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How tight is the step fit?

ERushing

ERushing

Well Known Member
Good Morning,

I started trying to mount my steps this morning and couldn't the step to fit into the step mounting bracket without pounding on it. That just didn't seem right to me.

Before I go lightly sanding the inside of the step mounting bracket, I thought I'd check in here and get some advice. What was your experience with the step/ step mounting bracket?

Should the skin around the step mounting bracket/ step being sanding back a bit too? I noticed some puckering in the skin when I was trying to insert the step. Does the weld go inside the skin or sit outside?

Also note that this is a quick build fuselage. The skin hole is a pretty tight fit around the step when I try to insert it.

Thank you!
 
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The hole in the skin seems to be undersized or misaligned. Relieve it as necessary. The steel fitting is a very tight fit (and should be for longevity.)
 
There can be some slight distortion inside the mount due to the welding process. It's 4130 steel, so forget light sanding. Get after it with a grinding bit or half-round file. Note: this is just around the opening where the plate was welded, don't mess with the rest of the mount tube or you could make the fit sloppy. Smooth when done and grease the inside of the mount to keep corrosion out. I found the holes in the skin were slightly undersized and also slightly misaligned. It was pretty easy to use the mounts as a filing guide and then I went about 1/64" over to prevent chafing. I had my steps powder coated with the mating area into the mount left bare, which is why I recommend the grease. You can also use the trick of mounting the steps with wet primer in the mating area to keep out corrosion.
 
You should have a slight clearance around the step to skin interface.

After you do a couple of coats of primer on the step try a light coat of grease between the step tube and nylon brackets. This will help them slide in and will make them easier to remove if you ever have to do so.

Carl
 
Thanks Guys! Using a dead blow hammer to get these things in really didn't seem like a good idea!! Relieve the aluminum, carefully file the entrance to the support and grease her up!

I've got the conduits routed and this'll be the last step before attaching the baggage floor.

Thanks for your quick response!
 
I've already got the step bushings. I need to de-bur the inside of the steps, prime the inside and the bushings and then insert the bushing prior to step insertion.

Thank!
 
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