Installed the flaps actuator^4h

Today I installed the WD-613-EF flap actuator and ruined the F-741A tunnel cover support cover brackets.

I started with the tunnel cover support brackets which are fabricated a day before. The next step was to drill them to the holes in the central tunnel. I used a piece of a scrap angle to transfer the holes from the tunnel to the brackets.

On the photo is the bracket clecoed with two clamps under the tunnel cover and a drill bit marking the location of the holes. I drew a line with a Sharpie to indicate the edge of the ribs/seat floors. Then I positioned the bracket and marked its longitudinal position relative to the scrap angle.

In the photo, I am marking the holes for the second bracket, but after doing that I simply transferred the holes from one bracket to another.

It worked well except for a little mistake I made: the tunnel cover width is exactly the width of the gap in the tunnel. This means that the outer edges of the brackets need to be aligned with the edges of the gap. However, when positioning the brackets, I made them flush with the edges. As a result, I have a 1/16" gap on each side of the cover.

One option I have is to fabricate a bigger cover, but it might impact the fit of the carpets I intend to install. I am inclined towards remaking these parts, as they are very easy to fabricate.

So I switched to the installation of the flaps. I drilled the holes for the F-680 central block using my D-reamer I made for drilling 3/16" holes. The nice thing about it is that it aligns well in an existing hole without damaging it and also that it does not grab the thin aluminum sheets. Perfect for this job. The only small issue is that it leaves a lot of burs in the exit hole.

I positioned the block flush with the ribs. This placed the hole closer to the rib which made holding the nut a little tricky. Also, it required me to torque the bolt, not the nut (later I realized I am supposed to install the nut plates, oops).

While installing the actuator I managed to send a small washer into a small gap between the baggage rib and the skin. Luckily, I was able to fish it out with the magnet used from the outside of the skin (since aluminum skin is not magnetic).

This is a dramatic depiction of the event.

Finally, I installed the flap actuator (with the caveat that I need to go back and install these nut plates!).