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rwtrwtau

Active Member
I am having a couple of issues with the forward skin on my RV-7A slider. It seems that the holes are extremely difficult to line up and curve around to cleco to the longerons. It can be done but I am concerned that the holes may be elongated when drilled. It appears to be a bit tighter than the leading edge of the wing /fuel tank, but obviously not impossible.

My main concern is the area that comes around the rollbar is very tight and the skin is actually forced up against the bar. (See attached picture).

I have also noticed that my panel does not fit too well underneath the skin. It is very tight under the curves in the skin between the longerons and the outboard F-7107-L/R FWD fuselage ribs (drawing 24).

I am just wondering if this is normal and what other builders have done about it?

Richard

 
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Looks like it fits just like mine Richard. The skin is extremely tight especially at the firewall. Make sure of two things - 1 The bulkhead flanges are formed correctly and do dot stick up even a little where the flanges are cut and 2 Pull the firewall out (forward) a little until you have the clecos in to the longeron (then you can tap it back in place with a wood block and hammer). Even doing this I had to use ratcheting straps to pull the skin down as I cleco'd. I've had the skin on and off 3 times now, it's tight! :D

As far as at the roll bar and panel --- yup.

Larry
 
My top skin fits exactly like yours--tight, with the skin rubbing on the roll bar. I've seen pictures on the web of a few builders who have cut notches in the skin to relieve this. I'm not sure if I'm going to do this, or just leave it the way it is.

My panel rubbed in a few places, too, but I was able to solve that problem by lightly sanding the edge of the panel where it rubbed against the skin and the forward canopy decks.

Mark
 
Looks like it is normal...

Thanks guys, I think that answers my question about it being normal. I have learn't over time that if it doesn't fit well it is pretty much always installed incorrectly by the builder :) There have been a couple of exceptions, this is one of them.

Along the same lines, does anyone have pictures of how they installed the windscreen in this area? I have heard that it is possible to cut a notch in the skin and tuck the windscreen between the rollbar and the skin. I giess the notch would relieve some of the streach and also allow the windscreen to be held in place. I can't quite visualise what is required there.

Richard
 
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If it seems WAY too tight, take a mirror and confirm both longerons are laying up against the upper motor mount weldments.
After several heated phone calls to Vans about the fit of the forward top skin on my QB fuse and being told "it will fit, it's just tight", an A&P neighbor looked up there and pointed out that the longeron had been drilled incorrectly to the weldment. Sure enough, when we drilled out the holes and pressed the longeron to the mount, there was almost 1/4" distance there between where the rivets were and where they SHOULD have been, effectively widening the fuselage at that point. I took pictures of the problem, drilled out all the rivets, drove to Vans and discussed with Scott Risan. I was furnished new pieces. Now the forward top skin fits fine. What a difference the proper dimensions make...
 
Riveting the Forward Skin

Any tips for riveting the forward skin on -9A slider? Have people removed the the tank vent lines to get better access? What else was moved to gain acccess?
 
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