Since I had plenty of time while waiting for replacement tank parts, I came up with a much better Z Bracket installation technique than described in the manual. Start by installing the center nutplate in each bracket (except for the inboard brackets). I cheated the location in against the wall (not quite touching) to ease pop riveting these on later. Install the brackets on the spar, drill the outer holes, and install those nutplates as well. The inboard brackets have the holes toward the edge to ease installation using a socket or wrench.

Here the brackets have been bolted to the spar. They are extremely firm and drilling later will result in perfect location. Unfortunately I didn't find my shots of the z-bracket prep prior to this point so the above text will have to suffice.

Another shot of the brackets bolted up. Here you can see the nutplates not quite on center, but rather moved toward the bracket wall. Just the opposite on the inboard brackets, those are moved toward the edge.

With the tank rib/skin assembly clecoed to the wing, you can drill the inboard rib holes. All the tank parts are clecoed together with the exception of the rib/baffle/bracket holes since the brackets are in the way. The goal is just to get the outer ribs drilled and then remove all parts leaving the baffle exposed which is then trivial to drill.

The inboard rib is drilled to the baffle/z-bracket with the alignment determined by the skin clecoes to the #8 attach screws. The outboard end is next and the LE assembly should already have been in place to make sure the alignment is correct.

Next we go to the outboard end. We need to get rid of the outboard LE by taking out the clecoes and removing the assembly. The end rib will not come out with the assembly, however.

You'll need to remove all the clecoes in the inboard LE rib/attach plate area as shown and remove the remaining LE assembly leaving these parts behind.

The inboard LE rib and attach plate left behind can now be easily removed by tilting out the leading edge. It's those rivets on the spar next to the rib flange that prevented the removal with the rest of the leading edge.

Now the tank outboard rib/baffle/z-bracket can be drilled. Even though the leading edge assembly has been removed, the clecoes holding the skins to the attach screw nutplates are extremely rigid and alignment will not have moved.

The outboard drilling complete. The next step is to remove all the tank parts except for the baffle and end ribs which will remain clecoed in place to maintain alignment.

After removing all the baffle and end rib clecoes from the tank assembly, the parts are lifted off leaving behind the baffle and end ribs. The inner z-brackets can now be drilled with ease and the alignment will be perfect.

With the baffle removed you can see that the holes drilled are very close to center, but just a little offset which will give better access when pop riveting to the tank assembly later on.

Another shot of the end rib when finished. You can see the baffle holes just slightly off center but the bolts have been moved toward the edge so that a wrench or socket can be used. If put on center per plans this would be difficult to work on.

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