Baggage Compartment - Pt 1

This builder chose to fabricate the components for a closed baggage compartment from 0.025'' 6061 T-6 aluminium sheet. All panels were fitted using 1/8'' x 8 mm pop rivets. To restrain the baggage and front door quarter turn aluminium D ring's from ProBolt Australia were selected. Each clip and ring weigh 10 grams and four [4] points were added to the front and rear. A set of lightweight straps 2 meters long x 25 mm wide with plastic clips are fitted to restrain a load. Maximum weigh allowed in the baggage compartment is 10 kg and is for soft or bagged items only.

Tape skin into position - factory supplied

Prime factory rear panel for installation

Installation of the back panel requires removal of the compartment top skin and turtle deck by drilling out the factory temporary rivets to allow the rear skin to slip behind the factory bracket. Match drill bulkhead from the factory bulkhead - cleco and rivet. The bottom edge should be riveted before fitting the turtle deck skin. This will be a combination of the D ring clips rivets with filler rivets in between at using factory pitch as the guide.

Rear bulkhead

Drill out the four rivets at the back to allow the rear panel to slide behind the other bracket on the other side. Tape the rear panel into position and match drill the holes from the panel through the rear former. 

Match drill through the existing four holes in the bulkhead through the back panel. Once complete reassemble using clecos and rivet using 1/8 x 8 mm pop rivets. 

Creating slot

Connecting Flange

The next task is to adjust the front bulkhead flange to engage with the skin. Start by cutting on the center of the existing holes starting at third hole from the bottom. The top stringer is de-riveted and its connecting flange bent into alignment . 

Cut a V at about 5 degrees at each  side of the initial cut. Use a 5/32'' chain file to open the cut and form a half radius into the edge of the flange. [refer photo]

Bend the top tab into alignment with the spline and cleco. The others are bent using your hand forming a smooth transition from the top to the side. This is not a critical operation, you just need a smooth transition between the tabs.

Front bulkhead      -       Rear bulkhead tabs

Refit the skin using clecos to re-align the front bulkhead. The rear bulkhead has two separate extensions pieces that project into the baggage area. The slots are just slightly visible on this aircraft and were a possible source of leaks as the skins are not lapped at this point. Both were covered with self adhesive aluminium duct tape that was on hand. On the port side simply cover from the base to the center line of the spline. On the starboard side the tab was de-riveted, covered and trimmed to size. The exposed ends had scrap backing reapplied to allow re-installation by sliding the tape between the skin and the bulkhead

At this point preparation for installation of the turtle deck was next.