More woodwork

Having now replaced the door sill area on both sides of the ash frame, the next area to go under scrutiny is the upper rear cockpit area. This forms the mounting rail for the hood and because of various nail holes and fatner holes, the ash here had become weak and some rot had set in due to water ingress.

The plywood platform under this area was also weakened and would need replacing.













The photograph above illustrates the area next in line for restoration.

Having now replaced the plywood base, the inner wheel arches have been removed. The woodwork on each side of the rear bulkhead will now be replaced by cutting away the rotten wood and replacing the section with laminated plywood.















The photograph above shows the area in question. The aluminium side piece will also be removed to clean it up and allow access to the wood at its rear, so the ash can be thinned down to allow the laminated plywood to replace it.
By usin 1/8" play four layers can be laid up, and each layer can be tapered or thinned in section to allow the finished repair to taper in section into the area supported by the aluminium.

















The plywood tapered and glued and clamped in place. Resting on the plywood platform, just to the left of the small plane is the section of timber that has been cut out, it is possible to see the curvature of the wood in this area, one of the reasons to use laminated ply, the other is to create a stronger replacement than the original.















The same section after having been trimmed and cut down to follow the correct line into the side area, you will note the aluminium side piece has been removed to enable this piece to be trimmed.














The finished area looking from the rear, you will also see that the top of the centre section has also bee replaced with laminated ply.

When refitting the hood fastenings I now can be sure that the pins and screws will hold!













Still in the same area, the boot aperture corner has been replaced, thye screws are stainless steel. A short section of the side has also bee replaced - the clamps holding the piece in place whilst the glue sets.














As you can see the inner wheel arch has been refinished and screwed back in place, a small section linking the back and side has been replaced. The clamps are holding a plywood section in place, this finishes the repairs in the rear cockpit area.