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VS Rear Spar (Big) Mistake

Torch76

Member
I have afforded myself another opportunity to learn. (I messed up)

On the following step,
Mark the location and orientation of VS-803PP, VS-411PP and VS-412PP. Disassemble, de-burr, dimple, machine countersink and prime parts as desired.
I failed to countersink VS-808 (the spar rear doubler) and dimple VS-803 (the rear spar). No excuses, I just straight up missed that part of the step.

In the meantime, I set ~50 AN470 rivets on the upper part of the spar, effectively already marrying 803 and 808 together.

I know 803 is .032" thick, well under the .050" required for machine countersinking. Do I have any recourse other than ordering new parts?
 
Drill

Why not drill it apart? Good practice if you already consider ordering parts. You might surprise yourself.
 
I'm with Larry.
You are going to have to learn to drill out rivets sooner or later so why not try. The worst thing that can happen is you order new parts.

A little tip for rivet drilling. Do Not attempt to drill the rivet out of the hole so to speak. All you are trying to do is drill the manufactured head off. If you attempt to drill the entire rivet out you will most likely elongate/oversize the hole. There are plenty of informative videos out there on the EAA website or youtube.
 
give this tool a try first...

I am with the others ? see what you can do to save the parts by drilling out the -470 rivets. Before you do that, spend the money and get one of my favorite rivet removal tools. It only works with the -470 rivets as it sits on top of the manufactured ?dome? head and allows you to drill down to a pre-selected depth (just below the head) and does a great job of keeping the drill bit centered on the rivet head. Give it a try ? you can always order more parts later if you are not happy with the results. See link below, you can find them at northern tool and amazon, but yard store currently has the best price :

http://www.yardstore.com/air-capital-rivet-removal-tool-fractional-air-capital.html

Good luck in your build!
 
Like above - and read Section 5 about rivet removal, download a new one if needed. Scott has done a good job with those instructions.

Read the threads here on same and get/make some helpful tools, they will serve you well in the build. 50 is not so bad. Just keep in mind that a straight drill and bit don't mean a properly positioned hole, make a few spins and look, learn to walk the hole early in the process. 3/4" long drill bit is another matter, it is stiffer.

I like the removal tool too. Just adjust it right and it makes universal heads easier. Well maybe not easier, but faster, for the same result, less stop-and-check after getting the depth set.

You should be able to salvage the part 100%.
 
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