While waiting for new drill bits, I skipped ahead and installed the rod end bearings on both elevators and the rudder. First I made a tool out of PVC pipe, as these are fairly stiff and need some kind of tool. The PVC does a good job avoiding scratching the bearing, while still providing enough torque.
Measuring the distance between the spar and the center of the bearing was easy, but not super accurate. I got these with 1/32 of the plans, then finger tightened the jam nuts. These will need to be torqued up once I have some crowfoot attachments for my torque wrench. I’m going to wait on that until I’m sure I have these set correctly.
I also made some blocks that I will be using to drill the alignment holes in the elevator horns. Today I also picked up a couple of 8 foot lengths of aluminum angle so I can clamp the trailing edges while locating and drilling the elevator horn holes.
