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Riveting leading edge

High_Flyer

Well Known Member
Hi again,
I'm now trying to rivet the leading edge ribs to the spar. The manual suggests AN470AD4-5 and -7 rivets, accessing through the lightenig holes to hold the bucking bar. Definitely a two person job. But even with the help of my wife, I can't figure how to correctly set these rivets. I've tried a few but we are not able to hold the bucking bar straight enough to have properly driven rivets.
I've read here and there that some are using blind rivets for this.
What blind rivets would be acceptable here?
I know not much about metal to simply guess what blind rivets can repalce these AN470 rivets. I've tried search but no good results.
Thanks for the help,
Alain.
 
I had the same issue. I could probably have bucked the two ribs closest to the ends, but there was no way I was going to be able to buck the ones in the middle. Mine, and my wifes, arms just aren't that long.

Reading here I used LP4-3 and LP4-4 rivets. The -4 are used where you have to pass through a doubler. Your rivet puller needs to be able to pull a rivet really really close to the web of the ribs, so you might want to start trying to figure out if you need to modify the puller you have.
 
It helps to have skinny arms but it's really not that difficult, just awkward. I did all the rivets solo.

The key for me was building a wooden bucking bar guide which would hold the bucking bar in alignment with the rivet being bucked. Search the posts and you should find a more detailed description. Then just hold the bar with your fingers and using a long rivet set in the gun and some patience. Use an inspection mirror to check the rivets.

After I did this (7 year old kit), I discovered that Vans had a stall warner that was standard on the newer kits, so I bought this along with an extra access panel and skin doubler for the opposite wing. Looking in through the access panels, these difficult leading edge rivets would be quite easy to set.
 
Wad up several towels of soft cushion material and stuff the inside of the leading edge skin with it.

You WILL drop a bucking bar and it WILL ding the leading edge.
 
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