nosegear pant-nut plate on?

mark manda · #1 10-14-2005, 08:40 AM

I can't believe I have to pull the axle bolt to remove the wheel pant.

I guess eight nut plates could solve it, just thinking. anybody?

mburch · #2 10-14-2005, 08:58 AM

On my 9A, I followed the plans (used rivets) and it was a pain in the butt to get the bearings back in at annual time. I redid it with nutplates and everything was happy.

Of course on the 7 TD I'm building now I hope to have fewer nose gear problems but that's a different thread.

mcb
RV-7, QB fuse/wings in two weeks!
http://www.rv7blog.com

fred · #3 10-14-2005, 02:35 PM

I didn't like the idea of pulling the axle bolt to remove the pant either. Sooo I attached it with nut plates like the maingear. It takes a little strain to spread the sides to slide the pant over the mounting brackets, but it has been fairly easy to remove and install during the last 15 months and 155 hours flying on my 7A. I did put set screws in the brackets to keep them from rotating and misaligning the nutplates and screw holes. fred

Davepar · #4 10-17-2005, 10:49 AM

Any pictures? I'm a bit confused. I guess I'll understand better when I start messing with the nose gear.

Peetie the Pilot · #5 10-17-2005, 03:09 PM

As mentioned by "Davepar", I too would like to see some pixs of these installations going on out there in the RV world. I have to agree with others in this thread, taking the nose wheel off everytime you need to remove the pant is a royal pain. If you can, could you please accommodate us with pixs.Many thanks in advance.

Peter
RV-9A
C-GRVN

Bob Axsom · #6 10-17-2005, 07:14 PM

I do not have a photo of the clips with plate nuts on the fork. If needed and nobody else posts them I'll go to the hangar remove the fairing and photograph them. However, basically you just have to bend the brackets, mount them (I think I drilled and tapped the forks for #8 screws - maybe #6), measure the location where you want the center of the platenuts from some horizontal and vertical plane,(one on each inverted "hat" bracket "wing"), mark them, position the fairing (accurately), determine where the holes have to go to hit the platenut locations, remove the fairing, drill the holes in the fairing, wash the marking off of the clips (blue sharpie comes off nicely with alcohol), reinstall the fairing (accurately), mark the actual location for the platenut center holes on the clip wings, remove the fairing, mark all of the clips so you can get them back in the exact same location & orientation, remove the clips, drill #30 holes in each plate nut center location, cleco the #8 (8/32) platenuts to the outside of the clips, drill a #40 hole in one of the platenut mounting clip wings using a platenut mounting hole as a drill guide, cleco that hole, drill the other mounting hole, repeat this methodical process for all of the platenuts, countersink the outside surface of the clips for flat head #3 rivets even though the clips are too thin for normal countersinking this is not a structural application (you should have done this many times already elswhere), drill out the center hole on the clip platenut locations to 3/16" (so the fairing installation screws will easily pass through the clips to the threads of the platenuts), rivet the platenuts in place, reinstall the plate nut clips in the final location & orientation, countersink the mounting holes in the fairing for #8 flathead screws, install the fairing with 8 each 8/32 flathead screws and dimple washers. To remove the fairing the nosecap screws and the eight mounting screws have to be removed but the axle/wheel/bearings/fork/etc. remain untouched. Note in the photo I have no towbar holes or (cringe) valve stem holes but if you don't care about drag, drill away.

Bob Axsom

mark manda · #7 10-18-2005, 06:08 AM

I figure I might need an ah, all, ale(sp?) to align with but what the heck.

maybe I'll go back in and patch the axle hole although I want a towbar.

If you take a look at my pant gallery it will be painfully clear!

]

osxuser · #8 10-18-2005, 03:21 PM

Looking at that design, Van's was stupid not to do that to start.

mark manda · #9 01-25-2006, 12:26 AM

ya know, sometimes one bolt MIGHT be better..... gawd I love trying to be original.

BillyBob · #10 04-24-2006, 11:32 AM

In this thread, an earlier photo shows the nosegear swivel stop plate WD-631 mounted with the "stops" portion mounted to the rear. The Van's drawing I have (for the older gear leg and fork) shows the plate with the stops forward.

Which is right or more correct? Or is this a new fork versus old fork thing?

It would seem the difference would just be less angular displacement of the trailing nose wheel.