RV-9A: Left Elevator - 1/17/2006
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 Making the E-921 Elevator Gusset (otherwise known as the cuss-it)
Just a few extra words in the instructions would help save a few hours of freak-out time when trying to figure out something like this. The instructions give this part a name as if it was a part. It ain't, you have to make it. First of all, after endless searching in the box, you have to come to the conclusion that it's not a pre-made part. OK....what do you make it out of?; the extra sheet packet?; the small (unlabeled) square piece of scrap with the kit? ARRRRGGHHHH! I spent at least and hour on the internet looking at other builders websites, but didn't find diddley. Finally I went down to Lowes and bought this caliper thinking that I had to make the part out of one of those sheets in the packet that comes with the kit. Before I started checking the width of each sheet, I decided to check that small piece of scrap in the kit I found and noticed that it was the 0.063 width that I was looking for. Then I noticed that someone at the factory marked the part with "063" with a sharpie. That is supposed to identify this part??? OK....deep breath. Time to make the $%& part.
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 And here it is!!!
On my first attempt, I cut out the part and stuck it in the vise and started whacking it my dead blow hammer. It got about halfway there and it broke off. DAMMIT! Then I decided that the vise must have scribed the bending line and caused the break, so I made another piece and sandwiched it between to pieces of wood and then put it in the vise. I wacked it again with the dead blow and this time it worked.
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 Riveted in the cuss-it, I mean gusset
The end rib and elevator spar come with #40 holes pre-drilled, so after riveting the spar to the rib, I positioned the gusset and drilled the holes with a #40 drill bit and clecoed everything together. Then it was just a matter of going back and enlarging the holes the to the #30 size that was needed for the larger rivets. I think this gusset is an after thought for the RV-9. The RV-7 doesn't have one.
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 Finished riveting the skin to the spars and ribs
I riveted and pop-riveted the skin to the main spar. Then I riveted the skin to the bottom of the elevator spar and the end ribs.
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 New toy!
I bought this extention for my Dremel along with a mini chuck and some bits. Its high speed and slender design help when drilling out those bad rivets in tight places.
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