Forward skin riveting: 4.6 hours

Riveted last of lower forward skins. Finished fabricating stainless cooling ramp.

Riveting continued: 3.3 hours

My neighbor Nicolas volunteered to help me rivet. After a quick practice session we riveted the forward skin to the aft center section flange. Bottom skins complete except for cooling ramp.

Decided to to fabricate a stainless cooling ramp. From what I have read it is less prone to cracking and more fire resistant. Traced and cut ramp from sheet.

Bottom forward skins: 5.6 hours

Riveted forward bottom skins with my solo bucking bar holder and finally got the upper gear tower keeper rivets installed!

Forward fuselage riveting: 4.4 hours

Riveted forward cross member to floor and intercostals to bottom skin.
Since I did not have a rivet partner I devised a solo riveting device. Worked awesome but time consuming. I made a bucking bar holder out if hard wood which I clamped into position. I used a rolled up towel on top the bucking bar to swell the rivets then added fiberboard on top to achieve desired pressure to buck the rivets.

Bottom skin riveting: 6.9 hours

Forward floor bottom before skin added.

Riveted aft bottom skin to forward structure. That was some time consuming tight riveting.

Finished riveting aft section of center bottom skin.

Landing gear cover plates: 1.5 hours

Fabricated new landing gear cover plates for Grove gear. The vent holes in the stock covers are not used as the vent and brake lines are switched with this gear.

Rear seatback: 3.8 hours

Riveted rear seatback assembly.

Rear seatback prep: 3.7 hours

Deburred, edge prepped, etched, and primed rear seatback assembly.

Riveting 3.7 hours

Riveted forward seat back assembly and battery tray. Edge prepped and match drilled rear seatback assembly.

Priming: 3.2 hours

Edged prepped forward seatback. Primed seatback parts, battery tray, and gear legs.