Wing J-Channel not lining up with Skins

[CharlieWaffles]

I'll try to get a photo, but my long j-channels are not matching up to the hole pattern in the outboard wing skins. They were drilled per the plans, with the short channel nested inside the long channel and flush with the inboard edge of the main spar. The short channels are lining up just fine. I even verified they are the correct left/right/bottom/top set up and still no go. I held the long channel up to the hole pattern on the main spar and it lines up ok (where it was drilled), but the skin pattern seems to be different. Has anyone seen this before?

 

[CharlieWaffles]

Sigh, found the problem. Read the instructions wrong. It shows to nest the j-channels, but not all the way. I thought both j-channels were flush with the inside of the flange, but the long one is flush with the outboard flange, and the short one is the inboard and they nest for only a few inches. Guess I will have to match drill them with the skin.

For some reason, the J-channels in this project have been the most troublesome and most often replaced item.

 

[Ron B.]

It's the exact same mistake I made. To me nest has a different definition. The word that I would use is overlap. A discription of where these j-channels are meant to go would help. I had to keep looking forward in the plans looking for their placement in order to figure it out.
Van's has great plans, they would be fabulous if these small mistakes were corrected. Some day someone will and they will take over the market place. When you think you have the market cornered,someone always makes things better that how the world works.

 

[rleffler]

If I remember correctly, the j-channels will overlap about 3-4 inches. With both the short and long channels, they should be the length of the entire span of the spar. Line each channel with the end on of the spar and the length of the overlap should be apparent.

You're not the first to interpret the instructions not in way that Van's intended. At least it's the j channel which is pretty cheap to replace.

 

[CharlieWaffles]

Yea, it makes sense now. Think I'll send a note to Tim Olsen to add to the Gotchas. Yes, J-Channel is cheap, and thankfully I am close by so there is no shipping, but with this has to make it over $100 in J-Channel I've had to replace. Not a big number, but a fustrating number. At least it's not a major issue to fix.