25 - Fwd Mid Fuse Bulkheads (Fuselage kit delivered; most bulkheads completed)

Big week - the Fuselage kit was delivered!  It took 8.5hrs to inventory everything, and a few small items were missing as usual (just blind rivets, bolts, and washers) ... but, even after receiving the missing items, 6 blind rivets were still the wrong size!  Lack of attention to detail that I haven't yet experienced from Van's.  Maybe they have too many orders to fill?   UPDATE - I found out from Van's that someone loaded the wrong rivet size into the bin specified for AACQ-4-3 blind rivets, and thus why my order was wrong (twice).  No worries, at least I was able to help them get to the bottom of this.  So, anyone with AACQ-4-3 rivets should check the length.

The parts list is daunting - far more items than even the wing kit -- this is going to be the most involved kit yet.  After finishing the inventory, I started working on the forward and mid fuselage bulkheads, which are nearly complete.  Specifically, I performed the following tasks this week:

- separated and deburred bulkhead bars; deburred and dimpled bulkhead side channels
- worked on F-01405 bulkhead assembly
- finished F-01405 bulkhead (riveted bulkhead bars together and then bolted to bulkhead)
- attached side angles to aft center section bulkhead; deburred, double-flush riveted, and primed both bearing bracket assemblies
- deburred, drilled, and dimpled cover ribs; riveted nutplates to cover ribs; assembled bearing brace assemblies; countersink flanges of forward center section bulkhead; riveted nutplates to upper flange of bulkhead; riveted and bolted side angles to bulkhead; bolted and clecoed cover ribs to bulkhead

She's finally here:  

Barely a scratch on her (unlike 2 of the last 3 crates):

These are just the hardware bags - thousands and thousands of parts to count: 

Aft bulkhead bottom channel riveted to side channels:

Double-flush riveting the bulkhead bars, while attached to the rear wing spar:

Another view:

Bulkhead bars attached to bottom channel (supposed to be with temporary nuts, but I just attached the nylox for now; will order 8 more when I have to reattach in Ch. 29):

AN6 bolts used to temporarily align side angles to center section bulkhead:

Side angles riveted to center section bulkhead:

Bearing bracket assemblies, double-flush riveted and primed:

Bearing bracket assemblies riveted to cover ribs:

Bearing brace assemblies riveted and primed:

Forward center section bulkhead flanges countersunk and nutplates riveted:

Forward center section side angles bolted and riveted to forward center section bulkhead:

Cover ribs bolted and clecoed to forward center section bulkhead: