I completed drilling out all of the rivets holding the four ribs to the skin. With the proper tools and techniques, this is a breeze. The technique I use is this.

First I drill the rivet head out with the special rivet removal tool. This tool has different size heads and bits that fit perfectly over the head of a rivet to ensure that the drill bit remains centered and parallel the the rivet. Additionally, it ensures that you drill to the appropriate depth.

Secondly, I pop the head of the rivet off with the appropriately sized punch. In this case 3/32″.

And finally, I use a center punch to pop the remaining rivet out. In many instances it is very beneficial to use a clamp close to the rivet. This is particularly true towards the ends of the ribs. This prevents the rib from bending or deforming, and also ensures you don’t get any spring back. Spring back makes the center punch pack less energy, and as a result you may require more attempts, and more opportunities for deformation.

Now that the easy rivets were done, it was time to move onto more challenging rivets. For these rivets I used the 90 degree angle adaptor. To ensure I was centered on each rivet, I first used the center punch to mark the center point. I then used the deburring bit to make a nice perfectly centered divot for the drill bit to rest in. This doesn’t make drilling fool proof but it certainly increases the odds.

Again, clamps are useful for preventing deformation and making the center punch more effective.

I was able to get all four ribs removed fairly quickly. All the rivet removals went flawlessly except for one that was just enlarged by a small fraction. I’m not concerned, as its barely noticeable.
  

After removing all the rivets in the center section, for which there is easy access, it was time to move onto the most challenging rivets to remove. Those connecting the angles to the front spar inside the leading edge of the horizontal stab. I didn’t think my rivet removal tool would work due to the narrowing angle of the leading edge. However, with enough finesse and a dose of patience i was able to get it work using the 90 degree drilling attachment.

As you can see the results are almost flawless. I still need to remove these rivets.  

Unfortunately, on the second angle, those furthest outboard were more difficult, and I would up with three rivets that were off center. Luckily they are not deep, and if they touch the angle, they only do so barely.   

It was very difficult with the angle and hand position to determine that I was off center. Everything looked centered. I’m not entirely sure how I’m going to resolve these rivets. Potential courses of action are 1) grind or file the heads down in some way, 2) drill from the backside on the shop heads, or 3) attempt to use smaller bits to move the holes to the center. If there is a fourth or fifth option, I haven’t figured it out yet. I decided this was the perfect stopping point for the evening, as I could think about the problem and do some research before tackling it tomorrow.

So far, this service bulletin is going fast, and successfully. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I can surmount these three problem rivets. If I cannot, I will simply replace this angle. Thankfully, this angle is the top angle, and will not require the back drilling to the fuselage that the bottom angle would require.

After my last session in the hangar, I decided I would make a list of projects to complete while waiting for the painting of the cockpit interior. There are several things I could continue to work on inside the cockpit, but I’d like to avoid removing items only to later reinstall to the maximum extent possible. With that in mind, the first task on the top of my list is a big on. Service Bulletin 14-01-31. If you’re a builder or a flyer of Van’s Aircraft, you’re likely already aware of this one. Van’s identified cracks in the front spar of the horizontal stabilizer and issued this service bulletin as a corrective measure. Technically, to comply with the SB, you do not need to make the modifications until cracks are detected. However many people, myself included are doing it as a preventative measure. That being the case, this is no small or easy project.

In a nutshell this SB adds two reinfocements to the front spar at the point they intersect with the first rib. You can see these reinforcements in the following photo. To accomplish this, the innermost ribs and both reinforcement angles must be removed. What makes it tricky is that some of these rivets will be difficult to access, and therefore the likelihood of making a mistake is fairly great. I’ve given a lot of thought as to whether or not to do this now, or to wait. Its not going to become more enjoyable with time, and I certainly won’t want to do it after the airplane is flying and painted! 

I’ve given careful consideration as to how I’m going to do this. I have an excellent rivet removal tool that makes the rivets it can access a breeze to remove safely and properly. Using it, I removed all the rivets in the skin, per the directions on the top side of the stab. The instructions call for removing all the rivets connecting all four ribs (2 per side) to the skin, plus the two most inboard rivets from the front spar. Some other builders who have completed this repair have removed more rivets on the skin in order to gain better access. For now, I’m sticking with the instructions, and I’ll deviate if and when it is necessary to do so. I’m giving some consideration to buying new ribs and angles as a prevantive measure as well. For now, I’m going to see how removal goes, and I will replace parts as appropriate. Here you can see what I accomplished tonight. (I also had to remove the horizontal stab from the fuselage)

As you can see, the rivet removal tool and good technique leaves a flawless result. If I can manage this on the inner rivets we’ll be in business!