Smilin' Jack
Well Known Member
Hi Gang,
First let me apologize for not being here much but has to put the father-in-law in the hospital July 4 and he has been basically in the hospital since. Now he is in Hospice at a Nursing home and we have moved Anita's Mom in with us. A week at Oshkosh and what a week it was.. hooked up with Doug and a lot of others. Had a great time meeting everyone.
I have been working on the wings. Specificially the T-712 angles and mounting the fuel tanks. I had a lot of problems doing the angles the way Vans wanted them and Bill Durham a buddy, A&P agreed that their had to be a better way. After a lot of thought I have suceeded in getting all the T-712 angles mounted and the Rear Tank Baffle without having to elongate any holes. But it cost me 10 more angles since I am building both wings at the same time.
My process was to Mark the T-712 angles per Van's instruction. I drew the line exactly in the middle of the flange lengthwise and then marked the exact center of that line on the flange. Then I only drew the lengthwise line on the other flange of the angle.
Center punched the one line on only one side of the T-712 flange and drilled it to a number 12 drill.
Using an electric drill I used the AN3-4 bolt and a washer and a nut with washer and fastened the T-712 angles to the wing spar on the top side how they will be installed as indicated on the drawings making sure I could see the line on the angles in the other two holes on the spar then up drilled from the under side (wing skin side) of the spar. Number the angles so you put them back in the same place
This eliminated the T-712 angles from moving while drilling which was my big problem before and thereby the nut plates not lining up with the mounting holes in the spar.
I then cut off an AN3-4 bolt so I could bolt on the K1000-3 nutplate to the T-712 angles and drilled one wing of the nutplate to size with a number 40 drill bit. I clecoed that side of the nutplate and then drilled the other. Yes it took a while to partially bolt each nutplate on and line them up but the end results worked brackets lining up perfectly on the wing was worth the effort. Do not put nutplates on the last T 712 angle they go on the spar.
Install the 3 nutplates for the 7th T712 angle on the spar. Install all the T712 angles.
you'll see they line up perfect.
I then clecoed the rear tank baffle to the tank skins. I have already clecoed the leading edge on the spar and have the W423 splice plate in place. Having that in place it allowed me to slide the Tank skin and clecoed rear baffle on to the wing and it lined up perfectly with my top skins and the leading edge.
Cleco the tank to the bolt holes I did every second one. The tank skin baffle is now secure on the wing. Using plumb lines I verified that the tank was in line with the leading edge.
Continued
I then made sure the baffle was centered on the spar and the fit to the leading edge was tight and it was. I then used a number 30 drill and drill throught the tank baffle into the T-712 angle. I clecoed that one then moved on to the next but did not do the center on I used the two to the side of center to keep the baffle from shifting. I then could reach the 3 set of T712 angle and drilled to more holes.
I removed all the clecoes holding the tank skin to the baffle and spar and left the rear baffle on the spar.
I went to the leading edge side of the tank baffle and checked the alignment of the baffle to the leading edge (side to side) You can still move the baffle just a hair at this point since it is clecoed down on the other end.
I drilled the closest T712 angle next to the leading edge in two places. I then moved back and drill the other T712 angles at least two holes in each.
Then I drilled all the remaining holes thru the baffle into the T712 angles. As you can see from the picture I am using a poor mans stop drill? masking tape wrapped around the drill bit to keep from damaging the spar.
The whole purpose to do it this way is that the T712 angles will be mounted to the fuel tank and if the nut plates do not line up when you mount the tank you'll have a lot of headaches.
As always use at your own risk?. It worked for me perfectly?
Smilin' Jack
More picture on Webshots.
First let me apologize for not being here much but has to put the father-in-law in the hospital July 4 and he has been basically in the hospital since. Now he is in Hospice at a Nursing home and we have moved Anita's Mom in with us. A week at Oshkosh and what a week it was.. hooked up with Doug and a lot of others. Had a great time meeting everyone.
I have been working on the wings. Specificially the T-712 angles and mounting the fuel tanks. I had a lot of problems doing the angles the way Vans wanted them and Bill Durham a buddy, A&P agreed that their had to be a better way. After a lot of thought I have suceeded in getting all the T-712 angles mounted and the Rear Tank Baffle without having to elongate any holes. But it cost me 10 more angles since I am building both wings at the same time.
My process was to Mark the T-712 angles per Van's instruction. I drew the line exactly in the middle of the flange lengthwise and then marked the exact center of that line on the flange. Then I only drew the lengthwise line on the other flange of the angle.
Center punched the one line on only one side of the T-712 flange and drilled it to a number 12 drill.
Using an electric drill I used the AN3-4 bolt and a washer and a nut with washer and fastened the T-712 angles to the wing spar on the top side how they will be installed as indicated on the drawings making sure I could see the line on the angles in the other two holes on the spar then up drilled from the under side (wing skin side) of the spar. Number the angles so you put them back in the same place
This eliminated the T-712 angles from moving while drilling which was my big problem before and thereby the nut plates not lining up with the mounting holes in the spar.
I then cut off an AN3-4 bolt so I could bolt on the K1000-3 nutplate to the T-712 angles and drilled one wing of the nutplate to size with a number 40 drill bit. I clecoed that side of the nutplate and then drilled the other. Yes it took a while to partially bolt each nutplate on and line them up but the end results worked brackets lining up perfectly on the wing was worth the effort. Do not put nutplates on the last T 712 angle they go on the spar.
Install the 3 nutplates for the 7th T712 angle on the spar. Install all the T712 angles.
you'll see they line up perfect.
I then clecoed the rear tank baffle to the tank skins. I have already clecoed the leading edge on the spar and have the W423 splice plate in place. Having that in place it allowed me to slide the Tank skin and clecoed rear baffle on to the wing and it lined up perfectly with my top skins and the leading edge.
Cleco the tank to the bolt holes I did every second one. The tank skin baffle is now secure on the wing. Using plumb lines I verified that the tank was in line with the leading edge.
Continued
I then made sure the baffle was centered on the spar and the fit to the leading edge was tight and it was. I then used a number 30 drill and drill throught the tank baffle into the T-712 angle. I clecoed that one then moved on to the next but did not do the center on I used the two to the side of center to keep the baffle from shifting. I then could reach the 3 set of T712 angle and drilled to more holes.
I removed all the clecoes holding the tank skin to the baffle and spar and left the rear baffle on the spar.
I went to the leading edge side of the tank baffle and checked the alignment of the baffle to the leading edge (side to side) You can still move the baffle just a hair at this point since it is clecoed down on the other end.
I drilled the closest T712 angle next to the leading edge in two places. I then moved back and drill the other T712 angles at least two holes in each.
Then I drilled all the remaining holes thru the baffle into the T712 angles. As you can see from the picture I am using a poor mans stop drill? masking tape wrapped around the drill bit to keep from damaging the spar.
The whole purpose to do it this way is that the T712 angles will be mounted to the fuel tank and if the nut plates do not line up when you mount the tank you'll have a lot of headaches.
As always use at your own risk?. It worked for me perfectly?
Smilin' Jack
More picture on Webshots.
