Rebuilding elevators

svanarts · Post by **svanarts** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 11:44 pm

Well, I'm almost done rebuilding my elevators. One thing or another has kept me from finishing them but now it's time. The tricky part is going to be fitting a new elevator on an already completed horizontal stab. It's going to be tricky getting the heim bearings in the right spot so that they will mate up with the fittings on the horizontal.

I'm going to remove the existing left elevator tomorrow and test fit my new elevator to see if I can locate the bearings properly. Pray for me.

I've also decided to remove my manual trim and replace it with an electric trim. I couldn't figure out how to mount it until I looked at my RV-7 preview plans. I ordered the mounting hardware for an RV-7 from Van's and have found a way to retrofit it to my RV4 elevator. I think it will turn out nicely. I'll try to get the right elevator fitted tomorrow too.

JohnR · Post by **JohnR** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 12:39 am

Good luck! You should post some photos of those shiney new elevators.

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 6:46 am

Scott, this set was done with 0.020" stock, right?

Don't forget to weight and balance when you are done!!!

CJ

svanarts · Post by **svanarts** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 7:55 pm

Yep, 020 skins this time. I'm HOPING that by going with electric trim rather than the manual trim cable it will be a wash or at least close to it on the w&b. I took my old elevators off today and made some VERY CAREFUL measurements to try to get the hole drilled for the bearings in the right spot. Looks like I'm darn close. Almost got the left elevator ready to mount. I broght the right elevator home for homework.

My wife LOVES it when I work on elevators on the kitchen table.

svanarts · Post by **svanarts** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 11:04 pm

Well I have the left elevator mostly done. It was tricky getting the bearings in the exact same spot as the old bearings but I seem to have done it! Now I just need to put some RTV in the trailing edge, give it one more squeeze, and then start riveting the elevator skin to the spar. I'll do this at a friend's house next weekend since my compressor has gone tango uniform. He's got better tools anyway.

I also got the stiffeners for the righ elevator all cleaned up and ready to dimple. Gott dimple that whole elevator skin too. Looking at probably another three weeks before this plane gets back in the air.

Then after a brief reacquaintance flight, I'll tear into the cracks that have formed on the wing top skin. That's going to be a lot of drilling out rivets.

cjensen · Post by **cjensen** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 11:10 pm

Sounds great Scott!! Need some pics!

svanarts · Post by **svanarts** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 10:44 pm

Here's a couple of pictures from this morning:

Here is the completed elevator spar:

Here's the bearing in it's final position, a careful eye would notice that it's not centered on the reinforcing plate but it's hidden and plenty strong so not to worry.

Here is the HS. I didn't build these so it's been fun finding some of the easter eggs but nothing too major. I've been happy to find that my workmanship is about average which is better than I'd expected.

Wicked Stick · Post by **Wicked Stick** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 3:42 pm

Just curious as to why on the 2nd picture, what looks like the cutout of the rolled leading edges, they look really really horribly chewed up ?

svanarts · Post by **svanarts** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 3:51 pm

Well.... that's because they are horribly chewed up. Now you can tell me I'm ugly and my mother dresses me funny.

Seriously though, that's a very rough cut just to locate the bearings along the elevator spar. The cutouts will not stay that way. They need to be widened and smothed out obviously. I'll post the final, ready-for-primetime pictures when I'm all done.

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 5:53 pm

Hahahaha...

That just caught me funny...

CJ

Wicked Stick · Post by **Wicked Stick** » Sat Aug 19, 2006 2:27 pm

svanarts wrote:Well.... that's because they are horribly chewed up. Now you can tell me I'm ugly and my mother dresses me funny.

Seriously though, that's a very rough cut just to locate the bearings along the elevator spar. The cutouts will not stay that way. They need to be widened and smothed out obviously. I'll post the final, ready-for-primetime pictures when I'm all done.

So I'm gathering then that you the builder have to make those cutouts...hmmm guess the 7 though 10's are pre-cut, but not the 4's ???

svanarts · Post by **svanarts** » Sat Aug 19, 2006 3:02 pm

You got that right. The -4 elevator skins aren't prepunch, precut or pre-anything. So I've roughed out those cutouts for now, they aren't even centered. Now that the bearings are in place, I'm going to start drilling and rolling the leading edge, and then I can clean up and deburr those cutouts properly.

I'm afraid to post any more pictures till I'm done.

svanarts · Post by **svanarts** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 6:47 pm

Backriveted the stiffeners to the right hand elevator skin today. In doing so I found out something I never knew. You can do a fine job of back riveting with a claw hammer, a backriveting set, and the backriveting plate on the kitchen table. Two things you have to make sure of first, 1) make sure there is a padded tablecloth on the kitchen table and 2) make sure your wife is away at a conference. Swearing the kids to secrecy is helpful too.

svanarts · Post by **svanarts** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 10:58 pm

Elevator update on my website. Too tired to post pictures. Have a look if interested. Scroll down a bit. I also posted an RV-7 update. Nite all.

http://airprayer.net

For future searches click on the RV-4 or RV-7 category in the sidebar to see the postings.

JohnR · Post by **JohnR** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 11:02 pm

svanarts wrote:Backriveted the stiffeners to the right hand elevator skin today. In doing so I found out something I never knew. You can do a fine job of back riveting with a claw hammer, a backriveting set, and the backriveting plate on the kitchen table. Two things you have to make sure of first, 1) make sure there is a padded tablecloth on the kitchen table and 2) make sure your wife is away at a conference. Swearing the kids to secrecy is helpful too.

Scott, you realize you just posted this to the web. Someone is bound to point this out to your wife. Karla is a lot smaller than me but I wouldn't mess with her kitchen table! Don't need any turf wars here at home!

svanarts · Post by **svanarts** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 3:06 pm

My wife is a gem and I'm sure that IF I told her that she WOULD be very understanding. But that's a big IF.

svanarts · Post by **svanarts** » Sat Sep 09, 2006 10:55 pm

Hooray, elevator number 1 is finished! The right hand one is done. It came out 1/2 inch shorter than the original elevator. Not sure how that happened but oh well. I'm moving on. I'm almost ready to dimple and the right hand elevator spar and skin. Already have the stiffeners on. Next comes the tricky part where I have to precisely measure for the heim bearings. I'm going to try to finish drilling tomorrow and start dimpling Tuesday. I need to get this bird in the air again!

Post by **Spike** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 8:42 am

Excellent progress!

dons · Post by **dons** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 11:47 am

Sounds good, soon you will be able to spend all your time on that new box of parts for a 7, except when you're 'testing' the elevators of course.

svanarts · Post by **svanarts** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 12:56 am

The left elevator is coming right along. The hard part is over which is measuring to place the heim berings accurately so that they fit the existing fittings on the HS. Got that done this morning. I'm looking at maybe two good days of work to get the elevator done. Then I need to build the trim tab, run the cable for the electric trim, mount the switch and the indicator. That would be another good day or two.

I need to take a couple of vacation days to get this thing finished.

RivetBangers.com

Rebuilding elevators

Rebuilding elevators

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