W818 rod end rivet misalignment

I don't like the way my W818 rod end rivets came out. As you can see in the photo, the two rivets are not 90 degrees to each other, and don't pass directly through the tube center. I drilled through the tube with rod end installed and tube placed in a V-block. The rod end was a tight fit and had to be tapped in with a mallet. I went ahead with deburring, priming and riveting to see how the finished result comes out. I used -11 length rivets. I squashed the rivets in 3 or 4 steps, varying the squeezer angle to compensate for the rivet's tendency to tip over due to misalignment.

I'm willing to remake this part if necessary, but I'd like to hear from the experts - is this airworthy?

Rod end

I would send a pic to sterling at vans. I suspect they would say build on because you have all edge distances and rivet spacing accounted for.

Build on (and extra required text).

Reply from Van's

The -12 rivets are over-long to allow for the inside expansion, but yours are OK. The reduced head size and off-angle are not a problem – it will still be strong enough.

Click to expand...

Looks like they agree, Build On.

I was able to get a better centered rod end today. Previously, I lined up the bit to the tube in the V block and went for it. Now, I let the drill start just a bit, then rotate the tube to re-align the bit. This was necessary because the bit would wander from the center punch mark on the tube, due to the combination of play in the drill press chuck (cheapy HF..), flexibility of the #40 bit (to be followed by #30), and the slippery surface of the powder-coated tube (with Boelube on it for added slipperiness).