[Rick_A]

I'm a long way from riveting my forward top skin, but I cleo'd it on last night so I could match drill the support ribs. As I was looking at it, I said to myself "self, how the heck are you going to riviet that thing in place once all the the stuff that goes between the panel and firewall is in place ( instruments, avionics, rudder pedals, etc) ?" Maybe find a small chid that's good with a bucking bar? Does going the modular panel route make this any easier?

 

[kevinh]

My procedure for riveting the top skin (takes seven years):

12/2004: Rivet skin on - I found it quite painless actually, bucking bar partner on inside me on outside.
4/2002: Decide to build an RV
10/1999: Marry bucking bar partner
4/1997: Start dating a bucking bar partner, selected based on purple hair color, attitude, small size and ability to hold bucking bar

 

[R.P.Ping]

Sequence is the key, Grasshopper

Just start in the middle at the fire wall and work back and out from the outside. When you can no longer lift the skin or slip an arm in then jump inside and finish up. I left everything in place except what pulled forward and out of the panel. Piece of cake
(It takes two people)

Roger

 

[Rick6a]

............ how the heck are you going to riviet that thing in place once all the the stuff that goes between the panel and firewall is in place ( instruments, avionics, rudder pedals, etc) ?"......................

Faced with the same situation, my instrument panel and associated wiring was in place, tested and operational. I was loathe to temporarily remove any of it. With a helper I was able to reach a large percentage of the holes on the forward upper skin with solid rivets. Still, those holes directly behind the instrument panel to the subpanel area were largely inaccessable what with the tangle of wiring, instrument cluster, radio stack etc. I elected to use CR3212 Cherrymax rivets. At nearly $ 0.50 apiece, you tend to buy only the amount needed to do the job. With the windscreen in place and the fabric glued on, few of the Cherry rivets are visible to the casual observer and even those that are have a solid stem. You have to look close to notice. Further, once that part of the airplane is painted, an observer would have to look REALLY close to descern the difference between the solid and blind fasteners.

Rick Galati RV-6A "Darla"