Slider canopy side skirt

[plaurence]

Hi All

need some advice.

Assembled the side skirts on the 9A slider. After building for over 6 years I guess we all learn to look ahed 4 to 5 steps so we don't get "Van- dalized"

After drilling the outer and inner skirts to the frame side rail, I enlarged the holes from the # 40s to 30s. The canopy build uses # 6 screws, AN426AD3s and 1/8 in
dia blind rivets.

As per Van's instructions, it states "enlarge the hole for the MK-319-BS rivets"(page 9-15). The implication is to drill out the 40 holes to 30.

After doing this I found that these rivets were very loose .
These rivets measured a dia of .11.
Also, they are short! The rivet has to pass through the outer skirt (.035),inner skirt (.035) and the wall of the rail ( approx .77in) A total thickness of 0.84.

This leaves approx .05 in left for the rivet beyond the side rail(bow) wall.

can anyone call out a countersunk 1/8 in blind equivalent monel rivet that I can substitute?

Thanks

[vlittle]

Originally Posted by plaurence

Hi All

need some advice.

Assembled the side skirts on the 9A slider. After building for over 6 years I guess we all learn to look ahed 4 to 5 steps so we don't get "Van- dalized"

After drilling the outer and inner skirts to the frame side rail, I enlarged the holes from the # 40s to 30s. The canopy build uses # 6 screws, AN426AD3s and 1/8 in
dia blind rivets.

As per Van's instructions, it states "enlarge the hole for the MK-319-BS rivets"(page 9-15). The implication is to drill out the 40 holes to 30.

After doing this I found that these rivets were very loose .
These rivets measured a dia of .11.
Also, they are short! The rivet has to pass through the outer skirt (.035),inner skirt (.035) and the wall of the rail ( approx .77in) A total thickness of 0.84.

This leaves approx .05 in left for the rivet beyond the side rail(bow) wall.

can anyone call out a countersunk 1/8 in blind equivalent monel rivet that I can substitute?

Thanks

Unfortunately, the MK-319-BS rivets are drilled to 7/64", not #30". That's what Van's meant. These rivets are meant to fit into dimpled #40 holes drilled oversize to 7/64.

In order to fix this problem, you should talk to Van's. If it were me, I would re-dimple the skirts to #30 and countersink the frame for #30 then use #30 countersunk blind rivets. I don't recall the thickness of the frame, so I don't know how deep you can countersink it before it develops a knife edge. If it's a problem, you can make an aluminum strip spacer that mounts between the skirt and the frame, which you countersink in assembly with the frame so that the steel does not get a knife edge, although the strip spacer would.

-- just talk to Van's.

This is not a problem worth losing sleep over. The canopy is not a highly stressed part and I think you will be fine with the above solution and Van's blessing.

Vern