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LOU'S WEB SITE
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Date: 1-21-2011
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Number of Hours: 39.00
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Manual Reference: 6-5
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Brief Description: Preparing Vertical Stabilizer spar
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Finaly added heat to the garage, back to building. First time shooting primer with a touch-up gun and air brush. Used Stewart Systems primer, very happy with the results so far. Recommended temp for shooting is above 65 or so. Temp outside was in the 20's which made it difficult each time the garage door was opened to ventilate while spraying. Temps dropped fast!
The reinforcing spar doubler had a very noticeable bow which happens during the manufacturing process. Vans tech support indicated that it would not be a problem (normal) and it would straighten out when attached to the spar. I would suggest gently working out the bend as much as possible. The bending moment will not go away once riveted and even though most of the bow was removed, it still tends to pull on the spar just a bit. All of that will be pulled into alignment once attached to the skin. It will help during match drilling as well.
When dimpling the rear spar at the base, a C-Frame will provide a crisp dimple. I used a squeezer on the main spar and it did not mate very well with the doubler. After a lot of research and a call to Van's, a good solid whack with the C-Frame created a crisp dimple and better flush fit of the doubler. The remainder of the gap was removed by using a block of wood on the spar and a mallet to get the two pieces set. You want to avoid over-countersinking just to get a flat fit. The angle between the countersink and dimple are slightly different and will not fit perfectly. During riveting, additional clamps were used to ensure that the pieces were laying flat with no gaps.
On the plans along the inside edge of the skin, a few of the holes are x'd out. It leaves you wondering if they should be dimpled. These should be left alone as they will receive nut plates that will be used to secure the fairing. A note on VAF forums indicates that if you have the nut plates, now is a good time to install, it is just easier at this point. I don't and will install these later.
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Preparing to rivet spar
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slight gap between doubler and spar
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Parts primed, clecoed and ready for rivets
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