Since I don’t have a torque wrench, I had not bolted on the center rear hinge bracket. I put it on today but just as a place holder.
Finally I riveted the 404 and 405 to the front spar. It took longer than it should have.
Managed to make it into the shop tonight for a little bit. I riveted the hinge brackets to the rear spar and then riveted the front spar. I was a little concerned that my 2 of my countersinks on the HS-810 and HS-814 were a little too deep. After discussion with my advisory team (Jack and Mike), I didn’t see a need to replace the part. I did however want to add a little stability to the area to minimize any potential flex or movement, so I added a little JB Weld to the rivets. I’ve really taken my time with riveting these two parts, since I’ve made a number of careless mistakes recently.
Here are some pics… and I think the first photo with me in it:
One thing I noticed, and a quick reference over at RVPlane.com confirmed, some of Van’s recommended rivet lengths seem to be 1/16th long. I noticed this on the hinges. The resulting flattened heads seem to be fine either way, so I went with what Van’s had. I think you will be well within tolerances either way, but make sure you use a gauge.
Here is a photo with a little JB Weld that has seeped out.
The front and rear spars hanging out together….
Jack Savage gave me a large bag of lead shot to use as a weight / second set of hands. Its already proved to be extremely useful for stabilizing items that are difficult to clamp. I can’t recommend this bad boy highly enough. I wrapped this one here with a little plastic and duct tape for protection.
I will try to get to the ribs tomorrow. My buddy Chad has said he will come out to help me sometime next week. If I’m not done by then, I will certainly be able to find use for a second set of hands on riveting the skin. If I am done, then I’m sure I’ll have some deburring for him to do! 🙂
I really wanted today to be a marathon session in the shop, but I was barely able to get an hour dedicated to the kit. The EAA chapter meeting ran long this afternoon, and the shop was a mess. I did a thorough shop cleanup before getting started. I managed to rivet the rear spar together. Super easy using the Cleveland Tools hand squeezer. It was very satisfying to finally be riveting!
Here are pics:
