Andy_RR

Well Known Member
I've searched the archives for recommendations on this to no avail, so can anyone suggest appropriate or useful extra bits of aluminium (or aluminum, I guess it must metamorphose somewhere across the pacific! :D) that I might order with the wing and fuse kit?

Someone suggested a couple of lengths of Al angle - what size and anything else?

Thanks!

Andrew

RV-8 preparations afoot in Melbourne, Australia.
 
Andrew,

I order a bunch of spare material when I ordered my kits. I looked at the parts list for the kits and ordered a little of each size of angles a sheet that was used in the kit. As a suggestion, I would order:

6' - 3/4x3/4x.0625 angle
6' - 3/4x3/4x.125 angle
6' - 1x1x.125 angle

12"x24" sheets of .032, .040, and .0625 2024T3 alclad

When you order material from Van's it is cheaper to look in "the list" for a precut piece, with a part number, that is close to the size you want rather than specify a particular size. They charge more for a non-stock size.

There are also a couple of short pieces larger angles that are used that I ordered but I don't remember exactly what i was at this time and I'm not home to look at my packing list.

The material is pretty cheap, it is the shipping that costs, so it makes a lot of sense to have them throw it in with a kit order.
 
Extra fuel/brake tubing

Hi Paul,

You may want to include some extra Al tubing for the fuel, brake and static lines if, like me this is your 1st attempt at this whole process of building an aircraft.

Also, in case you were not aware, if there are any other items from other vendors in the US that you are ordering at the same time you can have them shipped to Vans for inclusion in your shipment
 
Some of those Z-brackets.

I don't know there number, but there are the ones on the backside of the fuel tanks. They were very handy for mounting thing like the Strobe power supply and I used them in a couple of other places. Get about 6.

Kent
 
Extra Aluminum

Vans 's does have standard size panels for ordering. I have, in the past, bought some 2024-T3 and found .025, .032, .040 and 063 as being handy to have during construction. I also bought smaller, maybe 12" x 12" pieces of .125 which is almost plate stock. Also 3/4"x 3/4" x .063 6064 angle and a piece of .125" 3/4 x 3/4 6064 angle. This all became very useful during the finish kit phase for mounting brackets, panel work, engine installation, etc. These small quantities are listed in his online parts list and I am sure if you contacted Van's they would add them to your kit for shipping.

Dick DeCramer
N500DD RV6 flying
RV 8 wing kit
Northfield, MN
 
Odering Extra

6' - 3/4x3/4x.0625 angle
6' - 3/4x3/4x.125 angle
6' - 1x1x.125 angle

12"x24" sheets of .032, .040, and .0625 2024T3 alclad

All of this material will come in handy. I have used stock from my 'Extras' several times. However, if your just starting, you probably don't need anything extra with the empennage kit. For me, these items came in handy later down the road. My first cut from the extra material came on the wing leading edge to the fuel tank attach strap. Now that I'm on the fuselage, I have cut several items out of the misc sheet sizes listed above. Good luck, have fun, yes... you will eventually need an extra part. We all screw up, or just don't like the way it looks.

Parts always look better the second time:D
 
Basically, I would order some oops rivets and the screws for the trim cover plate on the left HS (the heads strip out easy when you first install them in the plate nuts) along with the empennage kit. When you order the wing, order the Proseal, landing light kit, tie down rings, nylon tubing to route wires in the wings if you are going to do that, extra nutplates, and order the other things you are short at the time. As was recommended, getting some extra 3/8" dia tubing for the fuel pickup might be wise, too.

But, don' sweat things. A running joke here is that you will always be ordering replacement parts - that we spend more on shipping and handling fees than on the actual parts. Or, like me, you wait a couple of weeks to see what all you need to get in order to minimize orders and then when you finally do place the order, the next day you mess up something else. Lucky for me, both times this has happened Van's hadn't yet filled the order and I was able to tack those extra items. (That is the one good point about Van's taking so long to fill orders.)
 
You may want to order some "nutplate rivets." They have smaller heads. Someone else can list the part numbers.