Gregg Brightwell

Gregg Brightwell

Well Known Member
Well, see what you all think about this...

I talked to Scott at Van's today. The rear spar is nothing more than .040 bent in a 'Z' at specific angles. 82 and 95.5 degrees. The part is only 52$~ from Van's, but shipping to my door is nearly $200. YIKES.

I have access to a 10' cornice brake with 1/8" dies in it for the correct bend radius. I am going to make my own rear spar. :eek: There. I said it. I experimented today with a couple pieces of .040 about 18" long. (Very short spars) ;) and was able to nail the dimensions perfectly.

I know there are those of you who will say 'screw it, order the parts from Van's...' I get it, I do.... but that is ridiculously outrageous for shipping, even if it is almost 10' long.

Opinions?
 
Greg,
I dont understand the question.
Are you asking if there is something magical about the Vans metal? Obviously not

Are you asking if an average joe bag-o-donuts can bend metal? Every day and you already did it.
You can make any part they make.

Is there another issue that your raising?
 
I agree with Kahuna - as long as you make it out of the same material as Van's, with the same temper and the same bends, how can it be wrong?

If you did decide to buy one, however, you might see if one of Tony Partain's rigs is coming your way anytime soon. He might be able to make you a far better deal on shipping.

Paul
 
Paul and Kahuna....

You know what? You guys are right... I want to err on the side of caution and safety, but as Kahuna said, Van's metal isn't some magic alloy, some foreign substance.... my -4 won't know the difference between .040 that they bent, vs me bending it. :) It's still going to be an .040, 112" piece of 'Z' channel with 82 and 95.5 deg. angles. I needed that guys, thx.

G
 
Ask Vans if they have any kits shipping to Kansas going out of the door soon. If they do, just ask for it to be added the box.

A drive across the state, or to a nearby state, might be worth it...
 
Gregg Brightwell said:
You know what? You guys are right... I want to err on the side of caution and safety, but as Kahuna said, Van's metal isn't some magic alloy, some foreign substance.... my -4 won't know the difference between .040 that they bent, vs me bending it. :) It's still going to be an .040, 112" piece of 'Z' channel with 82 and 95.5 deg. angles. I needed that guys, thx.

G
Click to expand...

Now your talking. If you wanted safety police, you have come to the right forum. There are folks however, that think you can do it better than factory.

Illl take exception with one iem you said.
Your plane will know the difference if you bend it. Unlike todays modern erector set RV plane, the more you do, the more your plane will have your character and will come to repay that back to you in the years to come.
The more its a QB factory built blah blah blah, the more its like him(vans factory)
The more you bend your own spars, the more its like you. Ill take the latter.
 
If you make a replacement, make note of the tolerances.

The overall height should be in the order of 0.010 to 0.020 accuracy to get smooth skin top and bottom.

If you are slightly over, you will have a bump in the skin.

Aim for a slight minus on the height tolerance, and you can add shims for an exact fit. I had to shim some portions of my RV-6A rear spar.
 
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