This session was actually three different get-togethers but the time tally is reasonably accurate/

The first task was devoted to getting the aircraft up on its gear and adding the engine mounting components.

This was followed by some tedious work that involved cutting extra spacers from the 3/8-inch tube stock. Instead of using lots of extra washers to take up the slack when mounting the main gear legs to the brackets and the drag struts, we custom fit spacers. In each case, spacers were included on each side of the tube or Heim fitting. One end of the spacer was up against the bracket while one washer was used between each spacer and and the tube or Heim fitting. The left-hand image shows the inboard end of the axle strut while the right image shows the outboiard end of a drag strut. Tedious work but it looks really great! The pictures also give a sense of the high-quality finish provided by the anodizing.

Next we prepped the seat and got the seat back attached to the seat braces. The last item, prior to moving the airframe to the hangar, was installing the fuel tank mount.

This photo, taken right after the move, emphasizes the very uniform nature of the anodized finish. The only aluminum piece that was not anodized was the nose block and it stands out in this view. The chromoly steel drag struts were painted with the Rustoleum "aluminum" paint, which provides an excellent match to the rest of the airframe.