Tail panels

Today was another day of slow progress. I was expecting the UPS man at 1 pm as usual however he did not show until 6 pm so not much got completed. I started by working on the two panels that cover the elevator horn, had to figure out how to attach them since the existing screw holes had been stripped long ago. In the end I just went with the thin aluminum backing strips and tinnerman nuts that were installed when I got the project. I will probably order some new #6 clips so that the covers fit a little more flush.
  After finishing this (and waiting for UPS) I started on the oil soaked belly panel under the control stick. The plastic grommet installed here was broken and the screw holes stripped . I ended up using the existing outer cover and making a inner plate with nut plates that will fit into the hole sideways then the cover is attached with #6 screws. Here is a picture of the inside and outside.

Here is a better picture that shows how it works.

By this time I had given up on UPS and decided to install the tail for a final check of the tail panels before I commit to paint. Everything fit great and it was nice to see them all installed. Here are some pictures.

The two elevator horn panels fit great after a little persuasion !

I'm glad these are finally finished, I knew they would be a lot of work to do right. I will take tomorrow off to fly my other airplane before it rusts up solid. Supposed to be a beautiful day, better check the TFR's for BC's.
Disregard here he is !