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Monday 5th November
Pod time! The very nature of the job means it's hard to break it into small
chunks, and the relevant section of the manual reflects this. Therefore.....
Hours Effort: 5 of which 3 spent reading, re-reading and thinking.
By the way, it's getting cold in my garage, folks. Not that I'm one to
complain, or anything.
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The trike is tipped back so the engine rests on a trestle at
this stage, and the front forks are removed. The pod is then clamped and
taped in approximate position.
Is it just me, or does it remind you of Stingray? |
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Bugger me - the front wheel fell off.
Actually, I'd forgotten to fit the mudguard. I had to almost completely
dismantle the front forks to get the damned thing on.
It's held by just two bolts through the fibreglass (which were NOT
pre-drilled - much to my irritation), and it doesn't look like it will be
strong enough - however, the cunning shaping at the top where is abuts the
fork assembly locks it into position nicely. However, this is very
dependant on drilling the hole in exactly the right place, so be careful!
Had to use 4 additional 8-18 washers to achieve the correct spacing. |
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The rear of the pod is taped in position at this stage.
This special airframe tape is available from specialist stockists. It
is available under the brand name 'sellotape'. |
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A cable tie at the front holds it quite well for now.
Note that in this photo, the pod is too far forward. The front seat
mount bolt has been removed, and the bit of fibreglass wrapping around the
keel will be drilled to co-locate on that bolt. |
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That wheel well will be usful for - as someone on the eGroup
put it - relieving oneself in flight!
It doesn't look like the fork assembly will go through the hole from
underneath, but it does if you put one pedal in first.
Must remember to wire-lock that pivot bolt. |
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Good lord - an aeroplane! Where did that come from? |
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The drag-link fastening bolt extends through the bottom of
the pod. You can see two spacers in place at the bottom, centre of the
picture.
Drilling this hole through the pod is tricky. To do it easily, you need
an 8 mm drill bit that's twice as long as usual, so you can use the keel
hole as a guide. Did I have one? Nah! |
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The pod has been shifted back to the correct position now,
and clamped in place. |
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The back of the pod fits to the seat rail with a pair of
bolts, and a pair of Rylsan clamps. Well, the manual says Rylsan clamps,
but I think it means cable ties!
If anyone knows differently, please email me! |
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I've got the trim in
place around one edge of the pod now, and it really does finish it off.
Must admit the finish of the fibreglass is not as bad as I first
thought. The bits which will need lots of attention are the bottom of the
spats, and the join line in the pod where the two colours meet. The latter
has lumps of fibreglass standing proud, which I'll have to remove before I
can apply the little adhesive strip supplied to cover the join. That's
going to be tricky, without marking the gel coat too badly.
On balance though, it'll only need a very light once over with a
cutting compound.
Look at all that lovely under-seat storage space. You can put up to 10
kilos in there (subject to not exceeding MTOW, obviously). |
Bummer of the day
None! Yippee!
Sod it - yes there is. Just realised I forgot to fit the Pitot before fitting
the pod. Hmm, that's going to be tricky to get to now. |
