Floorboards???

[jbowaaf 0]

Floor boards, is it me or are they terribly flimsy. Maybe I have the wrong boards...shutter to call the that really, they amount to that of the same strength and thickness as that old seventies paneling you use to use in lieu of paint.

My question is do I have the wrong boards?? I am highly circumspect about the use of these...see for your self....

Sorry pic to be in next post

Keep your flaps down!!

[cajunpilot 0]

Heres what we think to be the floorboards...

Plus a Lagniappe photo of the Ol' military coonass at work

[cajunpilot 0]

Final Pic of floorboards...supposedly

Keep Em' Flyin

[akflyer 1427]

Nope, I think mine are 1/8".  When they are in and bolted / screwed / clipped, they are plenty strong.  You will not be standing on them as there just is not enough room in there.  You feet will rest on them is all.  You have the aluminum heal plates to go in there are well right?

[dholly 718]

I originally fitted 1/4" luan underlayment leftover from a floor tile project (cheap, cheap), but ran into interference with the front aileron bellcrank and rod end. I ended up re-doing with 1/8" baltic birch 5-ply marine. Marine ply has no voids and waterproof glue, like aircraft grade, much higher quality. Funny thing is, I think the thinner stuff actually feels more solid! Used two coats of PolyFiber EV-400 Epoxy Varnish on both sides, looks pretty good. I had to fit the baggage floor in two pieces. Figure the split will be hidden under my yet-to-be-made elevator push/pull tube safety tunnel cover.

P.S. - all you Avid Flyers with the mixer tube cluster behind the seat, eat yer hearts out at our Fat open baggage area!!   ;D  

[akflyer 1427]

damnit.. now I wanna fat bastard too...   Nope, I will keep mine just the way it is for what she was intended to do, but I will stretch the parts of my wrecked pacer and make a sweet fat pacer with long wings... witha baggage area that will make you eat your heart out 

The first fat bastage I looked at was jackaks and man.  What a sweet bird those are going to be!

[cajunpilot 0]

Hidey Ho Neighbors,

Wow, that Five ply with the varnish is sexy stuff. Gotta love it. Okay not sure what are paneling is for but sure well figure it out. But it sounds like at the very least, were gonna be opening that hole in the ground we keep throwing our money into...otherwise known to you Yankees as an investment!!

Do you have a copy of the template you used for the floor. Were not sure how to attack this. The Mrs Coonass AKA Mother to me,(What a Mom!! look at her fine offspring!!), will be attacking this part of the project. I guess we can

                                                                 

pick that stuff up at a lumber yard? Where should we look for it?

Drum roll please...........

The Cajun/LSU Avid Has Landed!!!!!! WOOOOHOOOO!!!!!

Thanks so much for all the help.

As I type our little bird is napping quietly in our garage, on, you guessed it, her own three legs.

We have the wheels packed and properly installed with Jumbo ty-raps (175LBS a Piece)WAY!! more easy than Hose clamps. We used four two on each side.. I think it a great alternative to the hoseclamps.

Here are the picks. Enjoy! and thank you soo much for the ongoing help and banter 

Sincerely,

The Coonass Militia

[dholly 718]

G'morning Militia,

Well, I am impressed! Certainly with your progress, but damn, it takes a confident cajun to pose in a fuzzy pair of purple slip-ons! 

I can assure you I spared absolutely no expense on my floorboard templates. Here's what I did... I drove down to the local grocery store > purchased (2) 6-packs of my favorite brewed hop bubbles > asked clerk to bag each separately > when asked "paper or plastic?", I chose paper > NOTE: insist each be DOUBLE-bagged (this will become apparent later). IMPORTANT: Resist the temptation to drink them on the drive home.

Back in the shop, I pulled up a stool and began visualizing the task at hand. Of course, aeronautical engineering planning sessions in my neck of the woods are facilitated with cold beer and cigars, so pretty soon I was looking at (6) dead soldiers and an empty paper bag. I was just about to flick my cigar ash into the old bag and then it hit me --viola!-- slice that sucker open and use it for a template. Perfect size! (see pic)

Now see, I told ya up North we are an enterprising bunch but sometimes have a hard time thinking too far ahead... I had to 'reuse' the same dang bag for pilot, passenger and both baggage floor boards. Let me tell you, it got downright ratty by the time I was done but if'n ya DOUBLE bag your beer, you're gonna have a fresh bag for each board! w00t!

[akflyer 1427]

WHACK, now thats usin your dip stick jimmy  

I used newspaper for templates or poster board.  Never thought of brown paper bags (which is kinda dumb of me cause we used to use them to draw up model airplane plans on when i was a wee little guy).  Sounds like we use the same aeronautical engineering technique.  I caution you as to the amount of liquid engineering you use.. cost me a couple re-do's

Me thinks I see why you are having trouble the uploads.  bigum file size..

[cajunpilot 0]

Papaer of plastic ehh?

Well now I see why I didn't think of it...too technologically advanced.

Now, we are starting on the flight controls. From the manual it indicates that you must install the floorboards first. Is this true? Can we do part of this prior to the installation of the floor boards? From your pictures me thinks me see that you have installed the bell cranks, mixers and some such before you installed the floor boards. Now, I know from your pic of the Marine ply that you have to install that prior to installing the control column housing. So, my question is can I install some of the other stuff I mentioned before I place the floor board in?

Also, on installing the floor board, how hard was that and do you have any pointers from when you installed yours?

Oakie Dokie that's all for now,

Check back in a little, going to see about paper bags and Marine 5 ply,

Keep you Flaps Down

[dholly 718]

In an attempt to keep things semi-organized and easy to find, I started a new thread for Flight Controls.