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Fun With F-6111 Ribs

T

Tedtheflyer

Member
Has anybody have a good secret for fitting these pesky little stiffeners? They attach to the F706 bulkhead (the instructions say F705???)and the inside of the forward aft skin on slider models. They are simple stiffeners to provide stiffness to the skin behind the canopy. I've twisted and fluted these guys to no avail. I trimmed as necessary equally from both ends. In retrospect they would probably have fit better against the skin if I limited triming on the top to the angle necessary to fit the ribs tight to the bulkhead. I'm ordering two replacements tomorrow....

There are lots of posts in Matt Drailes list serve about this by 6 builders. They had similar challenges with this part. I have heard some builders have not installed these at all.
I'm interested in hearing your experiences or pics of installing these parts.
Thanks
 
Ted,
First don't cut them shorter! draw a center line down the flange, then trim the bottom edge to fit the longeron, the top flange needs a long taper trimed to fit the bulkhead. Hold the rib tight to the longeron set the line in the holes and start drilling and clecoing from the bottom to the top. it looks like no way but it will go right in and is realy easy. no fluting needed just a slight twist to get the top to fit the bulkhead tight
good luck
Frank
 
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I don't remember if I started at the top or bottom, but Frank's suggestion is how it worked for me. Mark center line & start drilling & clecoing from one end.

Derrell
 
F-6111 Ribs

FrankK90989's method for fitting the F-6111 ribs is one of the best pieces of advice I have ever run across. Thanks Frank! p.s. I started at the bottom and went up.
 
I put off doing this on my 9A for a long time, thinking it was going to be really difficult. But, one day I decided to tackle it and I pretty much did it exactly as Frank wonderfully described and it turned out to be nearly a piece of cake. I trimmed a little at a time to get the angles at the ends proper, but the drilling and clecoing from bottom to top worked great with no need to flute at all.
 
Ted,
I am having the same problem and also have two new parts on order. Did you have fluting in the bulkhead flange that caused gaps where the stiffener lays on top of the flange?
 
Fun with F-6111 Ribs

Sully,

I trimmed the F-6111 very carefully so as to lie flat and to avoid the fluting on the bulkhead.
 
This thread save me one F-6111

Well, the instructions say bend, twist and flute if necessary. Sooo, that?s the way I started for 45 minutes after cutting the first F-6111 short. Then to VAF, search and the solution per this thread. It works very well. Start at the bottom. Bevel the outside web so the flange fits flush with the longeron. Drill the lower most hole on the center line, cleco and continue up one hole at a time until you can't comfortably drill to the center line. Remove and begin to bevel the outside flange (a relative long diagonal) and the inside flange at the top. Cleco in place and continue to drill and repeat the process with some twisting an light fluting on the outside flange at the top to get a flush fit to the F-706. Most of my time was spent at the top. I also cut a slot in the flange at the point it passed over the fluting in the F-706 to get a flush fit at that point. It took about 45 minutes and came out perfectly.;) The piece did not need to be shorten.
 
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