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Wing Spar Bolt Removal RV-7A
- Thread starter frankd
- Start date
Bolt removal
I used a pry bar on the head.....gently... after I pryed it partly out using the mounts as leverage
I used a pry bar on the head.....gently... after I pryed it partly out using the mounts as leverage
Last edited:
Get them out ???
Frank, have you thought about just selling the airplane
Those suckers are slightly oversize and usually driven IN with a rivet gun or sledge hammer and they don't want to come out. Hopefully, someone has an easy way but having put them in, I'm not sure there is an easy way.
Just a random thought.... before you can pry on them, you obviously have to get them out just a little bit to get something behind the head. But since you can't get to the bottom bolts to drive them out enough to pry on them because of the gear leg we need to move them out somehow until you can get behind the head.
I thought I would try making a block of hard wood or even the right size piece of aluminum spacer stock that would go between the nut and the gear leg itself. Anything that would go between the head of the nut and the gear mount to wedge it and hold the nut against the spar. Then with the nut held down, unscrew and back the bolt out. If you block the bolt/nut against the leg, I would hope that the bolt would be pushed out about the length of the nut.
At that point a pry bar might work but a less destructive method might be to make a puller to go on the end of a slide hammer and drop behind the bolt head and wack it out backwards. Puller would look a little like the end of a bearing puller with a U shaped notch to go over the bolt between the spar and the bolt head. Kinda L shaped with the notch in the short side and the other screwing on to the slide hammer.
This may be a crazy idea and if the nut strips as you are backing the bolt out you are really messed up. Just a random thought ??
Bill S
7a
Frank, have you thought about just selling the airplane
Those suckers are slightly oversize and usually driven IN with a rivet gun or sledge hammer and they don't want to come out. Hopefully, someone has an easy way but having put them in, I'm not sure there is an easy way.Just a random thought.... before you can pry on them, you obviously have to get them out just a little bit to get something behind the head. But since you can't get to the bottom bolts to drive them out enough to pry on them because of the gear leg we need to move them out somehow until you can get behind the head.
I thought I would try making a block of hard wood or even the right size piece of aluminum spacer stock that would go between the nut and the gear leg itself. Anything that would go between the head of the nut and the gear mount to wedge it and hold the nut against the spar. Then with the nut held down, unscrew and back the bolt out. If you block the bolt/nut against the leg, I would hope that the bolt would be pushed out about the length of the nut.
At that point a pry bar might work but a less destructive method might be to make a puller to go on the end of a slide hammer and drop behind the bolt head and wack it out backwards. Puller would look a little like the end of a bearing puller with a U shaped notch to go over the bolt between the spar and the bolt head. Kinda L shaped with the notch in the short side and the other screwing on to the slide hammer.
This may be a crazy idea and if the nut strips as you are backing the bolt out you are really messed up. Just a random thought ??
Bill S
7a
DanBaier
Well Known Member
I think you might have the best luck with a puller instead of a pry bar to get the bolts out. All of them can be started (two of the bottom on each side will be more of a challenge) with a hardwood block and a plastic mallet. For several of the bolts, it will take some time as you can only loosen the nut a bit, then pull, loosen some more, etc.
To make the job easier, I'd guess you'll also want to have some hardware store bolts with the threads ground off to serve as "pins" - as you remove some of the bolts, the pins can replace them holding alignment until you've got all of the close quarter bolts out before removing the wings.
With some time they can be removed.
Dan
To make the job easier, I'd guess you'll also want to have some hardware store bolts with the threads ground off to serve as "pins" - as you remove some of the bolts, the pins can replace them holding alignment until you've got all of the close quarter bolts out before removing the wings.
With some time they can be removed.
Dan
Bob Kuykendall
Well Known Member
Technically, I don't think that's true. The close-tolerance bolts in the kits have larger shanks than standard AN bolts, but I'm pretty sure that they are still smaller than the holes by around .0005" or so.
Thanks, Bob K.
Mike S
Senior Curmudgeon
There is a pry bar made for close work, called a "heel" bar, or "rocking heel" bar.
One of these may be good in this application, I would suspect.
No actual experience removing wing bolts in anything but the 10, and that is a totally different setup, as the bolts are outboard of the fuse side.
One of these may be good in this application, I would suspect.
No actual experience removing wing bolts in anything but the 10, and that is a totally different setup, as the bolts are outboard of the fuse side.
Bob, agreed they are CT not oversize but they don't just slide in and out without a lot of help
Would like to see the movie on getting the lower two behind the gear leg out !Bill S
Got them out
We were able to get them to back out enough while loosening the nuts to get a pry bar under the heads. We used an aluminum plate to protect the spar box and used a large pry bar while turning the bolts with a ratchet. They walked out SLOWLY. Painful process.
Thanks for the input!
Frank
We were able to get them to back out enough while loosening the nuts to get a pry bar under the heads. We used an aluminum plate to protect the spar box and used a large pry bar while turning the bolts with a ratchet. They walked out SLOWLY. Painful process.
Thanks for the input!
Frank
Wing Spar Bolt Removal RV-7A -
I used a 90 degree air driven ratchet to spin the lubed bolts in. It was a non-event, maybe that is another way to get them out. Dan
I used a 90 degree air driven ratchet to spin the lubed bolts in. It was a non-event, maybe that is another way to get them out. Dan
AltonD
Well Known Member
Ditto. Worked for me.
