tip: install wing root nutplates before mounting wings!

[prkaye]

Just a tip - if I were to do it again I would install those nutplates for the wing root fairing on the upper main wing skin BEFORE mounting the wing. These holes are pre-punched on both parts, and the gap between the upper wing skin (where the wing-walk doubler is) and the fuselage sides skin gets very narrow - I had a brutal day yesterday installing htese nutplates, trying to squish my hand down in there with my tungsten bucking bar to rivet those nutplates on. The ones where the wing root fairing meets the fuel tank have to be drilled in assembly (fuel tank not pre-punched), but there is a bigger gap here and it was easier to get the bucking bar inside. Even so, in a couple of spots I had to resort to using cherrymax blind rivets to hold the nutplates.

[jthocker]

Phil,
The idea is to fit the wings, drill the rear spar, drill the bottom skin overlap into the root rib on the bottom, fab. the fwd spar/tank attach, fit the wing root fairings,take the wings back off, then attach all the nutplates on the root rib. I don't know how you can do the bottom nutplates without removing the wings at least once????

[prkaye]

I had done the rear spar hole back when i trial fit the wings, but I neglected to do these nutplates at that time. I also didn't do the tank attach bracket, but that will be easy to do with the wings on (the holes and structure are arleady in-place in the fuselage - I'll just have to clamp the angle to the corresponding one on the fuel-tank and drill the angle from inside the plane using the existing holes as a guide).

I don't know how you can do the bottom nutplates without removing the wings at least once????

That's what I was saying... it was a real pain! And I had to resport to cherry blind rivets in a couple of spots... just warning other builders not to forget to do these nutplates before final wing attach!