Stabilator Installation

[jsalley]

Has anyone found a good way to get the two stabilator bolts started? I had to remove the stabilator again to fabricate the tailcone fairing, and am having a bear of a time getting it back on. I remember it being difficult when I first installed it, but it’s worse this time around. I’m working alone and realize it would be easier with helpers, but that’s not an option at the moment. I’ve got it lined up, using a table and some pieces of foam to get the correct height, but can’t get my hand underneath to start the bolts. The forward edge of the stabilator has scratched the aft fuselage, which isn’t a problem now but will be a concern when it’s reassembled after paint. Any suggestions?

 

[Bob Y]

I made a couple of tools to help me. Ground down a pair of loooong AN-4 bolts to a point to get the holes aligned then the bolt holding fixture to insert them.

 

[dbhill916]

No, there is no good way, only less bad ways.

I went the same route as Bob Y, but my tools are much less refined than his. I had some aluminum rod stock and bent the ends about 90° and 2" long, then ground down the short arms into tapers to use to align the holes. Bob Y's tools are a great improvement on my cheap solution.

Oh, BTW, cussing helps.

 

[jsalley]

Tried cussing, but I ran out of words…..
I saw a video some time ago where a guy used two small paint roller frames with the rollers removed. I have one of those in, but can’t get the bolt started on the other side. And there’s not room on the right side for another roller frame because of the bracket for the cable attach. Thanks for the ideas - probably need to do some more cussing.

 

[thiggins]

Yeah, even with the permanent spacer kit,...what a pita. I did get a hydraulic table from Northern tools. With a pillow or two, it holds the stabilator at just the right height to finagle those crazy (and critical) bolts in. Oui . One of my least favorite things to do on it .

 

[Tony_T]

Yeah, even with the permanent spacer kit,...what a pita. I did get a hydraulic table from Northern tools. With a pillow or two, it holds the stabilator at just the right height to finagle those crazy (and critical) bolts in. Oui . One of my least favorite things to do on it .

I put together a stabilator service kart in anticipation of installing the several SB's on mine and another 12. My hangar buddies call it The Contraption". It has proven to be incredibly useful. Right now it is up at Paine Field where we took apart another 12 for painting. It will aid in getting the stab easily reinstalled. The lift table was flown up there in the baggage hold of my friends RV-10. This lift table is HF, but they all probably come from the same factory in China. Works great.

 

[N8DAV8R]

You're getting plenty good advice on methods to get bolts started. See the pics for how to protect the fuselage along the way.

 

[ymc9]

I had great difficulty too when doing the initial fitting of the tail. I remember I had to loosen the hinge stopper bolts to get the main bolts in. Also inserting a wrench from beneath is easier.