Need advice on replacing wing skin

HI all - one of my completed wings had a fight with my garage door and lost. It ended up with a big dent in the inboard skin's leading edge and I decided to replace it instead of trying to fix it.

I've removed the old skin (man that was a lot of rivets!) and the new one is ready to install.

It's tricky since it needs to slide under the mid skin, and it curves around the leading edge so you are really working top and bottom wing at the same time. I've removed a few rivets from the mid skin also where they meet to give me some wiggle room.

So.....any advice on how to make this easier? Maybe Vaseline on the skins where they meet?

If you intend to paint don't use Vaseline...

Rivets

I suggest that to make it easier, that you remove a few more rivets from the already installed skins where they meet the new skin. makes it easier and better. Then just do it. If it is still hard to do, then remove a few more rivets.

Your knowledge, skill, and fun will be ever increasing! YMMV

Thx E.D., I think I'm at diminishing returns with that. Since the skin folds around the leading edge, taking off extra rivets doesn't seem to help (you can't bend the skin out of the way in the curve)

Maybe try Boelube liquid or paste?

Maybe putting a nice round edge on the new skin end so it can more easily slide into the tight space?

Heat

Try This

After removing the rivets from one rib back
Get some help to push the new sheet under the existing sheet
keep the new sheet cold and have a friend warm the front of the existing sheet
with a hair dryer to expand it just a little

Joe Dallas

been there done that

Start the new wing skin at an angle by inserting at the leading edge, inside the existing skin, first.
Be careful to keep from pushing the rib out of line.
Once you get it started get an icepick into one of the forward rivet holes, through both skins and the rib, and it will keep the rib in place and will act as a fulcrum to help get the edge in the rest of the way.
You will have to walk it in slowly since it a tight fit but it will work.
Once it is started you can begin to push the skin back until the edge you are inserting is in all the way to the spar line and the skin is straight.
You can also use some thin plastic pieces, like a credit card or plastic putty knife, to assist in getting the new skin to slip under the existing skin.
Two sets of hands really helps when doing this.
Good luck.

Flush repair

I would do a flush repair. I've done literally hundreds at the airlines. If you're good and it's getting painted it wil be invisible. The big problem when I as with AA is that we didn't have painted airplanes. USAir painted them all when they bought out AA. If you already have it off, never mind. Good luck, watch you don't enlarge the rivet holes.

This has got to be the worst way ever to attach wing skins

I just bit the bullet and am removing the mid skin also.

I tried dish soap on the edges and that worked pretty good. But we wrestled with it for a while (with 6 hands) and the forward ribs just move too much and since it's all enclosed you can't get to them to ice pick them. What a pain in the A$$. This has got to be the worst way ever to attach wing skins.

At the risk of drawing down the wrath of all the VAF members mayI suggest Bondo from the aviation department of Auto Zone.

Just about fixed

I'm just about done with the repair.

I removed most rivets from the mid skin also and then realized I probably just needed to remove the rivets from the top of the mid skin. That would have removed the bend and I may have been able to slide the inboard skin under.

But it's just about done so i'm happy. In anticipation of making this repair I bought one of the rivet removal tools (like this one
https://www.northerntool.com/shop/t...edirectid=15450841283494996130710090301008005)

That saved a ton of time and worked really well. I can safely say I didn't have a mess up a single rivet hole.