Baggage Door Advice Needed

[ILikePike]

6 1/2 years and 1760hours in, I'm glad to be past the bulk of electrical work. Powering up the panel was exciting and went well. Now on to the top skin, wind screen, and baggage door.

I plan to proseal the inside skin to the door formers with clecos, hold in place with straps for a few days, then install blind rivets. Currently it takes quite a bit of pressure to get the door to lay down flat. Other than that the door fits nicely.
1. If I strap it down and proceed as above, will the door shape spring back after I unclamp it?
2. I would like to reshape the formers to take a slight bit of curve out so that light pressure would hold it in place but I can't think of a good way to do it with the outside skin already riveted on. Any ideas on how to stretch the inside curve of the former?
3. Any other words of wisdom?

 

[Pat Stewart]

On my first 8 I riveted it from the inside, you will need to remove the rudder pedals. Tape the door firmly in place before riveting. On my second 8 we built a carbon door.

 

[Larco]

Could try to shim the low area in the mating skin frt and rear of the door. Drill out maybe 6 rivets and see if a shim would fit????

Larry

 

[brad walton]

My experience is if it does'nt fit now, it won't fit later. The fore and aft rib curvature must match that of the fuselage. Reshape the ribs to match the curvature of the top skin.

 

[ILikePike]

How would I reshape the rib? I need to stretch a portion of the inside bend and/or shrink the outside bend.

 

[Danny King]

Metal Srinker

My door fit about the same as yours. I removed it, and took it over to George Orndorf's shop and used his metal srinker on the area in question. It's a device that uses the same principle as fluting pliers, but has very small teeth. The deformation of the edge is so slight that normal filler primer will level the area for painting. After a little work the door fit almost perfectly!

 

[ILikePike]

Cherry rivets

FYI, Cherry rivets worked great on the hard to reach rivets in the gear wells. That was too easy!

I wrestled pushed and pull the baggage door on the bench a while. It is almost laying down correctly. I may still drill out the outside rivets, strap down, and pro seal the outer skin to the ribs in place, rivet then repeat for the inner skin.