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Wing Spar Bolts installed for riveting

J

johnpstoll

Member
I'm about to disassemble and then rivet the fuselage back together. I was thinking about installing a couple of wing spar bolts between the two center wing spars before I start to rivet the fuselage. I thought it might help keep the holes aligned. Has anyone tried this before? I haven't found anything in the forums. Are there any disadvantages to doing this?

Thanks,


John
 
Build or buy a set of blocks.
Buller used to sell them custom made for the spar clearance.
Hardwood blocks work just as well.
 
You don’t say what you’re building, but certainly for the earlier kits you should have been instructed to make a couple of blocks out of hardwood to a very specific width that keeps the centre section at the correct separation during riveting. This is one such block on my -8.
 

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I'm building an RV-7. I saw the note about the blocks and installed them. I'm concerned about the alignment of the spar bolts. I tend to be a bit pessimistic, so I already think I'll have a problem with alignment when installing the wings. I ordered some of those Buller spacers, thanks.

John
 
I bought some hardware store bolts when I built the spar bulkhead assembly for my RV-3B. They helped maintain alignment. Of course I also used spacers.

Haven't stuck the wings on so I can't say how well it worked.

Dave
 
I’m pretty sure what you don’t want is gall anything getting them out after riveting.
 
The center spar structure should always have the spacer block and lightly clamped with hardware store lag bolts to keep the spar bolt holes aligned during the fuselage built. I had to remove the space block on an occassion for a short amount of time while riveting the area close to the opening but the space block stayed on the fuselage until it was time to install the wing.
 
I ordered a set of spacers from Bullers. They emailed me to the size and suggested I measure my spars. I ordered the recommended 1.4380 in. I borrowed a good set of calipers and measured 1.440 in. They said that was the about normal. Not much of a difference, but with close tolerance bolts it may help with the install. Also, I noticed that most of my bolt fit problems are because of the spar web gussets. What's the best way to clean these up without galling the inside of the spar bars?

Thanks,

John
 
Too late now, but Vans allowed me to work them separately. Same for gear towers if you are building an A model.
 
idubrov said:
I don't know what's the best, but I made a tool to do that. The presentation of said tool caused some panic among the ranks, though. Understandably -- this is a very structurally critical area.
Click to expand...

Thanks Ivan. I used your D reamer design on my center section a few years ago There was one spar web in the stack that was misaligned enough I couldn’t get a bolt in. It trimmed the protruding crescent from the sheet and didn’t put a scratch anywhere else. Very clever.
 
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idubrov said:
I don't know what's the best, but I made a tool to do that. The presentation of said tool caused some panic among the ranks, though. Understandably -- this is a very structurally critical area.
Click to expand...
Yes I read about your tool. I had this issue on every hole so didn’t put the bolts in but relieved the holes the way vans said to do it removing the minimal amount of material. The email I got said it was very common and of course on the 7 we rivet other pieces on that section. You will absolutely get a bolt stuck and gall the holes. I removed the anodising from four bolts and also the threads and will obviously buy 4 more close tolerance bolts. These drop in with lubrication easily and will be used for wing setup some way down the line. First time I put the genuine close tolerance bolts in will be the last time. It amuses me on forums how you get a plethora of replies and some very uneducated responses. I make tools all the time for specific jobs and yours is a great idea. I have not yet addressed the smaller bolt holes but will with your method. Specifically vans told me the Webb holes and the uprights had little to do with strength in relation to the close tolerance bolts etc as the main strength is the big bars so removing slight material to ensure no pickup when inserting bolts was correct and don’t overthink it. Not to mention take a look at those holes in relation to the webbing holes and upright holes….they do nothing for the bolts because they are rough as guts. The bars are polished. All that happens with those rough sharp holes is they grab the anodising and shove it into the polished bars. Good tool. Good post.
 
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