Brief Description: Rivet Leading Edge Ribs to Front Spar
I spent some time today grinding the top of an el-cheapo pop riveter for better access. The leading edge ribs are VERY close to the main ribs as to where they attach to the front spar. Once I had a tool that would work for me, I was able to blind rivet all of the leading edge ribs to the front spar. I could reach all of the ribs except one from the top. In other words, the factory heads of all of the blind rivets are set against the thinner flanges of the ribs while the shop heads are on the aft side of the front spar, which is the thicker material. There was only one rib in the center that I had to blind rivet from underneath. All of the other ribs were a pain in the butt to reach from the top but were doable with enough contorting and reaching through the lightening holes. My forearms are pretty scratched up but it was worth it. I ended up using the BSPQ 4- series of structural blind rivets. I had to order these from Aircraft Spruce.
Cheap pop rivet tool ground down for better access
