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Section 40a: attaching Upper Gear Brace

Stockmanreef

Well Known Member
Has anyone had issues trying to get the three AN6 bolts through the Upper gear brace and through the wing spar?

I can get one bolt through, but then the others don't fit.

Any help would be appreciated.

ken
 
Just did this - no issues except I had to remove primer from inside the holes in the brace after priming since the holes are very close tolerance.

Are you sure you did the reaming steps in section 25-06 for these holes? If that didn't get done, might be your problem.
 
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No I figured out issue. The top edge of the rib was acting like a pivot. A bit of filing and I was able to get one side in. I have to go back out and do the other side.

It took about 10 minutes to file down enough to fix the issue.

I have a feeling that torquing down the AN3 bolts might be entertaining.
 
Has anyone had issues trying to get the three AN6 bolts through the Upper gear brace and through the wing spar?

I can get one bolt through, but then the others don't fit.

Any help would be appreciated.

ken

I outline on my blog some of the things I learned from attaching the gear legs. A few things to consider

  • Did you ream the holes as directed in Step 1 on page 25-06?
  • Make sure the bolts can pass through the holes prior to placement of the parts (just to make sure the diameters are correct - and this may not be practical for you if you already have the legs in place). A gauge pin might be helpful if you're worried about marring your bolts.
  • Lubricate the shaft of the bolts prior to introduction. Be sure to clean threads prior to subsequent introduction of the nuts.
  • Try a different sequence of attaching all the bolts associated with the gear braces. It could help things line up better. I recall that the sequence I used was not the same as in the plans.

Just one clarification, you mean bulkhead, rather than wing spar :)
 
yes, I meant bulkhead. As I stated above, it was just a teeter totter effect. After filing down the top edge of the rib that the gear brace was touching, the part went in fine.

All the holes had been reamed or at least the bolts slid through without an issue prior to putting the part in place.

Thanks
ken
 
yes, I meant bulkhead. As I stated above, it was just a teeter totter effect. After filing down the top edge of the rib that the gear brace was touching, the part went in fine.

All the holes had been reamed or at least the bolts slid through without an issue prior to putting the part in place.

Thanks
ken

Glad to hear it's resolved! I was busy composing my post when you had posted yours.

Build on.
 
No I figured out issue. The top edge of the rib was acting like a pivot. A bit of filing and I was able to get one side in. I have to go back out and do the other side.

It took about 10 minutes to file down enough to fix the issue.

I have a feeling that torquing down the AN3 bolts might be entertaining.

There was a printed sheet in my finishing kit with instructions for filing it - forgot about it until you mentioned it.

I found the AN3's easy to torque - reach in with torque wrench between the spar sections. What was hard was the two bolts through the lower brace - space there is very tight.
 
I outline on my blog some of the things I learned from attaching the gear legs. A few things to consider

  • Did you ream the holes as directed in Step 1 on page 25-06?
  • Make sure the bolts can pass through the holes prior to placement of the parts (just to make sure the diameters are correct - and this may not be practical for you if you already have the legs in place). A gauge pin might be helpful if you're worried about marring your bolts.
  • Lubricate the shaft of the bolts prior to introduction. Be sure to clean threads prior to subsequent introduction of the nuts.
  • Try a different sequence of attaching all the bolts associated with the gear braces. It could help things line up better. I recall that the sequence I used was not the same as in the plans.

Just one clarification, you mean bulkhead, rather than wing spar :)
Sorry if this is a drift on your subject and please feel free to remove if you need to.

@E.
Did you find the wing bolt installation pretty hard or did you do anything to ease up the big bolts insertion in?
I know we have more room than RV6/7/9 but those are really tight and hard to fully insert without freezing them or other methods.
 
Sorry if this is a drift on your subject and please feel free to remove if you need to.

@E.
Did you find the wing bolt installation pretty hard or did you do anything to ease up the big bolts insertion in?
I know we have more room than RV6/7/9 but those are really tight and hard to fully insert without freezing them or other methods.

Definitely thread drift :)

Wing attach bolts were super easy. They all slid in real nice with gentle tapping. Per plans, just Boelube on the bolts (clean threads before introducing nuts). No freezing of bolts or anything special was done. Start-to-finish, both wings were on and torqued down in 40 minutes.

1_56_11%2BPM.jpg


The web on the F-01404 Aft Center Section Bulkhead did this on me...

IMG_9112.JPG


The nut brought it back down. This happened to another builder recently too. Keep an eye out for it so you can mitigate it immediately.

IMG_9169.JPG
 
I put torque seal on the threads, the nut and the structure. Maybe that's just overkill.

Edit: After reviewing the video, I will not be putting torque seal on the nuts.
 
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I put torque seal on the threads, the nut and the structure. Maybe that just overkill.

Check the EAA video above. It's only 2 minutes. The presenter shared that when the seal is on the threads, removing the nut can cause the threads to "roll" (I think he means "strip"), requiring cutting of bolt for removal.
 
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