Roll Bar Re-Install Help Needed

[Bayou Bert]

I am at the stage of the build, electrical and avionics finished and
top skin installed, time to install center support bar.
I decided to change color to flat black on roll bar and center support.
I bought this project with the roll bar already installed, and when I pulled
it off and could barely get a box wrench on the roll bar rear bolts, I gave
it a brief thought (denial) on what it was going to take to get it back on.
Roll bar and support back from powder coaters and decided to see about
install.
Soooo, is there some "trick" to getting the two level shim, washer and
nut on the rear bolts without bending the day lights out of the lower
ledge on the longeron?
All suggestions appreciated.

[YellowJacket RV9]

Here's what I did:

Use a piece of scrap aluminum to make an extension that you can attach to a crescent wrench so that you can hold the wrench in place from below the canopy deck. Use a tiny dab of loc-tite or similar to hold the washer in place on the spacer, and then the nut on top of that, and then hold the nut in place in the wrench with a piece of duct tape. You can then carefully maneuver everything into position and tighten town. Sorry I didn't take any pictures of my setup.

A little awkward but it did work.

Chris

[decathlon737]

Put nut washer and shim on a long plastic zip tie, push through the hole and pull up tight. Reach underneath and hold everything in position, let zip tie fall out, insert bolt and start form the top. you're welcome. I realize this thread is older but this is a difficult thing to do.

[C-GRVT]

create a little half moon in the underside sheet metal angle to create a clearance to allow a socket extension to reach the nut. Also, if for any reason you have to take off the slider track, reinstall it with a plate nut strip on the underside. Helps to reduce the frustration level...
Bill Brooks
Ottawa

[rightrudder]

The hardest part is positioning everything and getting the nut started, as you mentioned. I super-glued the stack together (nut, washer and shim), and then made a tool out of a strip of scrap aluminum. I put a 90-degree bend on the end of it, then applied a strip of double-sided foam tape on the bent end. Stick your super-glued stack to the tape, move it up in position with the tool and thread the nut by spinning the bolt from the top.

Works great for all the nuts that secure the canopy slider rails too.