Oil is in the engine…I just need gas now

Oil is in the engine…Gas however is not…These damn backing bolts have broke on me now 4 different times creating quite the frustration. Each time I have to drill it out, vacuum the tank and then repeat the process only to get most of the way through and another breaks free.

If you can see the backing bolts that hang down, those are the problem…

When I left today all the screws where in…until the last one…check it out…Thats my project in the AM…  Needless to say…I am changing them all out once and for all tomorrow. Everytime you pull the screws and plate you need to re-seal, etc. Its a mess..You can see my last problem child here…

So between times (you need to let the stuff set up a bit prior to filling the screw holes again I have been painting

It came out pretty nice…Also got the wingtips..they look great.

Some have asked about my alternator and what I did…here you go. A picture is worth a thousand words. After looking at both pictures, I guess its hard to tell but look at the reflection
I now have almost 3/4 of an inch behind the back bolt on the alt and the firewall.
Before the fix

and now….All this time the bracket for the alt had not been in correctly from the old engine

I can say here honestly, she is ready to go! I need to fix the damn bolts on the gas tank, but thats it.

Anyone ever had the problem with the bolts on the Monarch tanks like this? I would like to say its an easy fix but my last 4 attempts have been …  

We should be able to get it running tomorrow to check for leaks, etc. I feel like I have a plane again now with as close as we are. oh yeah…Bushwheels will also go back on tomorrow…Utah Maule…You send me those 31’s yet???

AKT

If it looks smooth, it might be. If it looks rough, it is…www.bigtirepilot.com …www.alaskaheliski.com