Leading Edge Ribs

[Daniel S.]

Hey all-
Kind of curious... Did any of you guys proseal or rtv the front of your leading edge ribs? Good / bad Idea? I think there should be little, if any movement in there with how tight those suckers are but thought it would be a good precaution nonetheless. thoughts?

As always, thanks for your feedback!

 

[Brantel]

There is no reason to add that weight to them.

I would however make dang sure that they fit without creating any lumps in the skin. File them puppies till they fit.

Otherwise you will get little bumps in the skin that will show after paint.....

 

[Daniel S.]

too late for that. When I match drilled them, you could see the ribs through the skin. . I thought is was kinda cool being an aluminum beast and all.

 

[longranger]

I used sealant on the left inboard leading edge rib and joint plate in a effort to get the leading edge contour to match that of the gas tank. I have yet to rivet the right leading edge, so I don't know if I'll have the same issue there.

When I first checked the fit, I had about .040 to .050 mismatch.

After installilng the W-408 rib and joint plate with sealant, I'd gotten rid of most the mismatch. I'ts now less than the thickness of the tank skin.

Just make SURE you don't leave sealant on the exterior of the joint plate where the tank attaches, or you'll make the fit worse!