What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

RV-10 QB kit

C

colestopp

Member
We have built the Empennage. Very pleased with the way it all goes together. We etch-primed every component as we went. Now the QB fuselage has arrived. Looks nicely made to me, but there are some issues.
You have to drill out a load of pop rivets to remove the floors, and unscrew side panels which are quite tightly screwed in, potentially damaging screws.
2 rear sections come out quite easily. The bit behind the pilot seats will be more difficult, and the section in front of the seats looks like a Dockyard job because it is attached to the UC mounting. VANS say it only involves a couple of bolts, but I cannot see that at the moment; it looks more than that to me. We are debating whether we have to take the front floor out at all.
Also it appears to have a light etch-prime and then maybe an oil mist sprayed on it inside. Not sure how how best to continue the priming program.
Has anyone built a QB RV10 and would like to comment/advise?
 
I think that the Filipinos did very nice work in putting together my QB fuselage. Still, many inconsistencies exist. The forward floor panels were not final riveted, yet could not be readily removed. I wanted to install fireblock material under them and had to cut out the floors' corners where diagonals from the gear mount pass through.

Many nutplates were installed prematurely. These function, but overlaying panels look funny. Other inconsistencies are found between the construction manual, which distinguishes between "standard build" and "quick build" steps, and the actual work done.

The interior was primed with a self-etch Sherwin Williams product. Specifics are in the archives. The outer surfaces have a oily protective coating, presumably due to ocean shipping exposure. I removed it with denatured alcohol.

Overall the QB is a blessing unless you really enjoy driving thousands of rivets, but one has to accept quirks. Just read the manual carefully to assess what has been done and what remains.
 
Front floor pan

I have built 2 of these -10 quick build fuselages and in both cases removed the gear support entirely so that the front floor could be removed for fire/insulation materiel. Was a job to do but once you put your mind to it, it can happen in ~8hrs start to finish.
 
I was in the same situition not long ago. I wanted to do a number of things under the floor pan but after I looked at all the work and for what little I was actually going to do I just riveted them down. Rivet it down and build on.
 
carry on riveting!

I like the sound of that! What would be the reason to put insulation/fire proofing under the forward floor? Do you get cold feet perhaps? I imagine we can get all the wiring down the sidewalls?
What did you do about priming? Any other tips for the QB fuselage apart from 'get on with it'!!
 
Floor panels

I have the QB fuselage. I'm pulling the front panels to put in insulation for the noise reduction from the exhaust pipes right under your feet. Not because "my feet get cold". (Oh brother!). Yes it's a bit more work, but I think it's worth it.
 
I put insulation under the front floorboards primarily for sound dampening. I don't think I would do that again, because you will still want good ANR headsets if you value your hearing. It was not necessary to pull the floorboards out. Just drill out and lift the aft edge to prime or insulate. You can make templates for insulation by using the rivet lines on the underside.
 
Like Jim said, you can just clip a little by the gear box and unrivet/lift the aft section. Ive done it twice for soundproofing. Soundproofing is cumulative, like drag reduction.
 
I chose not to remove the weld meant to pull the front pans. Instead just vacuumed under everything and plan to use some spray foam up there.

That film is just wd-40 which comes off fairly easy with soap and water. I washed it off the wings but it's still all over the fuselage. Will get to it at some point but it's fairly harmless.

I found a number of things skipped on purpose or just forgotten. As with everything just go through step by step and verify. I spent 11 hours inspecting both my kits but still find things, for example a random rivet they didn't drive... Took 5 mins to throw it in.
 
QB Kits

I went ahead and riveted my front floor pans down. I like the spray foam idea, might give that a try.

I would also watch out for the rivets in the area that the cabin top sits. They SHOULD be AN426 flush rivets, i.e. no heads protruding. My QB kit had about 8 rivets on each side where AN470 button heads were used. Fitting the top will be MUCH easier if you find these now instead of later. They were easily drilled out and replaced with the proper rivets, as specified in the plans...
 
I will also be ordering a QB RV10 fuselage and I found these post extremely enlightening and helpful! Thank you everyone for all the great ideas and suggestions on this topic.

That being said, I did want to throw a basic question out there (and please keep in mind I am a newbie):
If installing sounds reduction insulation under the floor panels requires dismantling of a portion of the QB kit, instead, why not just opt for a Vetterman exhaust system with muffler? I read on their website that these can provide a decent level of sound reduction. Any thoughts on this option?
 
FL-flyer said:
If installing sounds reduction insulation under the floor panels requires dismantling of a portion of the QB kit, instead, why not just opt for a Vetterman exhaust system with muffler? I read on their website that these can provide a decent level of sound reduction. Any thoughts on this option?
Click to expand...

I will be installing the new exhaust, I think it's also supposed to help with any tunnel heat issues.
 
Truth is, you don't want any insulation in the front few inches of floor near the firewall. That's a good thing because its a bear to completely remove the front floors. You can unrivet the rear portion of the front floor pretty easily and install something in the rear half pretty easy. I used super sound sheets on most of this airplane, but I used a ceramic fiber for under the front floor on the theory that it would handle a little more heat before it turned on you. The super soundproof sheets do make a big difference. Cuts sheet resonance down considerably and also provides thermal insulation. The whole plane feels more solid and quiet. Somebody is sure to jump in here and say it doesn't help, just get good ANR headsets. I say that's because they either haven't flown in one that's been well dampened or they've already wrecked their ears and can't hear. The standard vet exhaust already has dual mufflers.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top