WD-605R/L

Some lessons are learned the hard way. When you buy someone's kit, you not only get to make your own goof-ups, you get to discover any the other builder may have made. In my case I just discovered a goof made over 10 years ago by one of the first two owners of the empennage kit.

While hanging the elevators I found that the hole through the WD-605R&L for the AN-4 bolt is about 1/16" too close to the tube so I can't get a nut to start:

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It's drilled per the plans at 13/16" from the center of the tube but I'm guessing it wasn't drilled in assembly with the bearing.

I could probably get an MS21042-L4 on, but would that be acceptable? I've also thought of fabricating back plates from .063" 4130 moly and rivetting it to the outer surface of the WD-605's then redrill.

Any good ideas on a solution, short of building new elevators?

Thanks,
Dave
RV-6 Finishing ( and possibly empennage)

MS21042L4 could be ok!

But it should seat flat, meaning not bumping against the weld fillet.
The final call is yours.

Can you hold the nut in place, and turn the bolt from the other side? ie. not turning the nut at all on this side, just using the tube to hold the flat side of the nut? Or is it too close even for that? Even doing that it looks like you may need a washer at the base that's been cut to fit both the tube and the fillet.

In a pinch, grinding down the side of a nut slightly to allow it to fit might be an option. Remember, this bolt is loaded 100% in shear... There's no axial load on it. The nut is only there to keep the bolt from siding out.

The head on the bolt sits flat against the tube. I can't turn the bolt

Dave

When you say that you guess that it wasn't drilled in assembly with the bearing, does that mean there's a side load when you slide the bolt through? If so, you should get the existing holes welded shut and then re-drill to match the bearing; it might also cure your fit problem. By the way, check the measurements at the rod end bearings. If those are wrong then they can affect where the horn meets the bearing. If that's the case, again, weld and re-drill.

If you have room for a nut, then use a cap screw - an Allen head bolt - and turn the bolt into the nut.....
This is a common problem with first time builders.....

dsvajda said:

Some lessons are learned the hard way. When you buy someone's kit, you not only get to make your own goof-ups, you get to discover any the other builder may have made. In my case I just discovered a goof made over 10 years ago by one of the first two owners of the empennage kit.

While hanging the elevators I found that the hole through the WD-605R&L for the AN-4 bolt is about 1/16" too close to the tube so I can't get a nut to start:

[/URL][/IMG]

It's drilled per the plans at 13/16" from the center of the tube but I'm guessing it wasn't drilled in assembly with the bearing.

I could probably get an MS21042-L4 on, but would that be acceptable? I've also thought of fabricating back plates from .063" 4130 moly and rivetting it to the outer surface of the WD-605's then redrill.

Any good ideas on a solution, short of building new elevators?

Thanks,
Dave
RV-6 Finishing ( and possibly empennage)

Click to expand...

Thanks for the input. I just dropped the elevators at a local machine shop and asked them to weld the holes.

Dave