I'm waiting on my firewall forward parts to arrive, and there aren't too many big tasks to do in the meantime. I can't finish the engine mount until my 3/8" reamer arrives, but it looks like I can put the nose gear assembly together. A number of years ago Van's changed the nose gear design from a simple gear leg that slid into a socket on the engine mount to a hinged setup with elastomers for shock absorption. I assembled the shock (and then disassembled it when I realized I couldn't get the bolts in with the spring installed) and bolted it to the engine mount.
Once the nose gear is installed I will tighten the top nut to bottom out the spring. Over time the elastomers will compress, so Van's provides a couple of 1/8" pads to install underneath the top plate when that happens.
