[flydjd]

Hi all,

Some advice please on riveting the W-818 Pushrod....

I am sure I have seen previous comments (but of course can't find them now) on problems with the AN470AD4-12 bending over whilst riveting....I have tried both my pneumatic riveter and the rivet gun and have so far managed to make a mess of every attempt

Q1. Why the -12 rivet when a -11 would give the 1.5 length v rivet Dia.

Q2. Any other solutions that do NOT involve welding plse

Thks David

 

[dgrayent]

Sure, use the shorter rivet if it satisfies the length vs. diameter recommendation (an FAA standard here in the US). Got a rivet cutter?

I have found I needed to use a slightly longer or shorter rivet in many other places where callouts are not "quite right" for the application. Be versitile with your needs. The plans are not "cast in stone", often more of the "recommended" or best way to do it.

Good luck with your endeavor.

 

[Brent Colvin]

Just did mine this am. -11 worked fine

 

[Captain_John]

I used the shorter rivet too.

I think Van expects the shank to swell inside the void of the threaded hub larger than it really does.

Check out this thread where I posted pictures of my special home made extra deep reach squeezer.

Hope it helps.

CJ

 

[William Slaughter]

I just did these last week. I cut the rivets down to -11 length, but still found it difficult to keep them going straight. I put the cup rivet set into the bottom hole of the C-frame tool, with the rivet set and gun from the top. Even then, the tube quickly twisted off to the side as I tried to set the first one. I had to rivet them little by little, giving it only a few hits untill it started to rotate off to one side. I'd then reposition it, give it a few more hits, reposition it again and etc. It took me almost an hour to do the eight rivets , and I ended up with usable, but hardly beautiful shop heads. They looked a lot better after a quick visit to the "soft" scotchbright wheel.
If I had to do this again, I think I'd try using another cup set to drive the shop head end.

William Slaughter
RV-8QB

 

[Davepar]

#1 tip that helped me: hold the pushrod steady in a padded vise. If you're holding it in your hand while squeezing, it's twisting very slightly and causing the shop head to tilt.

Dave

 

[KSMurchison]

I put the cup rivet set into the bottom hole of the C-frame tool, with the rivet set and gun from the top. Even then, the tube quickly twisted off to the side as I tried to set the first one. I had to rivet them little by little, giving it only a few hits untill it started to rotate off to one side. I'd then reposition it, give it a few more hits, reposition it again and etc. It took me almost an hour to do the eight rivets , and I ended up with usable, but hardly beautiful shop heads. They looked a lot better after a quick visit to the "soft" scotchbright wheel.

This is exactly what I did.

 

[APilot4Fun]

-11 does the trick!

I just went thru the same thing with the -12's. Once the rivets were cut, everything went as easily as it should have. I used a hand squeezer to set these and it worked fine. I can't figure how someone could drive the 12's perfectly in the w-818 ends. Thanks for the posts.

 

[Rick6a]

Some advice please on riveting the W-818 Pushrod....Why the -12 rivet when a -11 would give the 1.5 length v rivet Dia.........

The answer may be a question of simple economics. Have you ever noticed when perusing catalogs how some fastener lengths can be much more expensive than others? Maybe the -12 is cheaper for Van to buy than a -11. Perhaps somewhere down the line a -12 is really required and by shipping you that length, merely consolidates the essential hardware items packed into those little brown paper bags. In the end, with a pair of rivet cutters or other means, that -12 is good to go for service as a -3 all the way through to -12 length with all the half sizes in between. From a builders point of view, it is better to have a rivet length that is too long rather than too short, because it can always be shortened as required.

When assembling the pushrods, I merely inserted the -12 rivet through the assembly, backed up the manufactured head so it wouldn't fall out and then used a 2" 80 grit sanding disc mounted in a die grinder and sanded the shop head end of the rivet down until it met the 1.5 D rule.