[AAflyer]

I thought I was ready to start riveting my RV-8 turtleneck on, when, after cleco-ing it on, I noticed quite a bit of space between many of the tabs on the bulkheads, and the skin. It's obvious that I'll need to shim the rivets just above the longerons, but with so many gaps around the rest of the bulkhead, I started thinking about using the back-rivet from the inside.
Could anyone shed some light on their experience doing this? Below is a photo looking aft inside the turtle-deck (with confusing reflection, of course.) You can clearly see that the only flush mating of surfaces is where the cleco is clamped.

 

[60av8tor]

Not an 8, nor the turtle deck, but I backriveted almost all of my tailcone. Had some gaps similar to your pic, which the back riveting assisted with closing:

The important issue is making sure the machined head side is square to the plate:

Had to get creative with ways to balance the tailcone on edge:

 

[BillL]

Backriveting is your call. Good catch on the "gaps". Are they still there with all the clecos in? If so shim, but the part of my 7 that was indeed gapped was the last rivet going down the sides before the longeron. Since it overlaps the lower skin on the longeron the the next one is a ago, and it left my rivet head with a large depression showing in the skin. I will redo it, but you might take note there.

 

[AAflyer]

Bill,
I can't get the gap closed without clecos?but I can't get a rivet in with a cleco in the same hole, so the only way to press the gap closed, as far as I can see, is with a back-rivet set on the inside, and a bucking bar on the outside.
Hoping someone else has already worked through this problem and can offer some encouragement/advice?which I find so often here at VAF..

 

[tdk]

You can tape a couple of rubber washers on the end of a bucking bar. This allows you to push the gap closed and get the rivet started. Then you can use another surface of the bucking bar to finish the rivet.

 

[AAflyer]

Brilliant! Homemade backset!
Shazam!!!

 

[lr172]

You can tape a couple of rubber washers on the end of a bucking bar. This allows you to push the gap closed and get the rivet started. Then you can use another surface of the bucking bar to finish the rivet.

That's a good idea. I have been using my finger to hold pieces tight. If you put your finger on the sides of the bucking bar you can push pieces tight. I keep strong pressure with the fingers and hold bar between them a little looser than normal.

Larry