Tank Ribs will not hold clecos...

danielhv · #1 11-22-2008, 12:05 PM

Ok, so now that the ribs and skins have been dimpled (using tank dies) I cannot get many of the clecos to grip the ribs when clecoing the skin on... Many will grip... but only have a very small bite. The ones along the trailing edge of the tanks will not grip at all... If I move a rib around too much, alot of them will just pop out. I can't fit an 1/8" cleco in there without pushing kinda hard to get it through... what do I do?

Transporter · #2 11-22-2008, 12:47 PM

I also used tank dimple dies (from Avery) but didn't see any difference in hole size.

I used a plywood cradle (with 2"x4" lumber base) to hold the tank skins in position while inserting, sealing, and riveting the ribs. The cradle held the skin tight on the rib flanges so there wasn't much, if any, tension on the clecos.

Suggest you try a cradle if you're not already using one; I've also found quite a bit of difference in cleco grip between brands. The best ones I've used are the Wedge-Loc (by Monogram) as sold by Avery and Cleaveland. You may be able to borrow a different brand to try on your tank; if they already have Pro-seal on them they will grip even better!

I'd avoid forcing in larger clecos in any case-can't help and it will probably distort the holes.

Worst case-if none of the above works I'd call Van's and discuss the use of AN426AD4-4 (1/8" flush) rivets on the ribs. Heads will be larger but if anything the tanks will be stronger. You'll need to stick with the 3/32" rivets for the baffles since these holes are countersunk...

Good luck,
Mike

danielhv · #3 11-22-2008, 12:58 PM

I am using a cradle... not the best made, but it'll do...

Rick6a · #4 11-22-2008, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by danielhv

.....I cannot get many of the clecos to grip the ribs when clecoing the skin on......If I move a rib around too much, alot of them will just pop out.....what do I do?

The fix you require is just too easy....get out some scrap aluminum....032 or thicker.....and drill each small bit of scrap with a #40 or (I prefer) a #41 hole.

danielhv · #5 11-22-2008, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick6a

The fix you require is just too easy....get out some scrap aluminum....032 or thicker.....and drill each small bit of scrap with a #40 or (I prefer) a #41 hole.

You sir.... are the man.

Paul Eastham · #6 11-22-2008, 07:53 PM

Just for the record, I had this problem a bit with my tanks too. Not on every hole, just some. I attributed it to lots of difficulty getting the ribs perfectly pushed down into the skin, the holes not lining up perfectly, thus slightly enlarged holes.

cln1owner · #7 11-23-2008, 01:30 AM

Daniel,

One thing I noticed in buying clecos from different sources is that they differ slightly.

The cleco on the right, a WEDGELOCK brand, has a slightly smaller diameter to it than the one on the left, which is a KWIK-LOK.

IIRC Vans sells the WEDGELOCK brand and I got the KWIK-LOKs from Cleaveland. I keep the two types seperate which is easy to do because of the color of the release pin... the WEDGELOCK is darker.

The WEDGELOCK fits perfectly into a prepunched hole, where the KWIKS take some force to get in. As I match drill, I replace them with KWIKs, which fit much better in the larger drilled and dimpled holes... holding them tighter.

I'm not suggesting going out and buying a bunch of new clecos. I never would have but I decided early on to buy A LOT of clecos, cause I heard that one could never have enough.

I just happened to buy from two different sources, and stumbled onto the differences. Maybe this has all been dumb luck and I just got a bad batch of one or the other, but it's worked great so far.

DaX · #8 11-24-2008, 08:01 AM

Daniel, I had a similar problem with my LE skin after I used the Cogsdill Buraway - I didn't like the tool very much.

Flying Scotsman · #9 03-09-2009, 12:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cln1owner

Daniel,

One thing I noticed in buying clecos from different sources is that they differ slightly.

The cleco on the right, a WEDGELOCK brand, has a slightly smaller diameter to it than the one on the left, which is a KWIK-LOK.

IIRC Vans sells the WEDGELOCK brand and I got the KWIK-LOKs from Cleaveland. I keep the two types seperate which is easy to do because of the color of the release pin... the WEDGELOCK is darker.

The WEDGELOCK fits perfectly into a prepunched hole, where the KWIKS take some force to get in. As I match drill, I replace them with KWIKs, which fit much better in the larger drilled and dimpled holes... holding them tighter.

I'm not suggesting going out and buying a bunch of new clecos. I never would have but I decided early on to buy A LOT of clecos, cause I heard that one could never have enough.

I just happened to buy from two different sources, and stumbled onto the differences. Maybe this has all been dumb luck and I just got a bad batch of one or the other, but it's worked great so far.

I wondered if anybody else had this issue. I borrowed a bucket of cleco's from a friend to supplement the ones we had, and they're all just a tad smaller and tend to fall out of dimpled holes. I don't know the brands off-hand, and I'm too lazy to go out to the garage and look right now, but there is definitely a difference (an annoying one).