February 2, 2024 - RV-10 Build
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| We went over to Tom's shop to watch him powder coat the panel and overhead console interior aluminum panels. I''ve never seen powder coating done before and was curious how it was done. |
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Tom hooked up a connector to the panel to deliver an electrical charge to it.
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| Then he sprayed black powder onto the panel. It sticks because of the electrical charge. |
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Then it goes into this giant oven to get baked on.
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Tom's pride and joy: his General Motors Corporation Motor Home.
Built between 1972 and 1978, the GMC MotorHome enjoyed a streamlined look and a relatively low ride height that set it apart visually from other large motorhomes.
Almost 13,000 were built over the vehicle’s run, with sales peaking at 3260 in 1976. The MotorHome enjoys a solid enthusiast following today, with good-condition examples selling for more now than they did new.
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People too young to remember seeing the GMC MotorHome on the road in its heyday may have nonetheless become familiar with it by watching the classic comedy Stripes. The 1981 film features a MotorHome outfitted as the top-secret U.S. Army EM-50 Urban Assault Vehicle.
I have repeatedly urged Tom to paint his GMC motor home like the EM-50 Urban Assault Vehicle, but he has not taken my good advice. |
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| One last look at the shop. |
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| On X December, we worked on the switches. After a lot of testing, we finally figured out how they worked. Each switch controls two circuits, with lighted halo and label. |
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Crazy, man!
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January 13: big day today. Attaching the wings. For good. Getting the fuselage lined up in the right direction wasn't trivial. Chuck and Charlie overstayed their seven minutes and were put to work. |
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Final prep for hanging the right wing.
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| Using the Schweizer Tool -- rubber hammer -- to encourage the close-tolerance spar bolts a little. |
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| Rich working hard on the spar bolts. |
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| Will these spar bolts ever be done? |
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Keep pounding those spars.
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Nhu-An gets in on the action.
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| Charlie and Chuck supervising Nhu-An. |
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And it's done. Wings on permanently. It's really looking like a plane now.
All in all, the final wing hanging went very smoothly and quickly.
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The happy builders.
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Mr. Helper.
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January 14: Rich and Nhu-An working on the aileron push-rod linkages.
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Dorada and Gunnar want to go outside and run.
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| January 14: We hung the ailerons and flaps, hooked up all the linkages, made sure they had the proper deflection, and moved freely without binding or squeaking. |
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| The right wingtip is temporarily on to check the alignment with the flaps and ailerons. We had to clean a couple of years dust off the tips before attaching them. |
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Five years after doing the prep work, the heated pitot tube hooked up and attached. For good. We even tested it. I gets hot, believe me!
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