edges of the strake, roughly 1/2" from 
the edge.  You'll need one top and bottom, so you may have to fudge the 
placement a bit if it's as tight as it looks.  These can be attached using 
a standard dome-head pull rivet.

I learned today that there is an edge-clamp Cleco - this will be perfect 
for the next step.  They're basically a tiny Cleco-plier operated 
"standard" clamp.  Use them or another small clamp to attach your first 
bit of cap strip to the installed L brackets.  Using a sharpie, mark the 
hole center in the cap through the hole in the L bracket.  When those are 
all marked, pull it off and drill them on a drill press.

Flip the cap strip over and use a microstop to create countersinks that 
match the angle of the #6x.25 screws you bought.

There is a blind nut product called a "PEM fastener".  It's basically a
press-in nut that backs a bit of metal.  If you take a peek at the fuel
panel pictures I did you'll see the PEM fasteners that I use to attach the
face of the panel.  Install #6 fasteners into the side of your installed L
brackets.  If you drill the hole according to the docs (Small Parts shows
what hole size to use in their section on these fasteners), you can press
fit them into place using a pair of vice grips.

Install the cap strip and you're done with that part.

The reason I recommend the cap strip is to avoid having a tiny gap at the 
edge of the strake where the top & bottom sheets meet.

You can attach the skins using a similar method - take some 1" angle 
bracket and cut gaps in the back side so it'll follow the form of the 
station edge better.  You can pull rivet these into place as well.

Mark the center lines of the angle bracket on the cap strip and set your 
first skin in place.  Use the rivet fan to line up a row of rivets based 
on that center line.  Mark, drill, cleco, repeat. :)

Does this make sense now?

g.



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