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Center Section/Spar Spacer Blocks

J

JVolkober

Well Known Member
Am looking to borrow or buy machined spacer blocks machined to no less than 1.438" and no more than 1.439" depth.:)
 
Spacer blocks

JVolkober said:
Am looking to borrow or buy machined spacer blocks machined to no less than 1.438" and no more than 1.439" depth.:)
Click to expand...
Are you talking about a spacer between the front and rear main spar to be placed on the inside of the bottom skin between the spars? To ensure that the wing main spar stub will slid in easily? If so, I just used some 1/4" aluminum angle cut on the bandsaw and then sanded to correct dimensions, then placed between spars, one side of angle flat on bottom skin. That will keep your spars at correct distance when riveting them to the bottom skin.
Mike H 9A/8A
 
Clarification

I am referencing the temporary spacers to be used to assure that the distance between the two center section pieces is exactly the width of the spar when I drill and rivet the side pieces and skins into place. Perhaps I am being overly concerned but after having read a few threads, I am clear that I do not want to have the opening less than 1.438" and concerned about have in too large resulting in a loss fit when I insert the spars. With the tools I have available I am concerned that I will not get it right and that when spar fitting time comes, probably a year from now, I'll have a problem.
 
Use some heavy wall AL tubing cut to the right length and then use some of the 1/4"spar bolts with the tubing passing thru the aft section thru the tubing then thru the front section then add a washer and nut and secure to hold it in the right position. Works for me.
 
Spacers

JVolkober said:
I am referencing the temporary spacers to be used to assure that the distance between the two center section pieces is exactly the width of the spar when I drill and rivet the side pieces and skins into place. Perhaps I am being overly concerned but after having read a few threads, I am clear that I do not want to have the opening less than 1.438" and concerned about have in too large resulting in a loss fit when I insert the spars. With the tools I have available I am concerned that I will not get it right and that when spar fitting time comes, probably a year from now, I'll have a problem.
Click to expand...
Actually your concerns are well founded as that is EXACTLY what happened to me. I used wood blocks and when I bolted everything together I guess either I complessed the wood or measured incorrectly. Really the only place of concern is the main spar to bottom skin rivets. Again, I solved the issue by using the aluminum angles as stated. I couldn't get my spar stubs in between the main spars. Van's just told me to drill out the bottom spar/skin rivets, insert the wing spar stub and re-rivet. I cut/sanded the angles to a larger size after measuring the spar stub width. A little extra room to slide the spar stubs in is not a bad thing. Those 10 bolts on each stub will snug things down. I riveted the mentioned angles to the bottom skin between the front and rear main spar so that they couldn't move this time. Worked great. The top of the spars of course have the spacer tubes. Liked the idea of the spacer tubes mentioned in one of the replies, should work well that way. Just don't torque the snot out of the bolts holding the spars together as I did. Just torque enough to hold the front and rear spars together is all that is necessary. Again, the wider measurement that you posted would be better vs the narrower one. The width of the cut out in side skins is a good measurement or even a bit larger. I ended up having to enlarge that a bit to allow my subs to slide in. The side skin cut out was grabbing the stub and causing it to bind.
Hope that this helped,
Mike H 9A/8A
 
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