New here, new to aircraft building, and could use some advise.

[Trevor Norman]

Good afternoon,
I am in need of serious guidance here.
I purchased a Fisher Flying Products Super Koala from e-bay. It was not complete, and in fact, it had the cowling, wings, and the airframe.
Essentially, the frame is done, with the exception of minor repairs.
The previous owner used boat seats (See photo below) for the aircraft, but I sold those and purchased the Piper PA-28 rear seats, which should work just fine.
Attachment 3979
The frame is in really good shape for not being worked on sense the mid 90's.
Attachment 3980
This Super Koala came with only the wings for plans, and I figure that sense I'd have to essentially pay for the complete replacement parts directly from Fisher, I'll put my own spin on this wonderful aircraft.
I've designed my own instrument panel, which its mostly complete minus the actual instruments, wires, throttle quadrant, and the mounting. The panel is an oak wood, stained with a mahogany finish, and has a protector sealer on it much like lacquer. It's got the nav/comm cutouts ready, the transponder ready, the Tach, and oil temp guages, along with a Dynon D100 for my PFD.
It'll also sport a dual USB outlet, and a DC outlet for the passenger. I will add some lights under the glare shield, and and a few other things.
Attachment 3981
The aircraft came with the Rudder assembled, not covered, and the elevator finished and covered.
The wings came without flaps, and with a stall speed of 35mph, I doubt I need it.
The internal cockpit has a lot of work to be completed. It's got the dual controls, and the rudder attachments ready.
Attachment 3979

What I need advise with:
Modifications to design
1.) I want to plan the a cargo door over the top of the top of the aircraft. It'll be located right behind the cockpit and will have the space for 2 bags measuring 23"X13" each. Basically just enough room to put a tow-bar in there, and have 2 light weight overnight bags for my passenger and myself. The compartment would have a lightweight protective "box" like structure in between the first and second horizontal brace. I also want to have hooks for a small cargo net so things don't shift while in flight. That is my only restraint for the cargo.
The opening would be at the top of the airframe. I need to know about how to mount the door, and how to make the door.


2.) Fisher offers wing tanks for the aircraft. Each tank is 7 gal, and I want to have two in each wing (totaling 28 gallons) plus the header tank (12 gallons) which should give me a total fuel capacity of 40 gallons. I need to know how to tie both the right tanks together, tie both the left tanks together, and then having a fuel selector valve to regulate which tanks the engine is drawing fuel from.

3.) Sense I've never built an aircraft before, I'm trying to figure out how to run the cables through the aircraft along with the wiring for the lights.

4.) The tail-wheel is attached, and the metal bracket is attached to the base of the rudder. It's ready for the cables to be attached to the rudder peddles and the rudder. So, How would I attach the tail-wheel to the rudder and to the rudder peddles?

Cockpit:
1.) I want to have some sort of molding around the floor so that when we enter and exit the aircraft, we're not tripping on the pipes. I want to design something that the "guts" of the aircraft do not show, and minimize the risk of snagging on the cables and pullies.

2.) What is the best option for getting a windscreen and attaching it to the air frame? I don't want the windscreen to look like it's held in place by a bunch of screws like the aircraft below. I want the aircraft to be aesthetically pleasing. This aircraft pictured is not mine, but is another one found on ebay.


3.) What is the best way to "hide" the wires, cables and all the other "things" that you don't want to look at?


4.) In the picture above, you see there is only lap belts, and I want "Y" belts for the aircraft. I need to know how would I go about installing the seatbelts in such a way it will actually protect and not rip the wood frame. I was thinking of metal pipes attached to the airframe. Your thoughts?

Covering the aircraft:
1.) I've never covered an aircraft before, and I'm trying to figure out what is the best material to use. I read about Oratex, and sounds like a good option.

2.) How would covering the top of the aircraft with the cargo door installed.

Misc questions:
1.) I know that drilling screws into the wood is not recommended for the aircraft sense it looses it's structural strength. So, what is the best way to attach piano hinges for the panel (I want piano hinges so I can flip the panel forward in case I need to work on the electronics), How to attach the ailerons, and the cargo door. Would it be wise to surround the areas with aluminum, encasing the wood before drilling into it?

2.) Where is the best place to put my fuel selector switches?

The Super Koala was originally a Light Sport aircraft, but with my modifications, I will not be able to keep it under the LSA category.

Thanks for your help everyone!
Here are some photos of my panel: