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wd-409 tailwheel, F-711, pull a hole?

jcaplins

Well Known Member
Need a little guidence.
I drilled a #30 pilot hole for the AN4 bolts that attach the WD-409 tailwheel assy to the F-711 bulckhead.

Refering to the picture below. I only have 0.300" from center to the edge. At a minimum I think I need 0.375"; this would give me [1.5 x bolt diameter] edge distance.

How can I pull this hole before final drilling to 1/4"? Or is 0.300" good enough? (once drilled it will only be only 1/8" from edge of hole to edge.)


IMG_0179.JPG
 
I slept on it, and here is what I'm going to do:

I am going to JB-Weld the hole so I can re-drill a pilot hole where I want it. Which will be pretty much right on the edge of the existing hole. I will then back-drill the F-711 structure, effectively elongating that hole. I will then Final drill for the AN4 bolt. This should give me the edge distance I need, line everything up nicely and all the JB-weld will be removed with the final drilling.
 
Just my opinion, but I would have the hole welded closed instead of using JB Welb. Jb is good but not as strong as metal. The hole can be welded and ground flat which also gives you a better drilling surface.
 
Another solution is to "pull" the hole in the desired direction with a needle file before drilling up to the next size.
 
drill bushing

Clamp a drill bushing onto part, make sure you pick up all of existing hole and pull it.
 
Thanks for the replies. I ended up doing it my way. The process wasn't pretty, but it worked and there is no more JB-weld anywhere or elongated holes.

If I had a welder, that would have been the way to go. The JB-weld did start to chip away, but I got my pilot hole then a clean 1/4" hole, so I'm happy.

I don't have any drill bushings (could have made one, I guess), but sounds like it would have worked as well.
 
Rapid Fix

There is another product to use instead of J-B Weld. It is Rapid Fix and is stronger than J-B Weld and drills a lot better. I don't use J-B Weld any more, just Rapid Fix. The guys at the Auto Paint store turned me on to it. You can order it on line also with free shipping.
 
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