Jan 11 2004 - I finished up riveting the F821 top skin. I can now start fitting the canopy. There are still some wires and cables to run to the engine, but the little that is left should not pose a problem with the baggage access and cockpit access.

I contacted Vans about using CherryMax rivets inside those gear boxes. They were very unenthusiastic about enlarging the longeron holes to 1/8" and made the comment "We have found it possible to rivet these areas with regular AN rivets". Umm, okay. I took it as a challenge and sure enough managed to use solid rivets everywhere. I have the bruises and cuts to prove it!

All but one that is! This is the left side forward gear box flange rivet at the longeron. The left row of vertical rivets is the baggage compartment flange. This rivet has very good access, but that forward crossmember gets in the way of bucking. A -7 rivet kept clinching and a -6 rivet was just too short. After several unsuccesful tries, I'll go ahead and shoot a pop rivet, probably a Cherry CR2672 3/32 CherryLock A rivet.

The baggage compartment is now final.

Here is how I finally routed the fresh air vent tube. The elbow I made earlier was used to go up through the baggage compartment. No hoses are visible at all from the cockpit, and the floor still goes in very easily.

Jan 31 2004 - Started in on the baggage door. First step was to fit the side channels. After fitting and drilling, I glued the parts overnight with the door taped in place. I then riveted the parts together. The fit remains quite good.

This is the lock mechanism and the door prop that will hold it open. Procured from the airplane department of Home Depot.

I started fitting the hinge section. I am going to lower the hinge to make it invisible. There is an .050 and .032 shim below the angle stock. The outside of the eyelets are flush with the end of the skin. Only a very small gap will remain between the skins when fit.

Feb 7 2004 - I finished off the baggage door, again gluing the inside skin in place before riveting. The fit is quite good - not show plane perfect, but good enough for me. The door wanted to move aft as I trimmed the aft edge, so I had to bias the hinge forward with a small washer between one of the eyes. You may want to keep all slop out when drilling.

I also reverted back to the stock hinging since the hidden hinge wasn't working as well as I would have liked. Maybe more time spent on the geometry would have helped, but I didn't like the narrow gap when partially open.

I used Randy's baggage door prop idea and this works perfectly! I removed the angle at the door end, turned it around, and used an AN3 bolt to secure it. This allowed riveting into the rib instead of just the door skin. The tab is centered over the 5th rivet from the top.

Here is an overall shot with the door open. Time to wrap up a few odds & ends and then move on to the baffles.

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