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MED

Well Known Member
Page 8-11: I just finished the last 10 rivets in the horizontal stabilizer, and after considerable fretting, completed them without a problem. They were the 6 470-7 and 4 470-8 rivets that secure the inboard tip ribs to the forward spar and the mid-rib. The instructions have a note to leave these until the rest of the assembly is completed, so you can reorient the HS for better access. What the note does not say, and what I did not anticipate, was that I would not be able to squeeze those rivets. I did note after discovering this that at least one repeat-builder's blog showed those rivets installed on the spar before installing the spar in the skin. Those nose ribs, I believe, would have been flexible enough to allow squeezing. Anyway, after trying every possible yoke and orientation with both a manual squeezer and a pneumatic squeezer, I finally called a fellow 14 builder and we drove them. 60 psi in a #3 gun with an offset set and a small tungsten bar and they went in like we knew what we were doing. Whew! I guess everyone else figures this out, but it was a new technique for us.
 
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Thanks

Thanks for the reminder. I'm working on riveting the ribs to the spar right now and I'll have to keep that in mind. I did read ahead, but probably more of a skim. Will have to keep that in mind to read a little more closely to better anticipate problems.
 
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