Last weekend was gorgeous, this week, cold and rainy, and it is almost summer. Damn volcano.
It is amazing how once you do one, the second one is so much easier. That's the case with removing the skin on the 49. This time I used the rivet removal tool to quickly center drill the heads, getting most of the aluminum out of the center of the head. Great over painted rivets. Then I came in with a freehand drill of the same diameter and if I was off center or skewed, I could see it and correct so that the old holes in both the skin and the frame came out perfect. I think I screwed up two out of 300?
Another second is removing the rear canopy frame. Last time I cut the heads off the bolts securing the forward sliders from inside the cockpit, center drilled and easy out'd the precision bolts. Well, one of the holes isn't so happy after that. This time, I cut the nuts off with the dremel tool all the way flush to the block, then gently heated the aluminum with propane, for two minutes? each. Waited to cool, then applied penatrant oil and a pair of vice grips to slowly work them out!
It is amazing how once you do one, the second one is so much easier. That's the case with removing the skin on the 49. This time I used the rivet removal tool to quickly center drill the heads, getting most of the aluminum out of the center of the head. Great over painted rivets. Then I came in with a freehand drill of the same diameter and if I was off center or skewed, I could see it and correct so that the old holes in both the skin and the frame came out perfect. I think I screwed up two out of 300?
Another second is removing the rear canopy frame. Last time I cut the heads off the bolts securing the forward sliders from inside the cockpit, center drilled and easy out'd the precision bolts. Well, one of the holes isn't so happy after that. This time, I cut the nuts off with the dremel tool all the way flush to the block, then gently heated the aluminum with propane, for two minutes? each. Waited to cool, then applied penatrant oil and a pair of vice grips to slowly work them out!
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