To rivet or glass in wing tip rib

dwilson · #1 11-24-2006, 11:53 AM

I am working on my second set of wingtips for my 9A. Messed up the first set.

I want some advice on whether or not I can skip the rivets and fiberglass the stiffner rib that runs perpindicular to the cord of the wing near the trailing edge. Will it hold? or do I need rivets to keep the rib in place????

On my first set of wingtips I cracked the gellcoat around most of the rivets when I set them and I don't want to do that again.

Thanks,

Duane

jlfernan · #2 11-24-2006, 12:33 PM

I don't see why you could not glass them in. I suppose a couple of layer of glass matting w/resin over the flange should be fine. One down side is the dreaded weight issue. Don't forget though, if you plan on painting, a little body work and no one will know the difference. I just finished the tips on my 9A two weeks ago. I have the same problem with the gel coat cracking. I'll let the body shop take care of them. And befoe you trash the tips, fiberglass is very forgiving. Just put a layer of glass over your holes inside the tips and then fill the holes themselves outside with resin/flox, sand it smooth and you could start over.

rv9builder · #3 11-24-2006, 01:22 PM

I wonder if using AN-426A rivets instead of AN-426AD rivets would solve the problem? "A" rivets are softer than "AD" rivets. Spruce sells 'em.

RV7Guy · #4 11-24-2006, 01:53 PM

You're okay glassing the rib in, but I'd still do a couple of rivets to hold it in place while glassing. It's okay if the gel coat got cracked. A little filler and you'll be fine.

Also, you need to check for voids in the glass that are covered by the gel coat. If you don't find them now they will crack and a hole exposed. Definitely don't want this happening after paint. Use a bright light to find the voids. They are there!!!

TSwezey · #5 11-24-2006, 03:55 PM

Aren't you suppose to use pop rivets when attaching metal to fiberglass?

hevansrv7a · #6 11-24-2006, 04:13 PM

When I did mine, I turned them around so the web was flush with the edge. I just figured it would be an aerodynamically cleaner way to go. That did require blind rivets, though. the good news is that they put a larger surface against the fiberglass. I don't see the point of adding weight with additional fiberglass.