I didn’t get nearly as much done today on the build as I had planned on, but I did make a small dent.

I started off by taping off the right wing around the leading edge light pocket, as well as the lens flange and pocket floor, for primer and paint.  I then sanded the aluminum light bracket support standoffs and cleaned them with acetone, before installing a screw in the end of each one to protect the ends and threads from paint.

I shot the pocket insides with a couple coats of primer before heading out for some errands and spending the evening with Jess and her son.

Upon returning home later in the evening I shot the leading edge light pocket with a few coats of black paint.  I then let that set up for the requisite hour annotated on the can before hitting it with a couple rounds of clear coat.  Here’s the result of that immediately after shooting the clear coat.

In between the rounds of paint, I worked on the right leading edge light bracket, riveting in 4x MK1000-6 platenuts, including the ground wire on the inboard bottom screw position.  This completes the required platenut installs on both light brackets, that will allow me to install the lights into the brackets AFTER those are installed into the leading edge light pockets.

[I’ll note that Randi and Chrissi sent me a few pics of their leading light install, where they used -6 platenuts on the light brackets.  I had planned on simply using a nylock nut on the aft side of the bracket for each screw, and thought the platenuts were a little overkill for these light brackets.  After getting to a certain point in my own LE light construction, I then realized that since the space is so tight within the light pocket, you can’t install the light attached to the bracket as a unit, but rather must install the bracket first, then install the light to the bracket.  This little data point pretty much mandates the use of platenuts as you can’t reach in around the back side to secure a loose nut for each of the four screws securing the light to the bracket… there’s simply no space to do so.  Just one of many Aha! moments for me during these leading edge light installs]

Tomorrow I plan on completing the lens install prep by taping up the light lenses and securing them in their final position on each light flange, then filling the minor perimeter gaps with micro.  Once cure, I’ll pull the lenses and clean up the micro.  This micro along with the cleco-hole-filling micro will get a few rounds of epoxy wipes, then all will get sanded to eliminate any blemishes on the wing surface in prep for wing painting (which is again why I installed these lights now).