worst dream realized - how to remove lower wing bolts in a 7A?

[Scott Will]

OK... I want to look forward and focus on a solution...

Due to physical limitations I had to fit my wings with the gear on. It's a nosedragger so the main gear weldments attach to the front of the spar. Ya'll know that.

Anyway, I have two ground down bolts in each of the top two holes (both sides). I had to put a bolt in the lower hole to get the correct dihedral... unfortunately it was a scrap NAs 1307 bolt. I drove one in all but 1" and the other side all but 2".

I have to get the wings off in order to do all the nutplates on the bottom. How do I remove the lower bolts with the main gear leg in the way?! Has this ever been done?? I need some sort of way to drive them out but no access from the front side. Any help??? please?????

I know I should have used hardware store bolts and all that...

Thanks for your suggestions for a fix. I'm sure someone might have run into this in the past.

- Scott

 

[RV_7A]

Scott I took these pics for you to show you what I did to remove these bolts. (Aren't I a nice guy )Since the bolts were in a lot further I used the thickness of a 2x4 (1.5") and pryed them out a ways and then used the long side (3.5") to remove them the rest of the way. Only thing is you need a BAFPB like the one shown here.

-Jeff

 

[dougknight]

Scott:
Not sure if the 9A and 7A are the same but try this.
Put a long box end wrench over the bolt head on the aft side of the spar,lift it up so it catches under the bolt head. Insert a wood block between the wrench and the spar so as to create a fulcrum. Tap/pull on the wrench, W-D 40 on the bolt helps. As the bolt backs out increase the thickness of your wood block/ fulcrum for best leverage.

The angle around the gearleg weld met forward of the spar makes it almost impossible to get at it from the front side and drive them out, but an old wooden arrow shaft from the front and the process I decribed from the aft in combination with each other along with the right words will get-er-done!

All said and done, go down to the hardware store and get some regular bolts and grind all the threads off them so as to make drift pins out of them. Don't ask how I know

good luck
doug
90625
N625DK
Painting cowls, gear legs, pants. Weight & Balance, airworthiness, insurance, buying hanger, is there an end?

 

[vlittle]

I've had to do this.

The 'best' way is to get an air powered ratchet, and 'unscrew' the bolts while applying a slight pull with the socket (by canting it slightly). It will take a long time, but eventually you can get it out.

I did it by hand once, and it took about 2 hours, hence the air ratchet recommendation.

Once you get it out far enough you can try the pry-bar approach.

Vern Little

 

[Kahuna]

Use an air impact gun like what you would use for lug nuts Scott. The air rachet may not have the juice to turn it. I also have ran it backwards with a impact rivet gun and a smaller bolt where the gun hits the smaller bolt that hits the big bolt your trying to get out, doing this from the front of course.

Ive got one in my hanger if you need the air lug nut gun. Ill be at the hanger probably Friday Night.
Best,

 

[Jamie]

Use an air impact gun like what you would use for lug nuts Scott. The air rachet may not have the juice to turn it. I also have ran it backwards with a impact rivet gun and a smaller bolt where the gun hits the smaller bolt that hits the big bolt your trying to get out, doing this from the front of course.

Kahuna:

I think he's saying he can't drive it from the front because of the gear leg socket sitting directly forward of the bolt hole.

 

[lrfrey]

A "slide hammer" may work as well, (not sure that's the correct technical name). Auto body shops use them if you don't know what I mean.

Larry

 

[Derrell]

I had the same problem with my 7A. I used a slightly bent rod to access the front hole & drive it out. Then I used the prybar & wood as shown in the pics.

Derrell
7A finish

 

[Scott Will]

Thanks everyone... all great advice. I think I'll try getting an air ratchet or impact gun on the bolt. The impact gun may be a too big because the seat pan is in the way. But we'll see. I guess one redeeming thing is that there is a bolt in the bottom with a head on it. If I put one of the pins in the lower, there would be nothing to leverage against.

Here's what it looks like on the 'worst' side.

The RV community is great - I get the most useful help and advice from you all.

 

[Mike S]

You have recieved a lot of good suggestions, but if you can twist AND pry at the same time things will go better than either all by itself,

I would be concerned about spinning the bolt too fast with an air tool-----possable to gall the hole in the spar. Deffinatly should use some lube.

Mike

 

[Scott Will]

Update... just back from the hangar.

They're OFF!! Woohoo. Thanks to some of the local guys we got the wings off. I started out the day by buying an air ratchet at Sears. All it did was spin the bolt as I was trying to pull it out. Then I tried the wood and crow bar trick. That wasn't working for me.

My hangar neighbor came back after a local flight in his nice Mooney and they proceeded to help me out. We ground down the prybar so it fit over the bolt better and then removed the top drift pins. As a few of us wiggled the wings, one pulled and pulled on the bolt. Out it came.

The only downside to all of this is when I was trying the air ratched, the bottom skin bulged a tiny bit where the air ratchet was. No one would probably know unless I pointed it out... so why did I tell you all this?

Thanks again for the suggestions. They all beat Van's standard answer of "we've never dealt with this".