. . . Anyone done this in really really cold weather??
I recently inserted the close tolerance bolts on my right wing 2 weeks ago. The temperature in the hangar was hovering somewhere around 30-35 deg F. I had previously inserted 4 7/16 not-so-close tolerance hardware bolts in the wing (
Although it was a bit of a wrestling match at the time, for my helpful friend and me, we were able to finally get the HW bolts in with minimal issues). When it came time for installing the close tolerance bolts I did not use any lubricant, I did not freeze the bolts. While a friend grabbed the wing tip end and gently moved the wing as needed, I simply drove out one of the HW bolts while leaving the other three in place. I then took my nondescript claw hammer and tapped the close tolerance bolt a handful of times to drive it into the hole. It went in like it belonged there. I then repeated the process for the other 7/16 close tolerance bolts. None of this turned out to be a problem what so ever even without any type of treatment to the bolts.
I have to admit I had the same feelings as everyone else had about getting the bolts in. I truly thought I was in for a battle. It turned out to be one of those tasks that was similar to building the fuel tanks and using ProSeal. More of a problem in my head than it really turned out to be in real life.
However, there was one aspect of installing the close tolerance bolts that proved to be a real pain in the neck (or backside). Every time I read about installing these bolts, there was a great deal of discussion about how to get the bolts into the holes. That is not the true problem when installing these on an "A" model. The real problem is how to get those two bottom nuts on and tightened up on the 7/16 bolts. The landing gear web restricts you from being able to get a wrench onto that nut. If that webbing were just 1/4 to 1/2 higher everything would work just fine, but it is not.
Question to Vans or other engineers out there. Can that landing gear webbing be redesigned to allow for a wrench into that space?
Getting a wrench onto the outboard bottom 7/16 nut proved to be much more of a problem than getting the bolts in ever did. So, FYI for anyone who has not already come across this issue here was my solution.
I had thought about grinding down an old wrench to allow it to reach in under the landing gear webbing and was prepared to go down that road until I discovered that I could take an 11/16 crow foot wrench on the end of my ratchet and wedge it just right in the small space between the bolt end and the landing gear webbing (
of course this is all while laying prone in the floor of the cockpit reaching between the leg gear structure and the spar carry through). I could just hold it tight enough to keep the nut from turning as I then placed an air wrench on the bolt head and turned the bolt until it finally tightened the nut. I know this is not good practice to turn a bolt to tighten a nut but there is absolutely no way to turn the nut in that tight space.
I am sure all of those repeat builders out there see this task as just another task to accomplish and therefore not really that big of a deal. However, for a first time builder it would have been great to have had some heads up on how to best accomplish this feat. Left to my own imaginings, I did come up with a solution. Maybe it was not the best, maybe someone else has a better method. If so, I would have loved to have heard about it before I began the process but it is past me now. I was able to successfully get the bolts secured using this method. For those yet to experience this task on "A" models, you now have some insight on my solution. Perhaps it will keep you from having to scratch your head as I did.
