Top Flite TOPA0150 - Manual (Page 25)

Refer to this photo for the following three steps.
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6. Thread a nylon dual-ended ball link onto the
wire pushrod, then snap in a threaded ball. Reinsert
the pushrod into the guide tube. Neatly cut an exit
slot in the fuse sheeting to accommodate the
steering arm. The center of the slot should be 3/16"
below the line you drew on the fuse sheeting.
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7. Without using any glue, position the tail gear
mounting plate on the fuse. Temporarily mount the
threaded ball (that you snapped into the ball link on
the pushrod) to the steering arm with an
0-80 nut.
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8. Move the pushrod back and forth to see if the
slot is long enough for the steering arm. Lengthen
the exit slot if necessary.
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9. Remove the tail gear mount from the tail gear
mounting plate. Permanently glue the mount plate to
the main stringers and F-12. Glue a couple of
leftover 1/8" balsa strips to the main stringers behind
the tail gear mount plate to take up the empty space.
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10. Glue both shaped 1/4" balsa aft fuse side blocks
to F-12 and the bottom of the tail gear mount plate.
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11. Permanently glue the 3/8" x 2" x 4-3/4"
forward fuse bottom block to F-12 and the aft fuse
side blocks.
Tack glue the 3/8" x 1-3/8" x 4" x aft
fuse bottom block to the aft fuse side blocks so it
can be removed after it is shaped. After the fuse
bottom has been final shaped, the aft fuse bottom
block will be removed for installation of the tail gear.
Glue a strip of leftover balsa into the groove on the
main stringer on both sides of the fuse.
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12. Remove the tail gear pushrod. Sand the guide
tubes on both sides of the fuse even with the fuse
sides. Use a razor plane or a carving knife followed
by sanding to shape the blocks to match the fuse.
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13. Pop off the aft fuse bottom block that you tack
glued earlier. Permanently mount the tail gear mount
to the tail gear mount plate with two #2 x 3/8" screws.
Add a few drops of CA so the screws will never
loosen. Add a drop of thread locking cement to the
set screw that holds the wheel collar. Center the
steering arm, height-wise, in the slot, then tighten
the set screw. Add a drop of household oil to the tail
gear wire where it enters the nylon bearing tube (so
any glue that gets into the area will not adhere and
bind the steering).
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14. Cut the aft fuse bottom block into two pieces. Cut
a half-round hole in each half that aligns with the tail
gear wire. Permanently glue the blocks into position.
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