Panel Base Retrofitted

I finished all the metal work today that was necessary to retrofit Skyview. The last steps consisted of going back to an earlier page that I had jumped over and to install 9 nutplates on the flange of the panel base. In the center there were 6 nutplates to be added that previously just had #30 holes for rivets in them. So the task required to widen the holes to #27 so a #6 screw would easily pass. Then draw a center line through those holes that should help positioning the nutplate attach holes.

Then a screw was used for each nutplate to hold it to the flange and I also used a tight clamp to support the nutplate in its position while drilling a #40 hole, using the attach holes as a drill guide. Once one cleco was in, the second hole was cake walk.
This had to get repeated 12 times until all the new holes were added to the flange. Followed by deburring and dimpling the newly drilled holes (as well as the nutplate attach holes) and then rivet them in.

And then finally I riveted in the com support angles and the center panel brackets. This concluded the retrofit metal work on the panel base. Tomorrow, I should be home earlier so I don't have to work into the dark and I will need the time to do the rerouting work of the static line in the tailcone.