Trim Access Plate Thickness
Trim Access Plate Thickness
It seems that the access plate is too thick. I was thinking about making one out of a thinner piece so it will sit more flush. Am I being too precise or should I let this go?
Bill Murrish
RV-8 Fuselage
RV-8 Fuselage
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captain_john
- Sparky
- Posts: 5880
- Joined: Sun Oct 31, 2004 9:17 am
- Location: KPYM
CJBill,
Yes, the Captain is correct. The plate can already be bent just by slightly over tightening the machine srews that are countersunk into the plate. A lighter plate would be counterproductive.
Cheers, Pete
Yes, the Captain is correct. The plate can already be bent just by slightly over tightening the machine srews that are countersunk into the plate. A lighter plate would be counterproductive.
Cheers, Pete
Peter Marshall
Newbie RV-8 builder.
You wanna draw, ....against the fastest rivet gun in the West??? LOL
Newbie RV-8 builder.
You wanna draw, ....against the fastest rivet gun in the West??? LOL
Since I don't have my wings or the fiberglass I ordered from Spruce to finish my tips, I made a cover from some of the extra aluminum I had. You are correct, it is too thin and just bends. Can you tell I am bored? Maybe I will make the wing jigs during the month and a half I have to wait until my wings are here. 
Bill Murrish
RV-8 Fuselage
RV-8 Fuselage
I noticed the same thing. The elevator skin is .020" and the access plate is .032". Being the anal builder I am (it's the German in me) I also wanted flush, not pan head screws.
To get the cover to sit flush do the following. Be warned, folks may look at you strange. I could not find any aluminum made .012" thick. Aircraft aluminum (to my knowledge) only goes to .016". With calipers in hand, I started looking everywhere for the appropriate shim stock. I found it in the cooking section of my local Publix supermarket.
The ladies in the isle thought I was "odd" measuring the cookware!
I discovered that those disposable turkey cookers are made from very soft .010" thick aluminum. I suspect that an aluminum TV dinner tray may also work. Once I applied some primer, I had my .012" thick shim stock.
Use the shim stock to make a spacer on the E-615 (going from very vague memory here) doubler plate for the access cover, by tracing the shape of the doubler onto the shim stock. Cut to size & install between the inside of the elvator skin and the access cover doubler.
Next buy some MS21049-06 nutplates (K1100 for you Ludites like Van, who still use obsolete terminology) Dimple the rivet holes and you now have a set of triple dimpled #6 nutplates. Fit and install the nutplates, prime everything and rivet it together.
Stand back and admire your handy work. Prepare to look down your nose at future fly-ins at those mere mortals who have unsightly (and draggy) access covers!
Hey, put down those torches and pitch forks! Honest guys, I was just kidding. Your access covers look great. Really, they do!
Needless to say, if it weren't for my RV-8A project, I'd need to get a life.
Charlie Kuss
RV-8A
Boca Raton, Florida
To get the cover to sit flush do the following. Be warned, folks may look at you strange. I could not find any aluminum made .012" thick. Aircraft aluminum (to my knowledge) only goes to .016". With calipers in hand, I started looking everywhere for the appropriate shim stock. I found it in the cooking section of my local Publix supermarket.
The ladies in the isle thought I was "odd" measuring the cookware!
I discovered that those disposable turkey cookers are made from very soft .010" thick aluminum. I suspect that an aluminum TV dinner tray may also work. Once I applied some primer, I had my .012" thick shim stock. Use the shim stock to make a spacer on the E-615 (going from very vague memory here) doubler plate for the access cover, by tracing the shape of the doubler onto the shim stock. Cut to size & install between the inside of the elvator skin and the access cover doubler.
Next buy some MS21049-06 nutplates (K1100 for you Ludites like Van, who still use obsolete terminology) Dimple the rivet holes and you now have a set of triple dimpled #6 nutplates. Fit and install the nutplates, prime everything and rivet it together.
Stand back and admire your handy work. Prepare to look down your nose at future fly-ins at those mere mortals who have unsightly (and draggy) access covers!
Hey, put down those torches and pitch forks! Honest guys, I was just kidding. Your access covers look great. Really, they do!
Needless to say, if it weren't for my RV-8A project, I'd need to get a life.
Charlie Kuss
RV-8A
Boca Raton, Florida