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Riveting under flange of 705 bulkhead

You're talking about the skin-to-longeron AD3 rivets, right?

Yes, I believe this is a common problem, and I have it on my airplane too. I have heard of pop rivets being used. Personally I was thinking about dabbing some epoxy or JB-weld on a rivet and leaving it in there unsqueezed.
 
Clarification: The rivets that I can't get to are supposed to be AN 470 4-5's just like the circled ones in the photo. I can't even get my finger in there. I believe there might be a problem with access to AN 3's in that same area that I will have to resolve as well. I need a pop rivet or Cherry Max call out.
 
Oh, those. Those are hard enough without the deck on the longeron due to the inward angle of the skin in that area. There was a photo in the RVator of one of the prototype airplanes recently showing those same rivets totally bashed and smilied. They even commented something to the effect of: "See, we mess up rivets too, and the airplane still flies!"

I presume your QB came with the deck already installed?

I suspect pop rivets would be fine, but I would contact Van's to be sure...this is a structural area but seems well overbuilt to me.

Paul
 
Great work, Martin!

Martin, those were great pictures and great ideas! I hope that I can execute the driving of these rivets with that much expertise!
 
Glad to help

cleve_thompson said:
Martin, those were great pictures and great ideas! I hope that I can execute the driving of these rivets with that much expertise!
Click to expand...

Cleve,

Thanks! Mine came out OK -- I have no plans to re-do them -- but they're not perfect. I hope yours come out nicer.

If I had been more patient, I'd have bought the right bucking bar...using the offset rivet set as a bucking bar was an adequate workaround, but still a workaround.

Cheers,
Martin
 
while we're on the subject

That plate you're riveting into the canopy deck: F-757-S. Anyone have a picture of the exact shape it's *supposed* to be, installed? The plans call for me to trim it, but am I just making it look pretty? Or lightweight? Or is there something in the slider that's going to butt up against the trimmed part, and they should fit nicely ???

Just don't want to rivet it, and *then* grind it. That's the wrong order...
 
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