We are making progress. Dick got the stainless exhaust mount brackets fit and welded together. They hold the exhaust well and just rigid enough to prevent ware but not rigid enough to promote cracking. These brackets will have to be lubricated with high temp anti seize to ensure they can “float” slightly.
Dick also worked on further fitting the baffles the right rear baffle is now trimmed. He also bent and trimmed the right side baffle it now fits the cowl and gives us a place for baffle seal material.
In between working on these things with Dick, I worked on mounting avionics components more. I abandoned the idea of nut plate rings for the GAD29 and GDL39R and decided to use EZ Point Nuts. They are washers with nutplates already built in. Simply hold the device up to mounting location and match drill pilot holes into the fiberglass skin. Then enlarge to 3/8″. The EZ Point nutplates will friction fit in the holes and be perfectly located.
Flox the EZ Points in and layup 2 BID over top. Done. Mount the suckers.
I also located a line parallel to the longitudinal axis of the airplane on the avionics shelf. Then used this to locate a mounting plate along the fuselage sidewall for the GSA25 ADHRS, which incidentally has a mounting tolerance of only 1 degree with the longitudinal axis but 30 degrees with the pitch axis.
To allow the shelf to cure overnight and continue work on it tomorrow, I made sure I got the layup done tonight. After cure, nutplates can be added to facilitate mounting the ADHRS. I’m getting closer to being able to bond in the avionics shelf.
the Garaggio 