Dgamble

Dgamble

Well Known Member
I'm looking for suggestions for removing the remainder of a broken hinge pin. The broken one is one of the long ones that runs between the top and bottom cowls on my RV-6. It's broken off flush with the first hoop, so I don't see any way to grab ahold of it. It looks like I'll have to drill out the rivets that hold either the top or bottom hinge strip to the cowl, but I'd prefer not to do that if I can help it, if only because the paint will never match.
 
Can you reach thru the oil door with a hook to push it out a small amount from the aft end so you can grab the forward end with a pair of needle nose vise grips?
 
Here's the hard part

It's on the other side of the plane from the oil door, and the only accessible side for pushing on it would be to push it in further.

That said, the original installation had it coming in from the panel and through the firewall. I later changed it to go in from the front. It's possible that I might be able to push it back through the firewall. I hadn't thought of that. It's certainly worth a try! Thanks for the suggestion!
 
Sounds like you're on it Dave. I would have told you to do some careful measuring and drill a small hole inside the firewall (maybe 1/4"). Then use a punch to give the pin a little shove forward. Having a hole there already is like eating vanilla pudding ;).

Keep an eye on those pins.....I'm sure you'll replace both sides!

We missed you on Saturday!

When you coming down for a ride?

Dgamble said:
It's on the other side of the plane from the oil door, and the only accessible side for pushing on it would be to push it in further.

That said, the original installation had it coming in from the panel and through the firewall. I later changed it to go in from the front. It's possible that I might be able to push it back through the firewall. I hadn't thought of that. It's certainly worth a try! Thanks for the suggestion!
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Saturday

Saturday was almost a little too windy for me, but close enough. It came down to a better day having been forecast for Sunday and a date with the Social Director to watch THE Ohio $tate Buckeyes play Penn St. on Saturday afternoon.

I try her patience mightily with my myriad distractions which now include building an actual, real live airplane, much to her consternation. If I can join her for an afternoon football date now and again it helps to keep the peace. It's all about balance. Plus, well, we're still hoping for the Rose Bowl.

As far as a visit to beautiful WV, that's in the cards for later this month. I have a ton of vacation time to burn up before the end of the year, so there will be some days in late November and mid December that will be looking to be filled. Assuming, of course, that I can repair my cowl situation. I went ahead and ordered both left and right replacement pins, figuring that if one broke the other will surely follow the example at the most inconvenient time. And, well, they're cheap. Why not, right?
 
If you remove all the other fasteners from the cowling, including the pin hinge on the other side, you will probably be able to pry/pull the cowling open enough to get to the aft end of the hinge.
 
I will look....

I can look at the plans tonight and get the answer if someone does not beat me to it today or a quick call to Van's and you could have it.

Two other comments;
I have never heard of a hinge pin breaking, so I am a bit surprised, not that it broke, just that I have never heard of this.

For those still building, you can drill a hole in the firewall, aligned with the hinge pin, just big enough for the pin to slide in. You then leave the pin an inch or so longer. This "captured" pin keeps that portion of the cowl from bowing out in flight due to the pressures in the cowl as there is no support between the lower and upper cowl hinges on the firewall in that area.
In the example of a broken pin, I would be able to push it out from the inside of the cockpit, for what that is worth.
 
Dgamble said:
Also, I'm going to have to repair the holes in the cowl. I'm thinking of filling them in with epoxy and microballoons. Does that seem like the best approach?
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NO!!

Do not use micro here, it will crumble soon as you try to put in the new rivets.

Use epoxy and flox instead.

A better fix would be if you can stagger the new rivets into an area not previously drilled, that would be a much better fix.

Just fill the old holes, drill new holes between the old ones.

Good luck.
 
JonJay said:
...For those still building, you can drill a hole in the firewall, aligned with the hinge pin, just big enough for the pin to slide in. You then leave the pin an inch or so longer. This "captured" pin keeps that portion of the cowl from bowing out in flight due to the pressures in the cowl as there is no support between the lower and upper cowl hinges on the firewall in that area.
In the example of a broken pin, I would be able to push it out from the inside of the cockpit, for what that is worth.
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I may be missing something here, but do you really want an open hole in the firewall, even a small one? I'm not anywhere close to this point in building, but I've noticed many folks make a lot of effort to ensure the firewall is sealed from the cockpit.
 
Good point....

longranger said:
I may be missing something here, but do you really want an open hole in the firewall, even a small one? I'm not anywhere close to this point in building, but I've noticed many folks make a lot of effort to ensure the firewall is sealed from the cockpit.
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...it is your call to make. The hole is filled with the hinge pin, not completely sealed, but pretty close. I also have the standard Vans cabin heat valve, as many of us do, which will fail long before the fire gets through that tiny space around the pin.
One could put a small intumescent donut around the hole which would completely seal if fire ever reached it. If you are so inclined, read the posts on firewall protections as there are two schools of thought on where, how, and if you can truly protect from engine compartment fire. These small holes won't make a difference IMHO.
I guess you know which school I am from....regards.
 
Deja vu?

It was only a few weeks ago when I was pushing the pins in (they are a little better now, but still quite difficult to get in), while finishing the cowl, that I though what if one of them breaks??! :eek:
I forced myself not to think about it anymore, why should it break anyway? Nobody has ever posted this horrible scenario before, so I am not going to ask either. No use in scaring people by posting something that will probably never happen..................

Good luck with the repairs, I feel your pain.

Regards, Tonny.
 
Good advice!

That sounds like a better approach.

Mike S said:
NO!!

Do not use micro here, it will crumble soon as you try to put in the new rivets.

Use epoxy and flox instead.

A better fix would be if you can stagger the new rivets into an area not previously drilled, that would be a much better fix.

Just fill the old holes, drill new holes between the old ones.

Good luck.
Click to expand...
 
Don't forget the epoxy!

In my opinion, you can use the same rivet holes with no problem. If you follow VAN's plans on installing the hinges on the cowling, you will be bonding them to the cowling with epoxy any way, which will actually hold the hinge as good as the rivets.
I would recommend that you drill the new hinge to the cowling. Prepare the hinge for epoxying by drilling the additional holes between the rivet holes. Expoxy the hinges to the cowling and install the cowling back on the plane allowing clecos, and the hinge pin, to hold the hinge and cowling together in perfect alignment.
After everything cures, you can disassemble the cowling and then countersink and re-rivet everything. Doing it this way keeps the hinges from being deformed by the riveting process and the hinge pins will go in and come out a lot easier. However, when you do the riveting, be careful not to squeeze a hinge eye.
There are a lot of composite airplanes out there that are asembled like this and they don't even use rivets.
 
sf3543 said:
If you follow VAN's plans on installing the hinges on the cowling, you will be bonding them to the cowling with epoxy any way, which will actually hold the hinge as good as the rivets
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I just noticed that last night. The first step is going to have to be cleaning up the mess left by the original epoxy. From there I will just re-do it the way it was done in the first place. I might go ahead and fill the old holes, though, because some of them are just plain ugly now.

Thanks for the advice.
 
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