38 - Canopy & Window (complete); 39 - Seatbacks (nearly complete); 40A - Gear & Engine Mount (misc. tasks); 41 - Wing Attach (misc. tasks); 42 - Miscellanea (ready for paint); 43 - Engine Install (misc.)

Big news - the engine arrived this week! What a beaut - now, I just have to figure out how to prep it prior to mounting it to the fuselage.  Prior to that, I need to attach the gear ... but there's been a COVID-induced issue.  I've been waiting on a number of parts from Van's - essentially all the larger powdercoated parts in the finish kit (incl. gear legs), as well as the exhaust system for the engine.  After contacting them, COVID has hit their suppliers of these parts, so there is no projected ship date.   To keep forward momentum, I am going through each section and doing any task that I can logically do out of the standard order, and thus why this post has tasks from 6 different sections.  Here is a summary:

- installed defog fans; installed rear seal and torqued zone 3 of canopy; fiddled with canopy latch mechanism - pins still too tight (need to work it in)
- fabricated seat backs - still need to paint, so didn’t final-install the pins
- bolted engine mount to firewall assembly (with help from wife)
- separated and primed gear attachment angles; primed and installed upper gear braces (not final torqued yet, since waiting on 3/8” torque wrench); trimmed washer for nose gear leg; primed gear attachment bars
- final-drilled #17 holes in wing root fairings
- elevator pushrod assembly and priming; wing root fairings deburred and lower fairings bent around 1.25” PVC pipe
- engine delivery and uncrating
- determined best way to lift engine
- dimpled holes and installed nutplates to seat ramps; deburred  edges of almost all parts in the Miscellanea section; riveted motor cover assembly; riveted aft cover and doubler; attached shoulder harness cables; primed stick boot doubler and battery box attach angle
- temporarily installed battery; installed master relay and starter solenoid; installed sender mount to firewall (without oil and fuel pressure sensors, since I’ll need those from SteinAir)
- figured out how to install a Michelin Airstop tube and tire on the Matco nosewheel (final tire pressure = 35 psi)
- installed tubes and tires on main wheels (final tire pressure = 40 psi); packed grease into all 6 bearings (2 per wheel); installed bearings in main wheel and tire assemblies; torqued upper gear brace; installed elastomer pad; installed nose wheel and tire assembly, using Matco axle, spacers, and bearings

Assembled engine hoist: