Once the canopy was done, it was on to the landing gear, literally. I read from some other builders that some fitment was required to get the main landing gear legs into their final positions. This was definitely true for me, and it took many attempts after removing small amounts of steel from both sides of the gear legs with a metal file. Eventually I was able to achieve a nice tight fit and moved on to securing the bolts and lower gear braces.
Once the main gear legs were on, I checked for alignment (toe in or toe out) in accordance with the plans. The gap between the wood block and the string seems so small and insignificant, but could be a real problem if left alone. I measured the distance and assessed that I needed to order some shims to get the gap less than the allowable amount listed in the plans. Once the shims were installed, everything lined up very well and I finished up the nose gear leg.
I bought a small fish scale from Amazon so that I could measure the pull force required to move the nose gear from side to side. You have to continue to tighten the nut until it takes 26lb of pull force before the nose gear fork moves.
I encountered the same problem with the nosewheel that other builders had. If the stock nosewheel is used, the valve stem (with the steel cap on) contacts the nose gear fork when turning, which is unacceptable. The solution is to NOT ASSEMBLE THE NOSE WHEEL AT ALL when the finishing kit arrives. If you do, you're wasting some money if you intend to truly fix the problem. Call MATCO and explain the issue (they're already aware) so that you can send your nose wheel to them for a replacement. I believe you need the 511.125 instead of the 501.125 that's included in the kit. The hole in the wheel for the valve stem in the 511 wheel is offset so that the valve stem doesn't extend as far outward once the wheel is assembled that the clearance issue is eliminated.
Based on recommendations, I also ordered the Matco axle and installed that as well (pictured).
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