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Thread: <Archive Thread> Building the EX3 - Tips & Hints

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  1. #18
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
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    Broken Arrow, OK
    Posts
    841

    Default Re: Building the EX3 - Tips & Hints

    FUSELAGE - Finishing Up

    Remember back when we were installing the floorboard and we trimmed the front of the heat tunnel? Well now is a good time to check that out again as well with the actual firewall in place. I used the long straightedge remember to check and trim a lot of it off but you can see here it needs more trimming at the top of the round tunnel so the rest of the firewall will sit flush along the bottom as you can see. Just mark it now and trim it more when you remove the boot cowl.



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    You can see in the photo how the floorboard is not flush with the firewall there? A pretty good gap on the right side of the heat tunnel and a little on the left as well. It's just because the top of it is hitting the firewall. Trim until it all fits flush.

    I now use a BLACK RTV silicone (JB WELD) here and on the engine baffles instead of the red. It looks MUCH nicer.
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BWZ1W3A/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    I think installing the tunnel is pretty well covered in the video and manual so I won't go over that.

    I will now go over every 1/2" of the fuse built looking at all the nuts, bolts, rivets, etc and be sure they are all torqued (and torque sealed unless castellated nuts), rivet installed and correct, wiring, etc etc. The last thing I do is to run back through every page of the manual AGAIN! (I know....we are all sick of manuals by this point). This is a checklist to be sure you have done everything.

    Fuselage finished! Next we will cover it.

    I have 67 hours and 15 minutes in the fuse build and a total of 186 hours up to this post as you've seen in the posts (wings built and covered; fuse built and tail feathers covered)


    COVERING THE FUSELAGE

    i have 5 videos on COVERING THE FUSELAGE and several on installing the grommets and patches. Here are some links:

    PART 1:
    https://youtu.be/2MMnNW5cvfs. The belly fabric.
    PART 2: https://youtu.be/fYKjhSSrZSE belly fabric after first shrink
    PART 3: https://youtu.be/Z7IjrBBQIg8. Main fabric install
    PART 4: https://youtu.be/kjbrwHu5XLM. First shrink and details on covering the baggage door frame and windows
    PART 5: https://youtu.be/9B2nkugesU4. Grommets and poly brushing patches.
    FUSELAGE COVER TAPES AND PATCHES - PART 1 https://youtu.be/oWKlcViX3IA
    PART 2: https://youtu.be/6vJ6877ahwI
    PART 3: https://youtu.be/hmsxvbR94uk

    The manual details getting the fuselage all prepped for paint. Seems easy but it took me over 4 hours to do this. It took over 3 rolls of 2" masking tape. Try to put the paper everywhere you can and try not to put the masking tape directly onto any tubes, etc. if you can avoid it. You'll be glad later when you have to remove all this!

    It's a little different actually for us because at the factory they install the electronics and wiring hardness before they cover and paint it so they refer to using the blue paper to cover the inside of the fuselage under the panel area but we don't do it that way, so just cover the tubes and inside tubes.

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    Another builder recently sent me a picture of him using clear plastic wrap (like Saran Wrap, etc) instead of paper around all the tubes. Sounds like a good idea and I used 1 - 200 sq ft. rule of it on my current built and it works great.

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    The last thing I do before starting the cover is to run my hand over every place the fabric will contact on the fuse checking that it is smooth with no rough spots, globs of meth or glue, etc. I run my hand down each stringer (sides, top, bottom), each longeron tube, rudder fin, etc. Some 320 sandpaper works well to take any little things out. Anything on these areas will show up when you put the fabric over it.

    Check in your kit and see if you got all your grommets and patches. In the last 2 EX3 Kits I have been missing the extended baggage door patch; the fuel drain patch and 3 of the rectangular patches so before you start, be sure you have those so you can get them sending them while you are covering.
    Last edited by Daveembry; 02-23-2023 at 12:02 PM.
    Dave Embry
    "You only live once.......but if you do it right.........once is enough."..

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