Rear Top Skin Riveting-9A

[hammer408]

Well, it's time to rivet the rear 2 top skins on my 9A and I'm mentally exhausted in trying to see if these 2 skins can be riveted WITHOUT having someone sit or lay inside the rear compartment to buck the rivets.

Any thoughts, comments, suggestions would be appreciated..

Thanks........

Henry
N918HB
Pittsburgh, Pa.

[Paul Eastham]

Some of the rivets can be done yourself, especially if you have long arms -- reaching along the longeron from the baggage area, along the forward stringers, and through the lightening holes in the empennage area.

This can be somewhat risky along the longeron -- if you come off the rivet even a little, you can leave a fold in the skin where the longeron ends.

I don't think there is any avoiding a helper for the central area.

[rv9builder]

I agree with Paul... Do not try this yourself. I put a bunch of cushions in the tailcone to lay on and it wasn't too uncomfortable, just loud! Be glad you're building a side-by-side model. It's probably even tighter in an RV-8!

[Jamie]

There's really no need to get inside the fuselage to rivet those skins-- two people can do it sitting outside if you have a decent reach. Just tape up the longeron so you don't bump it with the bucking bar. Leave one side up, reach across and buck it and then work your way up and over. First rivet the stringers and the center rib/doubler plate, etc.

Here I am bucking the rivets on the longeron while my riveting partner (hidden behind the fuselage) shoots. Of course this is with the tip-up. The slider may be easier or more difficult -- I'm not sure.



And here's a slightly older picture of me bucking the aft skin rivets. Again...just reach through the front and you'll be OK.

[mburch]

I did this without crawling inside the fuselage, but I did have to lean in quite a ways and I did use a helper. What worked best for me was to lean inside with the rivet gun and back rivet set, while my wife held a bucking bar (the one Avery sells for just this kind of back riveting) against the skin. I agree that you will probably need a spotter to get at some of the really hard to reach rivets back there.

mcb

[bsacks05]

I put a couple pieces of light plywood across the bulkheads then laid in a bunch of pillows over that for my helper to lie on as he bucked the rivets.