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Wing attach question

bob888

Well Known Member
In the final attach steps when installing the close tolerance bolts Van's recommends lubricating with LPS or oil. I have been told that freezing the bolts with dry ice will make the process easier. Can anyone speak to this?
 
I put mine in a regular freezer for a few days, coated them with engine oil I had on hand (20W-50) and had no problems installing them.
 
Wing attach bolts

Hardest thing for me was getting a wrench on some of the bolt heads, then having any space to turn the wrench.
 
I used the dry Ice and wouldn?t do it again; I would just put some type of lube on them next time. I did use my rivet gun with a scrape of aluminum between the gun and the head of the bolt and slowly tap them in! Don?t forget the washers on the heads of the bolt on the bottom. With the gear leg weldments you can?t turn the nut on the bottom bolts that?s why you need the washer on the head
 
As with any metal to metal contact that you might one day want to disassemble, I used a white grease on the bolts and the wing spar ends. Worked fine.

Don't forget to do the same on gear leg sockets and such.

Carl
 
I used the dry Ice and wouldn?t do it again; I would just put some type of lube on them next time. I did use my rivet gun with a scrape of aluminum between the gun and the head of the bolt and slowly tap them in! Don?t forget the washers on the heads of the bolt on the bottom. With the gear leg weldments you can?t turn the nut on the bottom bolts that?s why you need the washer on the head

This is not an issue with the RV-10 as the bolts go outside the fuse in the wing root. We just use some grease and tap them in with a piece of wood and a hammer.
 
What Jesse said-----bolts are a piece of cake to access.

One thing to be sure of when installing the bolts is that the nut doesnt bottom on the bolt threads, I had one that seemed to torque down just fine, but spun in the hole as I was removing the wrench------all it needed was a thicker washer.
 
I used the dry Ice and wouldn?t do it again; I would just put some type of lube on them next time. I did use my rivet gun with a scrape of aluminum between the gun and the head of the bolt and slowly tap them in! Don?t forget the washers on the heads of the bolt on the bottom. With the gear leg weldments you can?t turn the nut on the bottom bolts that?s why you need the washer on the head

Ray
What did you do to ensure the holes were lined up? I can't get any of my final bolts in. I do have a couple bullet bolts in for alignment. But the final bolts won't go past the first part of the spar. They are hanging up on something. Did you wiggle the wing? Other ideas? thanks
 
Ray
What did you do to ensure the holes were lined up? I can't get any of my final bolts in. I do have a couple bullet bolts in for alignment. But the final bolts won't go past the first part of the spar. They are hanging up on something. Did you wiggle the wing? Other ideas? thanks

I usually have someone at the wingtip wiggle the wing up and down, fore and aft while I tap on the bolt. I?ve never had one not go in. Do not pin the rear spar until the main spar bolts are in. Be careful on he bolt that is closest to the fuel pickup fitting, as it can hit that fitting if you?re not careful. A little grease and some tapping always works. They are tight, but they go.
 
What about truing the wings, for a 10?

Jesse,

Do you check alignment of the wings during install. I know that the other models require plum bobs and all sorts of alignment measurements, but I get the feeling that most 10 builders are simply installing the main spar bolts, drilling the aft spar, and then calling it good. I don't believe Vans calls for any type of verification, but what's good practice?
 
The rear spar and carry through members are prepunched so there is no rigging required. You need to line the holes up on the rear spar (I like to drive a drill bit through the hole to get good alignment, but not with a drill), clamp them to hold that alignment, then drill them bigger and bigger working your way up to, iirc, 3/8? for the AN6 bolt. Do this without removing the clamp so the alignment stays.
 
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