Tonight I started the process of riveting the pro-sealed fuel tank filler opening and the drain plug. It was not easy! I manged to get all the rivets in but I found that it is easier to use the rivet gun and bucking bar but when I did that it was harder to get the rivets flush with the skin. I ended up drilling out a couple of rivets and redoing them, and realistically I should probably have drilled out another one or two because the did not squeeze as neatly as I wanted them to. Fortunately this is not a structural rivet joint so even if the rivets are only 95% as strong as perfectly set rivets it is more than enough.
I also modified my fuel tank jig to allow me to put the skins in without a bow in the middle. Part of the next step is to cleco the ribs back into place and I don't want to use the force that my clamping jig requires. So using some examples from other builders I decided it cleco both side of the nose in place and then slowly insert the skin and ribs into the jig. The problem is that I was worried that this would "dent" the skin where the top edges of the jig would be pressing against the skin. See my solution below.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwTcfu5dGOjF6S6XqQLlXLpOhtXqq7QRV1MjfvBXSQtCwAzWR7GUh6J5H3nwxqIy9wTnIWvDHdhJCyGPX4j6ZS3uVkGxIldkRh1tE17YESy5XR1EGsoFD3GwdaG8DvmF12hUQT4fdB4M4/s640/2013-06-25+19.31.30.jpg) |
boards attached to fuel tank jig top to prevent bowing of the skins when they are in the jig. You can also see the riveted drain flange before I cleaned it up. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhggTBAhTb3WEVjxI_Ismw-EwHRr3QASvFLQwC5NiAHBD7ed6jTbpp6gdEA7BwJ0XYnSSxRZGZ0lepgF9RS3Yd5gq0sZMK5MOz9j8BjRJUol1LpaO5ETjKDeVSABXasjUvqae_YnpMqRaY/s640/2013-06-25+19.31.35.jpg) |
another picture of the board on the other side of the fuel tank jig. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-S30ZY4KbvYTf5qyEtbs41NArf8XJyqvkd38tiLeTSomSfO7jMew5Oco7kRQtgu6uSvgiAq2Zdyyoxws4O9TKU267nBgfi7WOHm-X3SJ90DnORBXu5U3x2V82UmCc13a2EI9xbpVBdP8/s640/2013-06-25+19.31.45.jpg) |
The finished fuel inlet. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlbgYjk_h-gvVOgJr-PCe_egpF2sAicFex4RVWtWyHroNtuan0MiLRla-rf2Y9FK7MGqFUZZI0LjpHyl9fhpczwqA552Dx8rpuASsDzNTmYdsiZe1wl8n-SqCaRUTFeK5JhgYXO11RhiI/s640/2013-06-25+19.35.40.jpg) |
the inside of the riveted fuel inlet with proseal on the exposed shop heads. |