I continued working on the tailcone mods, and match-drilled the NACA valve brackets to the structure - this required a lot of fine-tuning to get the two brackets aligned properly, and the whole thing aligned with the vent flanges:
NACA valve bracket attachment to baggage bulkhead channel
I also match-drilled those brackets to the NACA valve itself, for #8 screws:
NACA valve match-drilled for screws to attach to its brackets
I match-drilled the lower avionics rails to the stiffeners (riveting these will be "fun"):
Avionics rails match-drilled to stiffeners
I finished the APU port by countersinking the hex post screw holes (for #6 screws - I should have made this out of .080" aluminum to use #8 screws safely) and the Camloc holes:
Finished APU port doubler
The assembled thing actually looks good:
APU port test assembly
APU port test assembly
I clecoed the doubler back behind the cutout:
APU port doubler test fit
then cut the matching cover plate from .025" aluminum, carefully grinded it down to the right size, and match-drilled the camloc holes into it:
APU port cover plate test fit
Also, using the template posted on VAF, I finally cut the NACA vent openings - first by drilling #30 holes near the corners, then expanding those to the layout edges with a step drill, and finally cutting the edges:
NACA vent outline
Cutting the NACA vent cutout with the dremel
NACA vent cutout done with my trusty Dremel
The result after deburring looks nice, and I'm proud of not having created a big random cut through my skin :)
Finished NACA vent cutout
I then started the loooong journey of deburring - thankfully the bulkheads were already deburred on their edges, but I still had to deburr their holes, plus all the holes and edges from the skins:
A LOT of holes to deburr
I still have a little bit of deburring to do (the edges of one of the side skins), but other than that everything's ready for primer, dimpling and riveting!
Time lapse:
Total tailcone time: 108h Total tailcone rivets: still 52
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