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Building Integrity
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Date:  1-22-2018
Number of Hours:  3.00
Manual Reference:  ch 24
Brief Description:  Grind it down

Sooooo, today was interesting. I took the DA sander and started at the back of the airplane, prepping all the areas that will need glasswork first. Of course, this meant the fuel sumps were going to get my attention. As I sanded off all the micro and even some layers of glass, small little fuel leaks were popping up. Not unexpected, but in locations that they shouldn't be. Ugh. Hunting down the source of a fuel leak is a nightmare on these birds. The path the fuel can travel is like a maze. Needless to say, the best I can do is grind down the glass where the leak is showing itself and hope to trace it back to the sump. On the other hand, cutting open the sump and laying down several rounds of pure epoxy is a faster way to catch a leak as long as it's leaking from the sump. I've even contemplated cutting off the blisters and building a center sump under the passenger seat. Either way I go, it's gonna take time and several cure cycles. Right now I'm leaning toward sealing the sumps from the inside and tackling the exterior leaks as best I can. I'm not painting her tomorrow so I do have time to make major changes if I absolutely must.
I also need to add a couple plies of glass where the gear leg fairings come together as over time they have developed cracks. No time like the present to tackle these things. :)
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Prepped for surgery

Prepped for surgery

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Cleared out for sump work

Cleared out for sump work

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gear leg repair area

gear leg repair area

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