Fuselage Center Section #7 - baggage area floor and ribs

 Starting to get the parts fitted for the baggage compartment.

They have you cut 4 spacer/anti wear strips for the baggage area floor that the fuel tank will sit on.  This prevents wear and tear to the tank skin. UPDATE:  Do not do what I did and cut these out of the thinner strip that has the sticky tape on it.  This is the wrong strip to use!  Cut them from the thicker strip that does not have tape on the back!

This is not a mistake but a little later you will see where I could have waited to stick these strips to the baggage floor. UPDATE:  Do not do what I did and cut these out of the thinner strip that has the sticky tape on it.  This is the wrong strip to use!  Cut them from the thicker strip that does not have tape on the back!

All 4 get match drilled to the skin. UPDATE:  Do not do what I did and cut these out of the thinner strip that has the sticky tape on it.  This is the wrong strip to use!  Cut them from the thicker strip that does not have tape on the back!

The inside ones align with the skin edge.  The outboard ones just get centered on the holes the best you can while keeping the strip perpendicular to the lip on the skin.  The holes end up being at an angle across the strip. UPDATE:  Do not do what I did and cut these out of the thinner strip that has the sticky tape on it.  This is the wrong strip to use!  Cut them from the thicker strip that does not have tape on the back!

Next comes machine countersinking the mounting holes for flush rivets. UPDATE:  Do not do what I did and cut these out of the thinner strip that has the sticky tape on it.  This is the wrong strip to use!  Cut them from the thicker strip that does not have tape on the back!

The directions have you "over countersink" the holes so that the flush rivet has no chance of ever toughing the tank skin.  UPDATE:  Do not do what I did and cut these out of the thinner strip that has the sticky tape on it.  This is the wrong strip to use!  Cut them from the thicker strip that does not have tape on the back!

All pulled flush rivets in the kit are 120° instead of 100° like regular rivets.  I purchased a special countersink bit for these holes.

Next was enlarging a hole to 5/8" o the one side of the baggage skin.

Done.

Next is dimpling the skin for rivets and nutplates.  Use the appropriate angle dimple dies for the type of rivet that ends up in the hole.

Installed the nutplates on the baggage skin.

Done.

Next comes the fab work on the ELT mount bracket parts.

Separating these standoffs. 

Deburring the standoffs.

Dimpling the baggage ribs for some nutplates.

A crap ton of deburring, hole finishing, edge prep, etc. for priming,