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cdeerinck

Well Known Member
About a month ago, I was reading a post of many years ago (here) about RV-8 Bolt Retainers. They spare you from having to get into the gear wells to retorque the gear nuts.

I really wanted them, but the post was old, and I feared that what was available in the "golden age" of RV's might not still be. Refusing to give up, I sent a PM to "Breezy" (Bruce Brielmaier) and asked if by chance they were still available. Sure enough, I got a reply back a week or two later (he doesn't check VAF as frequently anymore), and he gave me the details on how to get a set.

They just arrived yesterday. They were a little spendy (but not much) based on what they are, but the instructions are excellent, and in hindsight, the purchase still makes perfect sense. I would have spent far more money and time trying to make some myself. I highly recommend them to any 8 builders. So, in short, another huge win!

I just wanted to reach out and let people know, to use the network here on VAF, even if the post is older. Some of the guys are out flying around now, making us jealous and might not reply right away, but they are still out there, offering little jewels of wisdom or parts that can make our lives oh so much nicer.

When I first signed up for VAF, I told myself I would pay dues anytime someone's post helped save me some significant grief or helped me in a significant way. So far, no year has passed by where that hasn't happened. So today I make another payment to DR (this one for 2019) for offering such a useful forum.
 
I?ve had Bruce?s gear bolt ?retainers? on both of my RV8?s, and they are worth whatever you have to pay. I?ve installed them in existing airplanes during condition inspections as Bruce?s helper, and they aren?t hard to install. they will save you countless agony and frustration. You?ll never have to get inside that gear tower again, unless you just want to have a look, and you do that with a lighted mirror. Checking gear bolt torque at your annual condition inspection takes about 5 minutes total, on all the nuts, and if you want to check those outer U-channel bolts that are a pain more often than that, you can do that anytime you have your upper intersection fairing off in 30 seconds. And YES - Bruce still makes these jewels. Get yourself a set (4), you won?t be disappointed.
 
The bolts are reversed because the flats on the head of the bolt are ?retained? in a chromoly U-shaped retainer that nests in the gear tower weldment, with the bolt inserted from the top. The bolt can?t turn because the bolt head is captured in the retainer/weldment channel. You just thread the nut and washer on and torque it from the bottom. On mine with standard steel gear legs, the nuts are hidden under the upper intersection fairing, even though they protrude a little lower than the bolt head in the normal bottom up arrangement. With aluminum Grove gear (thicker), the lower location of that fastener may require intersection fairing modification. I?ll try to take some pictures and post them.
 
Pictures would be great, thank you
Wouldn?t the retainers work the same way on the nut without having to remove and reverse the bolt?
 
Yes, but torquing the bolt will not result in the same final torque vs torquing the nut.

The bolt has lots of drag associated with it going through the structure, so there?s no way to accurately account for that.
 
“Yes, but torquing the bolt will not result in the same final torque vs torquing the nut. “


Really can’t torque the nut through the gear leg towers anyway. Don’t know about the rest of you with an RV8 but not me. You have to use flex socket and wobble extensions to get on the the nuts so it’s not going to yield an accurate torque anyway. It’s really difficult to hold the nuts through the tower let alone tighten or torque them.

Currently torque it from the bottom on the bolt head. The torquing of these bolts is to not to set up a full clamp force torque with the clearance that is maintained in the u clamp saddle to the fuselage. While I agree with what you’re saying about torquing the nut really don’t think under these conditions it Is relevant.

Asking about the retainers going on the nuts so bolts don’t have to come out and get reversed.
 
On the 3 RV8?s that I?ve made this change to, not counting my current airplane that was installed that way originally, the bolts were not that difficult to remove once you got the nut off. I thumped it lightly using my rivet gun and a soft brass set with pressure set to about 20 lbs. They came out easily and went back in just as easily. If you are concerned with buggering up the bolts, you could buy new bolts to reinstall. When installed you will need to have an open end wrench (9/16? I think) so you can turn the bolt slightly to make the flats line up with the U-shaped retainer, and then drive it home. It?s the last time you will need to contortion your body to get into that fastener. Remove the bolts and reinstall them one at a time, with weight on the wheels, and chocked. If you grease the bolt before re-insertion, make sure you clean the lube off the threads with acetone or MEK, or something, so you check torque dry.

Note: The NAS679A6 metal stop nuts called out in this application are a little different than what came with my first two RV8 kits. This nut looks like a stamped nut and looks weak. I ordered new NAS679A6 nuts on my new RV8, because that is what Vans still recommends. These new ones look similar, but they are solid. There is no void between the flats and the threaded core. This is all solid and just looks more robust than what I?ve had in the past.
 
Bolt Retainers

I?m interested in these. How do I get in touch with the creator?
 
Link to pictures of my RV8 gear bolt/nut/retainer installation. Also shown (I hope) is a pic of the original supplied nuts for these bolts, and the completed install with a nut that is a little different. It’s what Vans sent when I bought new ones and has the same part # as the old ones.

Bruce Brielmaier’s installation is also pictured with his thicker Grove airfoil shaped landing gear and the stronger nuts recommended here in another post.

http://https://link.shutterfly.com/yv21SI9dDX

Notice the installed nuts on the U-clamp on my airplane are different than the two nuts pictured separately. They are what Vans sent me, same PN as before, but different than original - the voids are filled in. I replaced these recently following my partner’s accident.
 
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After reading the threads on the gear leg saddle clamp nuts I understand why you?re reversing the bolts.
The recommended higher strength nuts are twelve point and these retainer clips won?t work on a twelve point.
 
The retainers will work no matter what kind of nuts you use, because they don?t go on the nuts, they go under the head of the bolt. If my picture link worked (above) you could see that. One of the pictures is of Bruce Brielmaier?s (creator of these retainers) airplane and he used the 12 point nuts.

I?ll try again, for the third time to post these pictures. Every time I try to post pictures something changes and it doesn?t work any more. I haven?t been able to post a picture for a couple years, but I?ll keep trying. Yes, I?ve read the posts here that tells how to do this, but apparently I?m doing something wrong. Maybe there will be a seminar at Oshkosh this year that ?splains? this process. Doug???
 
Well..... three strikes and I’m out! I tried flickr this time and it was very easy to set up and has some nice features, but as far as I can tell, the only way to share is on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest. It wouldn’t let me copy the link. I’m retired and have plenty of time, but even I have a limit, and I’ve hit it. If you would like pictures of these ‘retainers’ just let me know and I’ll email them to you. I’m going to talk to Bruce today about setting up a blog or website. Maybe it’s because I’m using an iPad? I have an HP laptop, but it’s so painfully slow that the only reason I don’t drill holes in it and throw it away is because I need it to download updates on SD cards for my Garmin equipment. It doesn’t seem like Garmin knows how to speak IOS.

YAY!! I think I figured it out! (See above). I doubt I’ll be able to remember how I did it for later. I used Shutterfly this time.
 
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After reading the threads on the gear leg saddle clamp nuts I understand why you?re reversing the bolts.
The recommended higher strength nuts are twelve point and these retainer clips won?t work on a twelve point.

The reason you turn them over, is so you torque the nut from the bottom. Torquing the bolt can give very different values, especially in this case when the bolt goes through so many parts.
 
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