Fuselage

I have run into a problem and I would like to hear how other -4 builders solved it. As you can see in this picture I have started to install the control column. (click on the picture and you will get more detail.)

I have followed the plans (I think, and the result is that the 'ears', to which the aileron push rods will attach, are sitting slightly too far aft to be central in the holes in the side of the fuselage. (This problem will compound the problem for the very tight space for passenger footwells.) Again I think the issue is probably generic (i.e. VANS) and not poor workmanship on my part. Has anyone met this problem before?

In this picture you can see the F-449 bracket to which the control column is attached. It is spaced forward as indicated in the plans by a 1/4" spacer to simulate the steel tie bars (not sure of the correct name) that join the wings. However, you can also see in this picture that the 'ears' are sitting too far aft.

I can think of several ways to solve it, but as always, I worry about problems that will result that I have missed:

Solution 1 - use a thicker spacer. The down side of that is I will need longer NAS bolts which may/may not be available.

Solution 2 - (better) remake the bracket with a longer tongue so the bearing is moved forward. Will either of these solutions leave me with enough forward stick movement? Will the bracket still be strong enough?

Solution 3 - I am screwing up, and the problem lies elsewhere. (Unlikely because I have been warned of the problem in the past though I forget who told me.)

Solution 4 - Have the 'ears' re welded slightly further forward. (Not attractive to me.)



In this picture you can see the 'ears' about 3/8" to the right (aft) of where they should be.

As a final note, yes, in the first picture you can see that I have made the bracket taller than normal with a hole in the top. This is for the harness 5th point.