The only parts that didn’t survive the move when we purchased the project were the tail struts. I haven’t been able to find them anywhere, and neither has Richard. This is unfortunate, since they are fairly expensive. I was able to buy another set from Mark, though he cautioned that they may need a length adjustment. After getting everything level for the tail pieces, I realized that one of the the struts was just a little bit too short. As you can see below, I removed the original end and welded in a new end that Mark also provided.
I never was able to understand why the two engine control tabs are mounted where they are. I am going to have three engine controls, and I’d like to have the prop control centered in the panel. Since these two tabs are situated around that location, it would be hard to use them. The solution was to cut them off, make a third tab, and put them where they needed to be.
I also cleaned up and primed several other welding areas. The bare steel rusts so quickly that it makes sense to prime these areas as soon as possible after cleaning them.
After some more considerable measuring and head scratching, I noticed that when the elevator halves are joined at the middle, they don’t line up with each other.
I’m still not really sure about exactly what is going on here. The suggestions from Mark and others are to make sure that all of the pieces are installed correctly, but it certainly seems as though they are.