Wing attach blocks

[142YX]

Oh, one more thing...the next time you take the wings off, use that opportunity to drill out the pulled CCP rivets that may interfere with the spar bolts and nuts, and re rivet them from the inside out. Maybe six per side, three in front of the spar and three behind. The wing covers them up and doing that will prevent clearance issues. Also learned that one the hard way.

Good luck!

Definitely. I think i am actually going to install countersunk rivets from the inside out in this location. They are right in the way!

I'll post some photos of the repair and let everyone know how it goes

[dbdevkc]

Nick - Oh man, I feel your pain... I know the feeling when you are far along in a part that took a lot of time to make and you screw something up.

Do you think that had you drilled the hole to a size closer to your final reamer size you would have had better luck with the reamer? My understanding is that you should only be attempting to take off a few thousandths with a reamer. So, for example if you had used a 9.4 mm twist drill (.3701") then used your .374 reamer do you think it might have worked better - trying to take off only .0039?

ps. Something that i did right was ream out all of my 1/4" bolts using a .248" reamer. Makes a perfect hole for most AN-4 bolts.

Thanks for this info.

[falvarez]

Right or wrong, I was taught by a sheet metal worker that a reamer is only to be used in one direction (in or out of the hole), not both like a drill bit. What I've done, and it prevents me from using to big of a reamer, is I insert the reamer end (the end that gets chucked) through the hole first, then attach it to my drill, then pull it straight out. I ream all my bolt holes and I've had good luck with this method...as I've said before, I tend to do everything the hard way.

Mike, can you clarify what rivets you would redo? My plans show the first few rivets on the spar tunnel are solid rivets that get driven flush...all rivets on my tunnel sides are flush...so I can't visualize which ones you are saying to change.

[142YX]

Nick - Oh man, I feel your pain... I know the feeling when you are far along in a part that took a lot of time to make and you screw something up.

Do you think that had you drilled the hole to a size closer to your final reamer size you would have had better luck with the reamer? My understanding is that you should only be attempting to take off a few thousandths with a reamer. So, for example if you had used a 9.4 mm twist drill (.3701") then used your .374 reamer do you think it might have worked better - trying to take off only .0039?

ps. Something that i did right was ream out all of my 1/4" bolts using a .248" reamer. Makes a perfect hole for most AN-4 bolts.

Thanks for this info.

yea, you definitely should be only taking off a tiny bit with a reamer. I might have had better luck with with one more step size, but ill never try it again to find out. For drilling through such a deep section of metal.. you really need a positive way of keeping the bit perpendicular, drill presses, and drill bushings are impossible in this case which is why i really like the Sonex method of a "piloted drill bit"

[142YX]

Right or wrong, I was taught by a sheet metal worker that a reamer is only to be used in one direction (in or out of the hole), not both like a drill bit. What I've done, and it prevents me from using to big of a reamer, is I insert the reamer end (the end that gets chucked) through the hole first, then attach it to my drill, then pull it straight out. I ream all my bolt holes and I've had good luck with this method...as I've said before, I tend to do everything the hard way.

that might be right to get the dead nuts accurate hole size that the reamer is rated for.. but for all intents and purposes that seems like way overkill to me. This would also mean that no one could ever use a reamer in a drill press or mill..

Mike, can you clarify what rivets you would redo? My plans show the first few rivets on the spar tunnel are solid rivets that get driven flush...all rivets on my tunnel sides are flush...so I can't visualize which ones you are saying to change.

the rivet he is talking about is the one right here in this photo.. right next to the spar pin that would prevent it from being pushed all the way in (or a nut from being installed if in the other direction) due to the head of the bolt.

[MichaelFarley56]

Exactly. The rivets I refer to are on the fuselage skin that interfere with the spar pins/bolts. Refer to the pic above...

[structurespilot]

The best way too do this job is to drill up to a few thou below the final size you are trying to achieve, with a jobber bit. Then use a piloted reamer to finish the hole. You can have a machine shop turn down the end of your reamer, to match the size of the jobber drill bit you used. This also takes the cutting edge off of the reamer, along the piloted section. The reamer will follow the hole and not enlarge as it goes. That's what we do on certified aircraft, and it works great.

I haven't gotten that far with my Waiex yet, but I have found a Corvair engine for a great price. I'm hoping to go pull it out of the car this week. I've also decided to make it a hybrid engine, or better know as a 3.0 litre conversion. It will use oversize VW pistons and Cylinders. The block will be machined to accept the larger diameter cylinders. This also happens to be the lightest of the Corvair conversions.

Cheers, Norm

[radfordc]

I bought a plane that had loose wing bolts due to oval holes. You could move one wingtip up and down an inch. The fix was to up drill to a 7/16" bolt. Kerry said that you could go as large as 1/2" as long as the hole was centered properly in the block. I used a hand drill and drilled up in 1/32" increments like you did, but made the last hole 1/64" smaller than the reamer. I also used copious amounts of WD-40 as a lubricant. The final holes were very snug...you have to tap the bolts with a mallet to get them to go in. It can be done.

You can also find horror stories of people who used the pilot drill and had screw ups.

[142YX]

I bought a plane that had loose wing bolts due to oval holes. You could move one wingtip up and down an inch. The fix was to up drill to a 7/16" bolt. Kerry said that you could go as large as 1/2" as long as the hole was centered properly in the block. I used a hand drill and drilled up in 1/32" increments like you did, but made the last hole 1/64" smaller than the reamer. I also used copious amounts of WD-40 as a lubricant. The final holes were very snug...you have to tap the bolts with a mallet to get them to go in. It can be done.

You can also find horror stories of people who used the pilot drill and had screw ups.

ouch.. really? even with my oval'ed holes the wing was very tight to the fuselage with absolutely no play between them. But i could see the oval hole easily working itself loose over time.. the main reason i am going to repair mine

[dbdevkc]

I asked the factory to define "tight fit" hole (because I found definitions for "light drive" and "tight drive" fits for bolts -

Tight drive fit: a sharp blow of a 12 or 14 ounce hammer is required to move the bolt.
Light drive fit: a hammer handle is held against its head and pressed by the weight of the body.)

and Kerry wrote:

"We consider a