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RV 8 tops skin absent (fastback) - wait or press

msstahl

msstahl

Active Member
I'm drilling out the fuselage parts and have come to the point where the instructions tell me to attach the top skin in order to correctly align the fuselage for drilling the remaining parts such as the aft deck, control stops, angle and spacer. I have not yet received my fastback parts and have elected to eliminate the stock top skin from my fuse kit.

Should I wait for the fastback top skin to proceed past this point or is the pre-punched fuse square enough to proceed?

Appreciate the advice as I called Vans Tech Support this morning and wasn't given a firm answer either way.
 
I would suggest moving ahead. I've got my -8 FB aft top skin clecoed in place, because there's still lots of things that need to be done back there. It's WAY easier to reach down into a canoe, than crawl back into an ice cream cone. My build partner is dying to rivet the skin on, so to appease him, I let him do the instrument panel access door from the baggage compartment!

There will be lots of checking "square" and "level" later when you attach the HS.

I say "Press."
 
Michael,
Are your belly and side skins riveted to the bulkheads, spars and longerons? If not,without the turtle deck at least clecoed into place, your fuselage structure is not really rigid. If you install other parts, it is possible that you may introduce a twist into the fuselage, that would then be difficult to fix, as the parts installed while you were waiting my hold the twist in place.
I would suggest that it would be safer to only install stuff that won't "lock in" any distortion. That said, I installed my floor panels while the fuselage was still upside down in the jig. I have an early pre-punched [not matched hole] 8A. The early kits required the use of a fuselage jig.
 
chaskuss said:
Michael,
Are your belly and side skins riveted to the bulkheads, spars and longerons? If not,without the turtle deck at least clecoed into place, your fuselage structure is not really rigid. If you install other parts, it is possible that you may introduce a twist into the fuselage, that would then be difficult to fix, as the parts installed while you were waiting my hold the twist in place.
I would suggest that it would be safer to only install stuff that won't "lock in" any distortion. That said, I installed my floor panels while the fuselage was still upside down in the jig. I have an early pre-punched [not matched hole] 8A. The early kits required the use of a fuselage jig.
Click to expand...

I’m still in the drilling stage so the center bottom skins are riveted to the inboard two ribs and the aft spar support. Other thank that all parts are clekoed while drilling prior to disassembly.
 
Reading between your lines, the instructions are saying "attach" the aft topskin? Attach sounds like "cleco" to me. Temporarily "attach" the aft skin to hold things solidly while you permanently rivet other things.

Finally riveting the aft and forward top skins will be among the last things you do to the fuselage. There's a reason people will think you're building a canoe - because the top will be open.
 
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