DaleB
Well Known Member
This thing is giving me fits. Tonight I had to call it quits before the frustration led me to make even more and bigger mistakes.
I'm riveting the seat and baggage ribs to the F-705 bulkhead and rear spar attach bar. I had it all riveted together, then noticed that some of the baggage floor rib flanges were not tight against the bulkhead. I ended up drilling out and removing four of the baggage floor ribs. I cleaned them all up, straightened the flanges and am trying to rivet everything back together again.
So what the heck did you guys use, in terms of tools and technique, to rivet this stuff together? The first time around I used a double offset and 3X gun against a tungsten bucking bar. I know a lot of guys are against the double offset, but I have had good luck with it so far. Just not this time.
I've also tried a pneumatic squeezer (not enough room), hand squeezer (no room, won't clear the bulkhead flange, etc) and a straight set with a bucking bar. The straight set and gun seem to be the best approach, but I can NOT get the rib flanges to stay tight against the bulkhead on both sides. I'm talking about going through the baggage floor rib, bulkhead, rear spar attach bar (in 2/3 of the cases), and a seat floor rib. I can't flex the seat ribs out of the way because they're attached to F-704 on the other end.
I have a longeron yoke on the way, which may help getting access to some of them, but it seems like I need to clamp the rib flanges in places where I can't. Is this where a guy needs wing nut or hex nut clecos? I'm open to suggestions from you guys who have been there and done this successfully.
I'm riveting the seat and baggage ribs to the F-705 bulkhead and rear spar attach bar. I had it all riveted together, then noticed that some of the baggage floor rib flanges were not tight against the bulkhead. I ended up drilling out and removing four of the baggage floor ribs. I cleaned them all up, straightened the flanges and am trying to rivet everything back together again.
So what the heck did you guys use, in terms of tools and technique, to rivet this stuff together? The first time around I used a double offset and 3X gun against a tungsten bucking bar. I know a lot of guys are against the double offset, but I have had good luck with it so far. Just not this time.
I've also tried a pneumatic squeezer (not enough room), hand squeezer (no room, won't clear the bulkhead flange, etc) and a straight set with a bucking bar. The straight set and gun seem to be the best approach, but I can NOT get the rib flanges to stay tight against the bulkhead on both sides. I'm talking about going through the baggage floor rib, bulkhead, rear spar attach bar (in 2/3 of the cases), and a seat floor rib. I can't flex the seat ribs out of the way because they're attached to F-704 on the other end.
I have a longeron yoke on the way, which may help getting access to some of them, but it seems like I need to clamp the rib flanges in places where I can't. Is this where a guy needs wing nut or hex nut clecos? I'm open to suggestions from you guys who have been there and done this successfully.