Tailcone – Part 1

Started fabricating the parts and sub-assemblies for the Tailcone.  I elected to just purchased the pre-tapped tie-down stock from Cleaveland tool as it was cheaper than buying the actual tap (also didn’t know anyone that had a tap I could borrow).  Then I begin to cut the parts necessary for the bulkheads.  I will admit that in my excitement, I grabbed the incorrect 3/4 x 3/4 stock bar and cut the wrong piece.  Didn’t realize that till a bit later but already ordered and received a replacement piece.  This is a lot of measuring, marking, drilling, and making sure you don’t screw it up like I tend to do.

Also ended up being too excited and slightly distracted when attaching the J-channel and 3/4 stock to the bulkhead.  The parts were not centered when I match drilled them and honestly that is where I realized I was using the wrong 3/4 stock.  Not a huge deal and easy to fix at this point.  Just reminds me to take my time and make sure I know what I should be focusing on.

Also not sure if it was ever noticed, but I end up keeping my Boelube in my fridge as the high heat in my garage has melted the stuff I can’t tell you how many times.  I got tired of cleaning the outside of the container every day, so it just lives in my little fridge from now on.  Silly, but it works.

Once I have the bulkheads and the frames build / assembled, I start working on the J-Channel.  Spoiler for the next video:  I thought I was quite careful in my measurements and markings on the J-Channel, however once installed I ended up being slightly short!  I would honestly recommend cutting your J-channel a little long (by maybe 1/2″) with the rear bulkhead removed.  Once drilled, you can then “trim to proper length”.  I’ll go into more details in the next update on what I ended up doing (with approval from Vans)

I also only deburred the ends of my J-Channel.  Honestly I probably should have run the edge against the 3M wheel while I had them out as I did end up cutting myself on the sharp edge when installing them.  Something to consider for others.  I also found that my band-saw blade isn’t as accurate as I like, so I end up cutting things long and use my belt-sander to bring the part down to the proper dimensions.  For the 45 degree cut on the j-channel, I ended up just sanding the part down vs cutting it.  Probably not the best method, but it mostly worked.  (followed by deburring on the 3M wheel)

Lastly I marked up the drill line on the J-Channel and the end lines as well as marked and drilled the Longerons.  Next up is the wonderful process of putting the larger pieces together.