This was by far and away the most challenging and tedious fab effort so far. Using the (not to scale) template in the manual, I fashioned 2x wheel pant backing plates to attach to the brake mounting hub.
It was not entirely clear from the manual why they have you do this in this sequence, but I read ahead and got a good idea of some of the challenges. I also read on the GlastarNet Forums that it is a good idea to retain approx. .75" - 1" additional edge on the aft lower section of the backing plate, so I applied that concept to mine.
The interior cutout for the brake caliper and pad assembly was a real challenge, but looks good with 1/8" minimum clearance on all sides.
The brake hub sits all the way inboard on the gear leg's axle and is used to attach the brake components as well as the wheel pant backing plate. (this will also accept the custom jack pedestal I'll fabricate for jacking the plane up).
To install the brake hub, I needed to perfectly level the brake hub to the aircraft waterline (which also happens to be true level in the jig). Then all that was left to do was "simply" drill vertically through the top and bottom brake hub flanges and all the way through the 1.5" solid hardened steel axle. Piece of cake, right? Wrong!
After using a couple of cobalt drills of varying sizes to step-up the diameter, I finally got there, but it was VERY difficult and messy (especially with all the cutting oil).
But once cut, the brake hub slipped on, and then the wheels, and the brake components. Photos here are of the dry fit prior to installing the wheel pant backing plates.
