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Mesteve
03-27-2019, 03:19 PM
I think I'm about ready to start glueing the ribs into place on the horizontal stab. What is the preferred metal prep? Just a red scotchbrite if memory serves from here. Also, I am planning on doing the varnish after they are all permanently mounted to prevent anything from getting between the hysol and the wood; sound right?

21969

efwd
03-27-2019, 03:32 PM
everything you say is how I did it. Don't forget that you will want all your ribs to line up with those mounted in the rudder and elevator. Not required but it will look nice.

jiott
03-27-2019, 04:53 PM
Line up with rudder?

Mesteve
03-27-2019, 06:21 PM
Day 1, page 1 (well, page 2, the tool kit is on order with the requisite reamers for the hinges). Got the ribs for the horizontal stabilizer reinforcements hysoled on and dry fit to the frame. Next up is masking and prepping the frame for the bibs to get hysoled on and varnished.

N213RV
03-27-2019, 07:58 PM
Line up with rudder?

Yes, the VS ribs should line up exactly to the rudder ribs, and the HS ribs should line up exactly with the elevator ribs. You should plan this just right before you bond any in place..... it will look odd if you don’t do this....

jiott
03-27-2019, 10:17 PM
Yeah you are right. I spaced out and thought he was saying the HS ribs needed to line up with the rudder.

Mesteve
04-12-2019, 06:25 AM
After working on the right control stick bearing and mount, and getting it moving as freely as I would like, i have turned my attention to the left (delron) bearing. I have done quite a bit of sanding on the race where it meets the control column but I still have some binding, mostly at the forward 1/2 to 1/3 of range of motion. My calibrated eye says it looks like the tube is out of round some, so I will research that more as time permits. In the mean time, I am going to keep sanding away on the race to open the bearing up some and see if that cleans up the range of motion. At test fit, it didn't look like it would take removing so much material to make a clean install, but it keeps getting better each pass, so I will keep going down this path for now...

jiott
04-12-2019, 09:01 AM
I had the same issue; had to sand more clearance than I thought. Also, don't torque the bolts down very hard because it will distort the plastic and cause binding. Put grease on also.

Mesteve
04-12-2019, 09:17 AM
Put grease on also.

I seem to recall the consensus is just a white lithium type grease, but can't seem to confirm. Does that sound about right?

jiott
04-12-2019, 03:29 PM
I used white grease, but I believe Kitfox recommends wheel bearing grease. I don't think its a big deal either way.

Mesteve
04-14-2019, 05:56 PM
Had the pleasure of drilling out my first rivet today... Putting the flap/aileron mixer assembly together, I didn't pay attention to which side of the bar one of the arms fell on when installing the clevis pins and riveting the keeper straps.

David47
04-14-2019, 11:07 PM
Welcome to the home builder world !. The number of times I've done this, had second thoughts and redone stuff and generally looked at a final result and said, "nah, don't like that .... " ....well, I could write a book about it.

Plan well ahead, figure out what happens a few steps down the line. .... and don't get ahead of yourself. Most of all, stick with it and look to this site for ideas, inspiration and encouragement. I know I do ...

Mesteve
04-17-2019, 06:02 PM
Revisiting the control friction, I have played around with washers and cleaned up the bushing/bearing interface, but the fore/aft movement isn’t as clean and smooth as the left/right is. My left/right movement “flops” side to side, but the fore/aft has to be moved through it’s range of motion. Has anyone else put a scale on the pull to measure the resistance?

efwd
04-17-2019, 07:18 PM
I would say that is the norm. Fore and Aft is dependent on the Nylon friction bearing you installed to support the unit. Left to right is nearly nil since its all mounted on ball bearings / frictionless.
I believe everyone simply polishes down the nylon bearing until the movement is freed up to your liking. Also, be aware that when you install the nylon, you can squeeze it too tight if you use too much torque on the bolts.

Delta Whisky
04-23-2019, 05:25 PM
MeSteve - have you had a chance to see the fairly numerous similar situations and solutions at: https://teamkitfox.com/Forums/threads/8760-Control-column-problem-and-solution?

Almost all of us have had a similar issue - good luck on getting to the bottom of your specific situation. I had some level of three of the problem sources to resolve.

Mesteve
04-23-2019, 05:53 PM
I have seen that thread, even contributed to it some... But thanks for the cross post for ideas.

Mesteve
04-24-2019, 05:19 PM
I got around to installing the flap linkage tonight, but I noticed the linkage/bar contacts the frame when it goes through its full range of motion. I assume there will be some limits imposed later with the detents, but at this point, no rotation of the linkage prevents contact through its movement.

Is this normal, and just don't worry about it until later or is this something I need to address now somehow?

You can see the contact being made...

2211022108

Mesteve
06-02-2019, 12:32 PM
OK, what am I missing? The instructions don’t show how the bottom piece is supposed to fit. I assume it’s a cut I need to make, but I don’t see any reference to doing so...

Delta Whisky
06-02-2019, 03:39 PM
You're correct - at least that is how I did mine. I'm working from memory here but I believe I had to cut out a section (as opposed to just making a cut). Sorry I don't have a specific picture but maybe enough is seen here:
22408

Meyer
06-03-2019, 07:03 AM
Yes, cut the bottom piece in your picture - it becomes two pieces.

efwd
06-03-2019, 07:44 AM
that is what I did.

Mesteve
06-03-2019, 07:53 AM
Thanks! I’ll get to cuttin’...

Mesteve
06-15-2019, 01:08 PM
I have been making slow, but steady progress... I have all of the VS and rudder ribs permanently mounted and just finished up making the upper tail access panel mounting strips. The next step is mounting the aft bulkhead, but as I go about test fitting it it doesn’t seem to match up at all. Does the bulkhead need to be trimmed down to match the width of the airfoil rib that the upper access panel strip gets attached to or should it stick out that far?

Frontier Fox
06-15-2019, 08:56 PM
I was scratching my head the same way. Trim away, you are on the right path. Think about how the fabric and access panels will fit and trim according.

efwd
06-16-2019, 07:49 AM
Get a piece of cloth, sheet, t-shirt or something. Lay it up against that area, pull it tight. You will glean what it will look like after fabric goes on. I barely removed enough of the wood so my fabric only barely slips around the through pipe.

Mesteve
06-16-2019, 08:40 AM
I like the cloth idea. But, don't the end of the rib and the top of the bulkhead have to meet for the access panel?

efwd
06-16-2019, 11:53 AM
Yeh, when all said and done you will note that this area is one of those spots that most of us use Poly Fiber Superfil to shape much like the aluminum angles around the small triangle windows.

Mesteve
07-14-2019, 03:20 PM
I’m trying to figure out the best way to tackle elongating this hole for bolt access, but can’t find any photos that show good detail. Should I open it up past the rib or just to the rib?

and I have already realized I cut the holes too far forward... Upside, if the rudder ever needs to reach a 90 degree angle, it won’t be the fiberglass that hits first... Not to worried since I had already planned on covering the slots with clear vinyl like John does with his personal plane.

efwd
07-14-2019, 04:54 PM
I cut mine into a T shaped hole.

David47
07-15-2019, 05:57 PM
Steve, first off, your rudder can't turn through 90 Deg because the elevator will prevent that. You're limited to about + and - 25 Deg, give or take. As for the rudder hinge point bolts, like Eddie, I cut "T" shaped access slots/holes for the two upper hinge points and an "L" shaped cutout in the lower. I've included couple of photos for you.

Mesteve
09-29-2019, 03:23 PM
Working on the door frame...

I understand the manual to instruct the door frame pieces to position the 3-sided tube section on he square frame of the door frame. However, the front part of the door frame material for the threshold sits out from the frame about 3/8”.

Am I understanding this correctly or did I miss something? How do I bring the front of the threshold flush?

Delta Whisky
09-29-2019, 05:46 PM
Steve I gently massaged mine over my leg until the fitment was acceptable. 23208

Recommendation: clamp it in place with lots of clamps and the required spacers as you make small adjustments or you might end up chasing the elusive rabbit.

Good luck, Darrel

Shadowrider
09-29-2019, 07:02 PM
If anything add a little extra space to the front of door. If the front is too tight then you will not be able to fit the bracket for the gas strut between the door and the frame.

Mesteve
10-10-2019, 08:59 AM
So, apparently, my computer is having a Monday (yes, its Thursday...) and won't search the forums.

I am looking for floor board mounting solutions that people have been happy with. I don't like the little screws provided since they wont reach several of the tabs welded to the frame. I have thought rivnuts, but don't they have the potential to spin loose making screw removal, er, difficult?

Mesteve
10-10-2019, 09:06 AM
Steve I gently massaged mine over my leg until the fitment was acceptable. 23208

Recommendation: clamp it in place with lots of clamps and the required spacers as you make small adjustments or you might end up chasing the elusive rabbit.

Good luck, Darrel


Its actually the outside of this photo where I am curious about... At that forward lower corner, where the vertical angle meets the boot cowl.

airlina
10-10-2019, 09:23 AM
So, apparently, my computer is having a Monday (yes, its Thursday...) and won't search the forums.

I am looking for floor board mounting solutions that people have been happy with. I don't like the little screws provided since they wont reach several of the tabs welded to the frame...

Built my series 5 many years ago and found that using sheet metal screws that go thru the tabs are not a great idea as over time they will strip out, so if thats what the new kits still use, do yourself a favor and use the rivnuts its either now or later. They have rivnuts that have a key to help alleviate the spinout. Bruce N199CL

bumsteer
10-10-2019, 11:12 AM
And a little dab of red Loctite on the rivnut doesn't hurt either.

Rick

jrevens
10-10-2019, 06:36 PM
Its actually the outside of this photo where I am curious about... At that forward lower corner, where the vertical angle meets the boot cowl.

Steve,

If I understand your question correctly, the position of the short piece of aluminum angle that's bonded to the fuselage structure there, is adjusted to make everything fairly flush. That may not be what you're talking about.

Mesteve
10-17-2019, 08:56 AM
Yup. that's the piece. Am I cutting the sill/door frame so the vertical piece can taper in?

jrevens
10-17-2019, 10:37 PM
I'm still not sure if I understand your question clearly, but the installed position of the aluminum angle is adjusted for the best fit, and some SuperFil or something similar could be used to fare it in if necessary. As I recall, I didn't do a particularly good job with that. You don't do any cutting on the "sill/door frame" if I read you correctly and you are talking about the fuselage structure as it comes from Kitfox.

efwd
10-18-2019, 05:46 AM
I'm with John. Maybe, if you haven't proceeded, you should post a Pic.

Mesteve
11-03-2019, 04:21 PM
Sorry its been a while since I asked...

So, here's what I ended up doing... I emailed the factory and they said they cut a slit in the bottom threshold piece and taper it in towards the fabric attach angle, so that's what I did.

Kitfox's photo
23327


My photo
23326

bbs428
11-16-2019, 09:12 PM
Working around the doors was not my favorite time. Had to go through a lot of older posts to wrap my head around the joggles. J. McBeans pic's and notes helped me out the most.

Looking Good!

Mesteve
11-17-2019, 06:05 AM
Thank you.

i was looking at getting the dual pin latches fabricated and attached to the door frame, but guess too needs to wait until after paint as there needs to be some shimming involved. I was really hoping the doors would be one of those “show” steps after all of the door frame work, but guess that ain’t happening...