[prkaye]

Wow, getting the nuts on those bolts through the roll bar, canopy deck and aft spacer is quite tricky with that canopy deck flange blocking access from the bottom.
Any tips??

 

[mburch]

Well, you could cut yourself a hole: http://www.rv7blog.com/2006/10/22/more-work-on-rollbar/

mcb

 

[N131RV]

Bent wrench

Wow, getting the nuts on those bolts through the roll bar, canopy deck and aft spacer is quite tricky with that canopy deck flange blocking access from the bottom.
Any tips??

I heated and bent a cheap open end wrench. Couple of drops of superglue held the nut in the wrench while I worked it around the corner and up to the spot.

Don't use too much SG, or the wrench won't come off when you are done.
YMMV

 

[johncastor]

I used a box or closed in wrench with scotch tape in the wrench hole. Requires some patience but worked.

John
RV 9A
Finishing.

 

[prkaye]

thanks

Thanks guys, I went with the lower flange cutout option. Worked well.

 

[flion]

Well, then, you don't need to know that hemostats are quite useful for getting into impossible places. They come straight and curved, various sizes, lock on to whatever it is you are trying to position, and are fairly inexpensive. I use them to put bolts in the tail hinges, rollbar, handle adel clamps (especially between the engine and firewall where the hands can't go), etc. The long ones also make handy backscratchers.

 

[jonbakerok]

Make your own wrench

By the time my 6 was done, I had made several specialty wrenches for various tight spots. It's not difficult. Just drill a hole in a piece of hardware store steel bar, file it to a hex shape with a small file, and if you need an open-end wrench, cut it in half. Then use your vise to bend the handle to whatever shape you need.

The wrench I made for the roll bar bolts was basically a "U" shape. I used some duct tape to hold the nut in the wrench until I got it threaded.