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Old 03-07-2008 | 09:04 PM
  #8  
rabraaten
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From: Regina, SK, CANADA
Default RE: The Arrow Rebuild

#1 Left Wing root end damage, leading edge destroyed in impact.
#2 Left Wing root repaired. Damage went all the way to the first rib so I fit tight and thin CA'd. Leading edge is doubled on the backside also for installation of dowels for bolt in wing attachment.
#3 Left Wing leading edge damage. Leading edge was broken at both ends and sheeting was cracked all the way along. I cut off the sheeting relatively square. All the ribs were broken back to the spar. Installed replacement pieces and glued sheeting back down. Carpenters glue on the ribs and thin CA around the sheeting edges.
#4 And all repaired.....Taaadaaaaa....
#5 Right Wing leading edge repaired and doubled. Because of the extensive damage at the ends of this wing I tongue and grooved my patches to strengthen the repairs. Here you can see how I doubled the leading edge for the dowels to go through.
#6 Right Wing. A good shot of how I tied into the leading edge. The outside is contoured to fit inside the fiberglass wingtip and was CA'd in place there.
#7 Right Wing inboard. If you refer to the first couple pictures in the thread you can see how this section was separated from the entire wing. I thought this was going to be the most challenging part of the rebuild but it turned out to be very easy. I cleaned up edges where necessary and slid the two pieces together. The fit was good enough that after cleaning some of the previously glued surfaces off, I CA'd the whole section back on. I'm sure its even stronger than before.
#8 Right Wing inboard... and a few patches and some little fillers and we're about ready for a rough sanding.

It is a fair amount of work, but its not nearly as daunting as I was expecting. It's nice to sit and relax and sniff some glue for a couple hours at the end of my day. I can tell when I get a good bond cause the CA starts to burn my eyes. LOL. It looks like most of the damage is repaired in the wings. I have yet to find my chunk of light ply that got misplaced in the move, but as soon as I find it the right wingroot will be finished up and the wings will be rough sanded and joined.