Hrs: 4.5

Closing right fuel tank

One of the most challenging task in the build is closing the tank.

Preparation is key; I used SkotchBrite and thereafter Acetone to clean all parts. Also the rivets were cleaned with Acetone.

Next I masked the area so limit the mess:

Also the backplate was masked:

To protect the main spar and to make sure the tank can be removed easy after the sealant is cured I used wrapping film:

I applied the sealant on the skin, ribs and the backplate:

Tank brackets 1 and 5 are fixed with standard 4 mm rivets, the other brackets with sealed 4 mm rivets covered in tank sealant.
Bracket #5 is difficult to rivet, I purchased a secondhand close quarter pop rivet tool from Ebay that made the job easy:

Brackets on:

Next was mounting the tank to the wing and adding alternating 3.2 mm clecos and rivets to the backplate.
While the sealant has not yet reached the 2 hour limit the rivets were pulled:

With Acetone I cleaned the tank on the outside:

Leak often occur in the corners, I applied some extra sealant in the 4 corners:

Quality check 1 – is the fuel pickup free of sealant? Yes:

Quality check 2 – is the breather line free of sealant? Yes:

Quite happy with the result.
However, I made one mistake: bracket #2 is rotated 🙁
This needs to be fixed when the sealant is cured…