Good day, today I’m working on the fuel tank rear baffle access panels. As I have the 55 USG extended range tanks on this plane, I’ve opted to install an access panel in each of the fuel tank bays, should I ever need access. In a previous work session, I have already made the T-407 reinforcement rings and T-408 access panel plates. I started off using the pre-drilled T-408 plate from the RV-4 kit as a template to drill my new access panel cover plates for the screw holes.
Then I used the pre-drilled T-407 ring as a template for the new rings as well. As you can see I stacked them to help cut down on the drilling. These access panels are a VERY repetitive job. Anywhere here that you can save some drilling, absolutely do it!
And here we are, 6 drilled cover plates and reinforcement rings. Let’s just say, this wasn’t a 30 minute job!
Next up was to get the rings aligned and drilled to the tank baffle.
To get these aligned, I started by marking the top and bottom of each ring. I did this simply by measuring for center between the upper and lower nut plate holes. Then I used a square to get these aligned with the vertical axis of the tank baffle.
With the reinforcement rings and their screw holes drilled to the rear baffle, that’s about all I can do today. I’m going to save drilling the nutplate rivet holes for another day.
That’s all for today folks! Please comment. I love to hear from my readers. Thanks again for coming along for this ride, you make my work worthwhile.
Yikes. What made you think of this from a risk reduction standpoint? I’ve seen Mooney guys rip up their arms trying to get to the sealant when it was time for a reseal. I’m sure this would be a great setup for that eventuality. (Hint: Always, always keep some 100LL in the tank to keep the sealant from drying out and cracking.)
I’m finally starting on my wings bouncing between the RV-4 plans, Harmon plans, and the TR plans. At least my spars were already finished to TR spec.
I’m really enjoying your build progress, as I’m about a year behind you.
Good point on always keeping some fuel in the tank to keep the sealant from drying up. Another great reason (to store the plane with full tanks) is to keep condensation and moisture from developing in the tanks as well. As for the access panels, it’s a ton of extra work, but if I ever have to get in and fix a leak one day, I don’t want to have to disassemble the majority of the tank to get there. Thanks for your comments and good luck on your build!