When did you final torque your fuel tank?

[Lemmingman]

I just flipped my right wing over so it's trailing edge is up so I can start fitting my aileron and flap. Looking at the tank attach bolts I just have one in every bracket just holding it in place. At what point did you know you weren't going to take the tank off anymore and torque it down?

This tank has a flop tube, so the sending unit is against the spar. It is wired up and I cant think of a reason why I might need to access that.

 

[ArVeeNiner]

Not answering your question but make sure you have 1/16" gap between the tank skin and the adjacent skins. If not, there is a good chance that your paint will eventually crack at that interface. My paint guy told me this after I got to the airport and I ended up removing the tanks to rework them after the wings were installed. It wasn't a horrible operation but it would have been much easier while the wings were in my garage.

 

[Joe]

How?

It wasn't a horrible operation but it would have been much easier while the wings were in my garage.

<thread drift>
Would you mind outlining how you did the deed? File to a Sharpie line or a higher-tech method? Some sort of router or planer?
</thread drift>

I just removed my tanks and certainly agree with you: don't finish bolting on the wings until ready for paint or ready for flight, whichever comes first.

--
Joe

 

[LettersFromFlyoverCountry]

I'll adopt the opposite perspective.

If you CAN torque down a bolt, torque it down. It's incredibly easy, given all the bolts on your plane, to forget to go back and torque some day. Sure, an inspector MIGHT catch it, and you might even remember it.

But I happen to think it's a REALLY good idea to torque down nuts (or bolts, in this case) as your working on them.

What's to lose in doing so other than a very small amount of time?

 

[ArVeeNiner]

<thread drift>
Would you mind outlining how you did the deed? File to a Sharpie line or a higher-tech method? Some sort of router or planer?
</thread drift>

I just removed my tanks and certainly agree with you: don't finish bolting on the wings until ready for paint or ready for flight, whichever comes first.

--
Joe

Exactly, I filed to a Sharpie mark. I just put a line about 1/16" from the adjacent skin then filed to it. It came out fine. The aluminum is pretty easy to file.

 

[Joe]

Exactly, I filed to a Sharpie mark. I just put a line about 1/16" from the adjacent skin then filed to it. It came out fine. The aluminum is pretty easy to file.

Thanks. That's what I hoped you'd say. (I was over-thinking it.)

--
Joe

 

[Lemmingman]

Thanks Bob, that logic makes perfect sense.

 

[LettersFromFlyoverCountry]

I should have revealed by the way that when I had the pre-inspection a month or so ago, Tom Berge found at least one loose bolt on the fuel tank. That was kind of embarrassing.

 

[jbagley]

To answer the original question...

I thought I had attached the fuel tanks for the last time several times. Ended up fighting a fuel leak in one tank which required multiple rounds of removal / installation. I use surveyors tape / masking tape to indicate loose hardware or anything that needs to be addressed before final inspection and flight. Worked pretty well and the DAR only found a loose keeper nut that, while important, wouldn't be catastrophic.