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Tie-Down Assembly

Wesflies

Wesflies

Active Member
I have started working on the tie-down assembly for my left wing on a 7A. The plans call for AN3 bolts to attach the tie-down bar to the wing spar. The pre-drilled holes in the spar that will accept the AN3 bolts are almost AN4 size. Has anyone else noticed this? Is it a problem or should I just keep building? Thanx, Wesflies
 
Cleaveland RV tiedown kit

Can't comment about the bolt hole size, but found this the other day. Cleaveland do a set of tiedown bars, pre-tapped complete with powder coated tie down rings. $32. They'll even discount further if you send your tie down bars to them in exchange. In my case, here in NZ, it would have been almost as cheap to buy those, even without the discount, as it cost me to go and buy the 'special' tap and tap wrench (special because we're metric over here and it is sometimes very difficult to get imperial/english stuff).
 
WF, I don't recall mine being THAT big. In fact, a cleco held them in place with not much wigglin' goin' on.

How big is big?

I expect that once tension is placed on the fastener, you will be fine.

:rolleyes: CJ
 
Tie-down assy

Thanks for the answers. I'm still a little confused. I sent this question to Vans to see what they have to say. I'm thinking that maybe some of the pre-drilled holes were drilled to the wrong size. Here is my question to Vans.......The plans call for a match hole in W-731 of 3/16" (.1875). After drilling this location hole, slipping the AN3-6A bolt through the hole and then into the hole in the spar and doubler plate , I noticed that the pre-drilled holes are larger than the AN3 bolt/s. The pre-drilled holes in the spar and doubler plate are .2210 in size. The pre-drilled holes in the spar for the spacer/s are OK or 3/16". Was the spar and doubler plate drilled to the wrong size or is the normal? If I use the AN3 bolts, the tie-down assembly would be able to move around before tightening. Is this OK? What do I do?
Wesflies
Wings
 
As I recall, drilling that stupid tie down bracket was a big honkin' royal PITA. I ended up using a combination of duct tape, clamps etc to hold everything in place. Then to actually get all of the hole to line up well enough to drop screws in, I used the aileron bellcrank brackets to locate the holes. I actually bolted the darn thing together as I went along. Then had to take it all apart again for rivetting and priming, but man what a pain.
 
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