HS help!

[Radomir]

"flute as required" is best we can say (I guess each rib will require a different amount). but it does sound like it wasn't fluted enough etc..

ps.. flute until the rivet line lines up with the holes in the skin.. all other indicators don't mean much.

[TJoyner]

This may seem obvious, but I think the forward most holes on HS707 are not prepunched and need to be match-drilled with the skins (I can't remember if this is true for HS706...). Are the correct holes lining up..? Mine were tough as well but they fit without any major problems.

[Hawkeye7A]

See my previous post ref the factory bend. Stand the skin on your bench without the skeleton with the leading edge down and press the top and bottom sides together with your hands until the trailing edges touch. Do the edges meet up? If there's an overlap of 1/4" or so you'll play heck getting the clecoes in on the short side and you should contact Vans and let them know that ANOTHER mis-bent skin got pass the QA department. These kits are great but the parts are produced by humans and goofs do occasionally occur.

--hawk

[Ansarie]

Well, I had to wait until after work yesterday to try some of the suggestion in the replies. I fiddled with left HS for a while, got frustrated and put it aside. Took a break, then I tried the Right side and it worked. It was a very tight fit and I put a few gouges on the skin at the rib tips.

Having someone to help is great. This is how I did it. I had a helper hold the skin with the leading edge on the table and the ends in the air pried open. I put one clico at the back then pushing the rib against the skin to making it conform to the rib. After a few gouges and more clicos on-forward until one side was done, then to the other.

I think I found a way, thanks to all the suggestions. I used all of them.

I will buff all the skin gouges when the whole thing is disassembled.

BUT, after match-drilling all the holes, deburring, dimpling, priming, and at assembly again before riveting, how do you stop the rib leading edge from gouging the inside skin again?

[TShort]

It goes together LOTS easier after everything is match drilled and dimpled - you'll be (pleasantly) surprised.

Thomas
-8 wings

[AltonD]

"BUT, after match-drilling all the holes, deburring, dimpling, priming, and at assembly again before riveting, how do you stop the rib leading edge from gouging the inside skin again?
"

Prime it, get over it. Done.

[Ansarie]

?Get over it? may work for some, but does not work for me!

According to Van?s ALL gouges MUST be buffed to eliminate or reduce stress risers, and I think they know best. The HS skin is a structural member as far as I can tell!

Someone out there managed to NOT gouge the inside HS skin at the rib tips at final assembly - before riveting, right?

There must be some kind of thin material (a sheet or something) that can be used to protect the surface, and then pulled-out somehow! Further, there maybe even better ways that I am not aware of, thus, this post!

[TShort]

Really - try it out - after you drill and dimple everything, check the fit before priming. I think you'll find it goes together much easier with little (if any) scratching.
Some primers are tougher than others - AKZO is almost impossible to scratch (waiting for flames and thread creep! )

Thomas
-8 wings