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Dimpled where I shouldn't

jmcanty3

Active Member
I went into the workshop this weekend with a great attitude to "get this tail done." While cruising along dimpling my ribs, I failed to recognize that the ends are fastened with 470s (rookie!), and I dimpled them as if though they were flush. :mad:

I decided to give the flush set in the squeezer a shot to flatten them out. I'm concerned that the material has been weakened and wont support the AN470s. I plan on calling Van's tomorrow to confirm my suspicion, but I figured I would see if anyone else has any input before stamping these ribs as scrap.

These are my VS-707 rib where it attaches the VS-702 front spar:

dz62b.jpg


The inside flange:
257fymw.jpg
 
Looks to me like it needs more of a squeeze with the flush set. I (and many others) have done this before -- dimpling holes that should not be dimpled, and even dimpling the wrong way. When I asked Van's they told me I could flatten it back out once. Repeated dimpling and flattening would weaken the metal too much. Wouldn't hurt to call or email them and confirm, though.
 
I did the same with one rib in the Fuel Tank. After posting my question here:
http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=110927

I decided the tank area is critical to high loads imposed by the wings and the fuel itself, so it would be wise to replace the rib with a new one. $20+ Dollars is not too much to pay for peace of mind.

You will find many different opinions here. Some based on common sense and some based on experience, all of them valid to a certain level, but none as important, or final as from Van's itself.

Good luck!
 
New order

I'm ordering new ribs. It's cheap and easy.

Vans did suggest that a doubler would do the trick (scrap piece behind flange that would sandwhich the compromised dimples). I'm sure the fix would be acceptable, but I'd rather build as the plans intend...

Initially, I was concerned that I would screw up the match drilled skins by replacing the ribs. Turns out that's not an issue in this case, which made the decision to replace simple.

Learning a lot!

Thanks for the suggestions guys.

John
 
billytime

I would buy new ribs and embrace the journey. I have made 3 boneheads on my rv7 tail and have set 6 rivets. You will get in the groove after a while and feel amazed at how you learn from your mistake and remember this always... This race goes to the tortoise not the hare
 
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