(page 21-04) Little boxes..........                                  

The flaperon mixer assembly, pulley bracket assemble, baggage compartment ribs, floor ribs, etc., go together fairly easily with little confusion once I wrapped my head around the fact that some ribs labeled -R go on the left side of the airplane and some labeled -L go on the right side.  I guess they had a reason for doing this.  The discovery of this caused me at one point to think I'd made a massive error, but the pictures are quite clear about where everything goes.  Lots of nutplates to install, meaning lots of dimpling and lots of squeezing 3/32 rivets.  Things came to a brief halt on page 21-05 when reference was made to installing the autopilot bracket by referring to Section 39, which I thought I didn't have.  Turns out, a separate bag contains all hardware and instructions (Section 39).  Problem solved.

Real problems didn't materialize until page 21-06 where piano hinges have to be drilled for the seat back attachment to the floor.  My prior experience with drilling piano hinges was not a good one, resulting in a re-order from Van's.  Sure enough, the first hole I match-drilled through the hinge was off center (see picture).  The problem arose because the hinge is so far from the edges of the floor that it can't be clamped in place, and you can't see the hinge while drilling.  I solved the problem by sandwiching the hinge tightly between the floor panel and a 2x4 stood on edge.  Fortunately, I had an extra six feet (!) of hinge from my previous hinge misadventure.