Brief Description: Replacement part practice session
This was one of those sessions that I would prefer not to log. Drilled out the 50 or so rivets holding the flap hinge in place and in the process found that the holes in the hinge were elongated too much to salvage. Van's now has my replacement order in the queue.
When I made the mistake of riveting the flap hinge BETWEEN the brace and the skin, I guess I got the alignment off by quite a bit. As a result, the skin and the brace are ok but the hinge is toast. When the replacement part comes in I will look at each hole and if necessary, I will use 1/8" rivets in those holes--edge distance should be ok and I will feel better about structural integrity if I go that route. Live and learn...