flydjd

flydjd

Well Known Member
Hi all,

I remember seeing somewhere about a vendor that supplies 3 tie down rings and will drill out your AEX for them if you supply the Vans AEX....

Of course now I can't find the link anymore...I know it isn't A/C Spruce..

Does anyone remember the link or have any suggestions for vendors that supply ready painted or gloss finish rings please

Thks and regards
 
I bought a set of tie down rings from Cleavland Aircraft Tools. They are Plastic coated red and look real nice.
 
At Sun-N-Fun, saw some nice Stainless Steel down rings on a RV-7 that were bought from a Marine Boat Supplier. Maybe someone could help with a web link.
Squeak
 
Try McMaster Carr, Eyebolt SS......not cheap, but no rust. Not quite as strong, but but I guess 1160 # x 3 is probably good enough for an 1800 # RV
 
Tapping Aex

No need to have someone tap the AEX for you. Purchase a spiral tap. Instead of straight flutes they are spiraled and work wonderful in aluminium. My threads turned out perfect. Just run your search engine for spiral tap and several vendors will appear. If you still have trouble send me a message.
 
tapping

You can buy a 3/8 16 tap at Home Depot for about $5. Comes with a bit to size the hole. They also have kits for around $40...various sizes.

Aluminum is a breeze, they come out nice.

Joe
 
flydjd said:
I remember seeing somewhere about a vendor that supplies 3 tie down rings and will drill out your AEX for them if you supply the Vans AEX....
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That vendor is Cleveland, but I agree with the others, tapping the AEX was easy.
 
AEX = extruded aluminum, I think.

I just used the cheap tap&die set from Harbor Freight. The hole in the tie down is already the right size. Lots of Boelube, went slow, and when it started getting really hard to turn the tap I backed out, cleaned the chips and went back in. They came out perfect and took less than 5 minutes.
 
Thanks for answers

Hi all,

Thanks for all your answers, I have ordered the 3 Red powder coated Tie down rings from Cleaveland (item # RVTR2 which is for 2 rings at $8 and then you add a 3rd in the special notes at $4) and a Tap and Die set for DIY.

Best wishes from across the Pond !
 
Aluminium strength

osxuser said:
The tiedowns thread into aluminum? How strong is that?
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Probably stronger than the rope! Whatever you do, eventually it will have to attach to aluminium, right?
 
osxuser said:
The tiedowns thread into aluminum? How strong is that?
Click to expand...

Ahhh...BIG block of aluminum....rivetted with aluminum rivets, to an aluminum spar...sooner or later, you're gonna get to the aluminum! :p

I just made a major modification to my cheap tie-down rings - coated them with red "Plasti-Dip" so that they look much more expensive. I have no idea how well the 'Dip will hold up with rope running over it, but they look cool, and now they're red, for "Remove before Flight".... It's the little things... :rolleyes:

Paul
 
osxuser said:
The tiedowns thread into aluminum? How strong is that?
Click to expand...

My guess is that Van sized them such that they'll rip out before the force gets high enough to damage the wing.
 
They seem pretty beefy, 3/8x16, tapped 1 inch deep. One on each wing, and I believe on in the tail end Fuse (not there yet).

I tend not to question Van's & their engineering... :)

Joe
 
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