Zippi,
we had an issue with the tri-stock along the sides of the firewall as well. we modified the blind nuts by cutting part of the flat part away. with the stock engine backplate, we had to cut the 2 original mounting tabs off and drill the the back plate closer to the engine so the cowling would fit with ease. the fuel tank issue should be fine Zippi, we put a larger tank in one of the guys and and had plenty of room to slide the tank back away from the firewall. we just stuffed foam between the battery pack and the ignition and the tank. it holds it in place just fine. no problems yet. we will see you Saturday at the event.
Thank you and the guys coming with you for your support of this event!
Eric

king arthur,
as far as beefing up the airframe on my Rascal and any of the others i have been assembling, the only thing we have done is to make the area where the wing bolts on flush with the top of the fuse. my Rascal did not fail in the air, nor have i had any trouble with it. the repairs was due to me making the wrong decision on a deadstick landing. i should have just landed the plane long and got some well deserved excersize rather than trying to give it hard rudder, aileron, and alot of elevator to make it to the runway from that low altitude. included is a pic, maybe you can see the spacer we made and installed.

thanks
Eric