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Tail Wheel Assy Questions

P

pilot28906

Well Known Member
I am working on the tail wheel assembly and have a couple questions:

1) When installing the keeper rivets, do you dimple the F-712 bulkhead and countersink the WD-409 mount?

2) Did you guys prime and paint the inside of the WD-409 mount? If so, will the tail spring fit as it seems tight without paint?

Thanks
 
The keeper rivets must be flush with the aft end of the aft bulkhead so the VS will fit flush. So, do whatever it takes to make them flush. They are not structural and are only there to hold things in placed until you can bolt them together.

Yes, you want to finish the tailwheel spring bracket. Someone at Van's once told me it is not powder coated because it sticks out below the skins back there and may show when the plane is painted. (I had mine powder coated, FWIW.)
 
Thanks Bill.

Did you have to add a shim between the tail bracket and 712 bulkhead? Mine looks like it needs one.
 
John,
You have probably put the rivets in by now, but wait to drill the holes in F712 until you are ready to initially mount the vertical stab. I drilled the holes and put temp bolts in and when I went to mount the stab after mounting the horizontal
Stab I lost the ability to drill the vertical stab since the spar of the vertical was covering up the holes I previously drilled. Oh yes it was great that I could roll the plane around with out worry of the rivets shearing. I ended up making a template of the vertical stab spar and using a Fostner bit to locate the holes on the fwd side of F712 not much room to work in there.
What a pain. Then had to make a steel template so the bit would not wonder in order to get the holes drilled exact ally where I had previously drilled F712 every thing worked out great...if nothing else this build has provided is the ability to gain new words in my vocabulary and to think out of the box to solve a problem.
Sometimes sleeping on the problem or getting away from it for a while.

Smilin Jack
 
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Thanks Jack. Rivets are in, just countersunk the BH; didn't drill for bolts.:D

BTW, I take most of my students to JZP for night cross countries; you can follow the road from RHP.
 
John, hopefully we can meet some day...It seems that getting back into smaller aircraft has brought the BFR's at KJZP

I am enjoying it..
Jack
 
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