Riveting Fuselage FWD Top Skin?

Pmerems · #1 06-29-2010, 09:07 PM

For those who have come before me, share your wisdom.

I am a week or so away from riveting the fuselage forward top skin on my RV-7A (tip-up). This will mark a milestone in my seemingly never ending project, the last of the riveting on my RV.

I have been thinking about the riveting process due to the fact that I will be squeezing my 6'1" frame under the instrument panel and trying to buck some difficult rivets. I even lay in bed at night thinking about it (I should be counting sheep or watching late night tv).

I will remove my instrument panel to gain access through my glove box and radio rack cutouts in the bulkhead forward of the instrument panel. That will help with a few hard to buck rivets. However I am a bit concerned about the -4 rivets that join the skins/longerons/weldments at the firewall. It appears that the engine mount bolt heads will make bucking the most forward rivet very difficult, if not impossible. One possibility is to remove the engine mount bolt, buck the rivet and then re-install the bolt. With all the wires, brake lines, tank vents lines in this location it looks like the last few rivets maybe hard to buck. I would prefer not to use CherryMax rivets in these locations if possible.

I am not as young as I used to be when I started the project almost 8 years ago (rather embarrassing) and dread the contortions my body will undertake.

So if any of you experienced forward fuselage top skin rivet buckaroos out there have any tips to share I will appreciate it.

Cuts will heal.

Bruises will fade

Skin dents are forever!

boom3 · #2 06-29-2010, 10:02 PM

I didn't think I was old until just last week when I riveted mine. I was sore for two days.

Here are my thoughts.

I have access panels and could squeeze most of the center rib area.

Rivet the outer ribs before you wrap the skins down the sides. They are easy to reach under and buck.

Put a good light on the floor board.

I did have to pull my top engine mount bolts one at a time to get at those corner rivets.

Undo your vent lines and move them out of the way.

Put a blanket and a couple pillows in front too to help reduce the ackward angle caused by laying backwards over the spar.

Take every bucking bar you got and keep them within reach. (They are hard to find and grab in that position.)

I think the worst part was trying to get both hands on the bucking bar. There is a lot of stuff under there to get in your way.

Take your time. It took us about 4 hours. (Had my nephew shooting) Don't say go until you know you're in a good bucking spot. Try every bucking bar you got if you need to.

I'm not trying to make it sound worse than it was, but it sucked for me.

That skin really adds a lot to the plane and looks great once it's on though.

Good luck!

vlittle · #3 06-30-2010, 07:52 AM

... and remove the NACA inlets so you can reach in and buck rivets through the openings.

Vern

Pmerems · #4 07-17-2010, 07:40 PM

Gents,

It was a milestone in the building of my RV. The last of the riveting.

I installed the FWD top skin today. All went well. I was able to rivet the entire skin without having to get on my back under the panel. All was accomplished from either outside of the airplane or kneeling in the cockpit.

I have a tip-up with van's glove box and a center cutout in the FWD bulkhead for my radio stack. I had the panel removed and my modified jettison (quick) release system removed. The top engine mount bolts had to be removed to get to the forward most rivet. I made a quick engine hoist out of scrap wood in my shop to unload the mount bolt for easy removal.

All in all it really wasn't anywhere near a hard as I thought it would be.

I will be wrapping up a few things in the cockpit and then I will mount the completed canopy. Another milestone, the canopy hasn't been on the airplane for over three years. I hope it still fits.

flion · #5 07-17-2010, 08:31 PM

Don't sell or store your riveting tools just yet (referring to the first post where you say it will be the last of the riveting). You still have baffles, nutplates for this and that, etc. But, yes, it is a major milestone and much harder to do than re-riveting the firewall as I just did. Enjoy your victory.