I reinstalled the rudder pedals today. I used a block of wood to support the pedals as I fitted the support blocks under the fuel tank. It was a bit fiddle to get the bolts in but I succeeded. I tightened the bolts but did not use the torque wrench today.
Reinstalling the Fuel Tank
With the holes for the rudder springs drilled I was ready to start reassembly. First I vacuumed out the floor under the instrument panel and cleaned up the excess grease.
Next I put the fuel tank into place under the glare shield. This was much easier than removing it. I started to work at securing the tank straps. At this point I had a look at the plans and thought that I had forgotten to put felt onto the tank. I removed the tank and then remembered that there were special instructions for the root molded tank. I found the instructions on the Sonex website and sure enough, felt was not required. I repositioned the tank under the glare shield and proceeded to install and tighten the strap bolts. I had to remember to install the fuel tank cap and the drain valve in order to close up the tank and keep contaminates out.
Rudder Spring Holes
Today I continued with the removal of the rudder pedals in order to provide access for the drilling of the holes for the rudder pedal springs. I started by removing the bolts the secured the rudder cables to the rudder pedal connecting link. After removing the pedals I cleaned up the cockpit floor. I pulled the fuel line up against the fire wall and then proceeded to remove the fuel tank.
Removing the fuel tank was a bit of a puzzle. I had to remove the fuel outlet in order to have clearance under the instrument panel crossmember and over the spar carry through tunnel. After a bit of fiddling it came out.
Next I worked to get the rudder spring holes marked. This was a bit challenging but easier now that the fuel tank was removed. With the holes marked I needed to figure out how to drill them. After trying to fit in my right angle drill and finding it was too large I started looking for smaller right angle drills. This seemed like an expensive idea so as I was looking through my tool box I came across my 12 inch long 18 inch drill bit. This was the solution.
I drilled the holes and while they were not exactly in the marked location they are both further from the edge of the angle which is actually better from a pull out point of view. I may have a bit of trouble getting the spring in but I think I can live with this.
Rudder Spring Holes
I discovered that I did not drill the holes for the rudder pedal springs. I spent some time figuring out where the holes need to be drilled but with the fuel tank installed this location is very difficult to get too. I need to remove the fuel tank.
Before removing the fuel tank I installed the seat pan and removed the control stick. This was to provide me a place to work from.
Seat Pan Installed
With the seat pan installed I removed the fasteners from the fuel tank straps. Next I tried to drop the tank down below the stops holding it in place. I forgot about the fuel cap and it prevented the tank from moving. After removing the fuel cap I was able to pull the tank forward but I could not tip it down below lower instrument panel cross member. So, I put the tank back in place.
Fuel Tank Under Glare Shield
I’ll need to remove the rudder pedals to lower the fuel tank further. This will be my next step
Completing Riveting on the Rudder
A couple of rivets at the lower rib needed to be pulled by hand as they seemed to interfere with the rivets holding the control horn. By using a hand puller I was able to ensure that the head was seated properly as I slowly pulled the rivets.
Finishing Up Rudder
It’s been a while since I made an entry in my builders log. Work has been very slow but I am trying to get back at things and get back to recording my work. Today I was working on my rudder. I spent time deburring the ribs for inside the rudder. I found that a tongue depressor wrapped in sand paper works well to break of the burr on the inside of the flanges. After getting everything deburred, I began the riveting process. I started by riveting in the center rib then the hinge. Next, I reveted the rudder drive horn assembly. I left the drive horn assembly and the top rib off so that this area could be inspected as part of my precover inspection.
More Work on the Drive Horn
I continued working on the drive horn today. I center punched and drilled all of the pilot holes, completed the sanding and used scotch brite to clean up the part. I filed the bevel on the one edge as indicated. This appears to provide some relief when the horn is riveted to one of the ribs for the rudder.<br /><br /> With all of this work completed I started to setup for bending the drive horn.
Drive Horn Template
The drive horn shown in the plans has no dimensions but is drawn full scale. I decided that the quickest way to make this part was to start with a template. I used a piece of drafting paper to trace the drive horn from the plans. I then glued the drafting paper to a piece of bristol board and cut it out. This provided a rigid template that I could trace for the final shape on the aluminum.<br /><br /> I traced the shape onto the aluminum and used the band saw to cut out the rough shape. Next, I started the sanding.
Dave's Sonex Builders Log 
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