Here's a trick I used that someone may find useful someday.
The 6A kit I have is so old that it came with a pre-made horizontal stabilizer. However, the right outer hinge brackets were installed by the boys off by almost a bearing-width so an elevator constucted to plans wouldn't fit the stab. Fortunately, I was able to move the hinges over enough to salvage the stab.
Drilling off the old hinge brackets and making some new ones oversized enough to fit the old rivet holes wasn't that much of an issue.
Getting the brackets on and riveted took some work. I "unzipped" part of the back row of rivets on the stab skin and a few on the side. I slipped a scrap of aluminum sheet inside and drilled the rivet patterns and then put it on the outside. With some double sided carpet tape I temporarily mounted the new brackets in the right place and transferred the hole patterns to the brackets.
Riveting the new hinge brackets on required making a bucking bar holder since I couldn't get my fingers inside to hold the tungsten bucking bar without damaging the skin. I bent a strap of steel plate left over from an old project and taped the bar to it. I was able to just slide the bar and holder inside from the corner and buck the rivets. With the tungsten bar, it worked great.
The pictures show how the bucking bar holder was fashioned and setting the last row of rivets.
Dave A.
RV-6A
Too far along to quit and
not smart enough to give up.
The 6A kit I have is so old that it came with a pre-made horizontal stabilizer. However, the right outer hinge brackets were installed by the boys off by almost a bearing-width so an elevator constucted to plans wouldn't fit the stab. Fortunately, I was able to move the hinges over enough to salvage the stab.
Drilling off the old hinge brackets and making some new ones oversized enough to fit the old rivet holes wasn't that much of an issue.
Getting the brackets on and riveted took some work. I "unzipped" part of the back row of rivets on the stab skin and a few on the side. I slipped a scrap of aluminum sheet inside and drilled the rivet patterns and then put it on the outside. With some double sided carpet tape I temporarily mounted the new brackets in the right place and transferred the hole patterns to the brackets.
Riveting the new hinge brackets on required making a bucking bar holder since I couldn't get my fingers inside to hold the tungsten bucking bar without damaging the skin. I bent a strap of steel plate left over from an old project and taped the bar to it. I was able to just slide the bar and holder inside from the corner and buck the rivets. With the tungsten bar, it worked great.
The pictures show how the bucking bar holder was fashioned and setting the last row of rivets.
Dave A.
RV-6A
Too far along to quit and
not smart enough to give up.
.
