Watch that Bolt Torque

RV3bpilot · #1 05-08-2014, 09:44 AM

Doing my annual inspection and I checked the bolt torques after reading what others on this site said about finding loose bolts. I would never have believed it unless I saw it with my own eyes but I had several bolts loose that needed to be torqued. I only have 68.2 hours on the fuselage! And I did use a torque wrench when I installed the bolts. The bolts I found loose were in the wing, motor mount, and tail section. Wow... I think the protective paint compresses in time under the bolts, "just a theory"..
I want to thank those who share their experiences so we can all learn from them.

rbibb · #2 05-08-2014, 04:03 PM

That is one of the reasons it is advisable NOT to paint under the bearing surfaces of a bolted connection. Mil Specs and such call for masking the area under the washer and bolt head during pre-assembly painting.

bruceh · #3 05-09-2014, 06:51 AM

What about the numerous areas where Van's has you bolting on to powdercoated surfaces?

Joness0154 · #4 05-14-2014, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rbibb

That is one of the reasons it is advisable NOT to paint under the bearing surfaces of a bolted connection. Mil Specs and such call for masking the area under the washer and bolt head during pre-assembly painting.

How about primer? I'm just getting started on my empennage, and I still haven't primed the spars yet. There's some bolted connections on there which I will not prime if that's the case.