What do you think?

[robert Etter]

'I have been in the process of getting my instrument panel painted and ready for installation back into the airplane. After reading some comments from John about instrument panel inserts, it dawned on me why there are 1/8" adjacent to the holes next to where the flat head mounting screws go through the instrument panel insert that houses the instruments themself. And why there is also an 1/8" hole next to where the flat head screw goes into the "L" shaped mounting bracket. They are alignment holes.
After you have completed the work in the instrument panel insert and want to re-install it. Just put a piece of 1/8" wire through the hole in the panel insert and then through the hole in the "L" shaped bracket to align the one hole to the plate nut. It should make it easy to install the flat head screws. I would venture a guess, a rib stitch needle would work great. I am not at a point where I could try my theory in practice.
Removing the instrument panel insert will still be a pain, but not having to fuss with the long screw that ties the two lord mounts back to back will save a lot of heart ache and abuse of the four letter vocabulary.

Bob



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