Whether to rivet on bag floor or screw on?

[jimbo]

That is the question. Have searched post but before riveting in place want to be sure I won't need to drill out later.

To screw on: Obviously to gain access underneath. But if no antenna under there, and thinking positive that I won't have to replace step in the future are there other reasons?

Drifting toward riveting in place per plans. Don't need to be looking for extra work. But don't want to drill out later.

Any strong opinions that I have not considered? Same agrument can be said of the seat floor panels.

Jim
RV9A Fuse

[Mel]

Mine have been riveted down for over 17 years. I drilled them up once to install steps. I riveted them back down.
I have a small inspection cover with screws in one place to access the transponder antenna.

[Jerry Cochran]

I recently drilled out the baggage floor on a project and not that bad a task. Learned a trick to avoid spinning rivets and that is to use light pressure on the drill. So guess I would suggest riveting.


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[apkp777]

I am pretty sure after a number of years, you will have to drill half the screws out. The pop rivets come out very easy. I know as I removed a floor that I riveted down (for addition wiring).

[Steve Ashby]

Don't do it Jimbo. Like you, I agonized over doing it last year and then decided to set the jillion nutplates so I could screw the floors down on my 8A. It was a royal pain in the patootie. There were several areas on the flanges that drilling and setting nutplates was problematic because of access issues. In those places, the nutplates are not pretty. If I had to do it over again, I would use the pop rivets. Good luck!

[Ironflight]

I guess I'll ad my voice to the pop-rivet chorus....

RV-8: 4.5 years flying, 1100 hours. Have never had a need to pull up the pop-riveted baggage area or rear floor (even when rewiring the autopilot). Have broken/stripped a couple of screws/nutplates in the removable forward floor that needed replacing.

RV-6: 20 years of flying (not me, by any stretch!), 2400 hours. Regularly strip screws and have to replace nutplates in forward floor at annual. Baggage floor riveted down - have not had the need to remove.

And STILL - I am wondering if I am going to pop rivet or screw the floors down in the -3. Well, not really - we're going to pop rivet them - I just keep thinking about it until it is done.....

Paul

[LarryT]

I had a Super Late Model stock car. Lots of removal and reinstallation (guess why?). I learned that with a pneumatic rivet gun, pop rivet removal and reinstallation was even faster than sheet metal screws.

LarryT

[pauldan181]

I put the floors down with pop rivets in my 8A because the only thing down there was my well protected battery cable and I'd never need access. Wrong. I had the cap blow off a bottle of engine oil and leak down under the baggage floor. I didn't discover this for several weeks and by then the oil slick was almost to the spar.

Pulling all the floors up wasn't too bad but the cleanup was a huge job because the oil had turned my primer into a gummy mess. If I ever have to pull the floors up again I will have wished I'd have used nutplates.

Paul Danclovic
Jamestown NC
RV-8A N181SB

[Ron Lee]

I had to drill mine out to install a step. When the step cracked (not that uncommon), unscrewing it was much easier than drilling out pop rivets.

[Rick6a]

Originally Posted by Mel

Mine have been riveted down for over 17 years....

SEVENTEEN years is a very long time to not lay a set of eyeballs on and inspect structure. From time to time I want to know if cracks are developing or if corrosion is or is not gaining a foothold.

Originally Posted by Steve Ashby

..... It was a royal pain in the patootie. There were several areas on the flanges that drilling and setting nutplates was problematic because of access issues....

This sounds more like a lack of proper tools than anything else. Properly equipped, drilling and setting nutplates is childs play. As I mentioned on another thread, it took about 3 hours to drill for and install approximately 85 nutplates on the -8 floor but I do possess the correct tools.

Originally Posted by pauldan181

I put the floors down with pop rivets in my 8A because the only thing down there was my well protected battery cable and I'd never need access. Wrong. I had the cap blow off a bottle of engine oil and leak down under the baggage floor....If I ever have to pull the floors up again I will have wished I'd have used nutplates.

Originally Posted by Ron Lee

I had to drill mine out to install a step. When the step cracked (not that uncommon), unscrewing it was much easier than drilling out pop rivets.

How about a spilled coffee or soft drink? You know how sticky and potentially corrosive that residue can be. Here are two examples where the builder did not anticipate removing the floors. Someone enlighten me. In the world of certificated aircraft, I am not aware of any airplane with its floors (or tips for that matter) pop riveted into place, in effect permanently closing up structure to future inspection. I know RV's are special but that special?

Originally Posted by jimbo

..Any strong opinions that I have not considered? Same agrument can be said of the seat floor panels.

Opinions will always vary. It's your airplane. Consider the pros and cons, then build to suit.