How to roll the center section-to-aft 9 tailcone sides

[Lorin Dueck]

OK - so you can call me paranoid - but I've been stressing over this for a few days.
Are there any lessons learned or "best practices" on how to roll the lower "center section to aft fuselage assembly" on the lower 9A side skins? I looked at the pics at the end of Vans manual and saw they filleted the clecoed angle support.... but I was wondering what else may have worked or didn't work for you...

Thx! Lorin

Lorin Dueck (N194LD reserved) - Fuselage
RV-9A stanard build

[Spike]

Not sure I follow your question. Are you asking the best way to literally roll the section and support it while you cleco it to the tail section? Or are you asking how to roll the edges of the skin to get a tight fit after riveting?

Spike

[Lorin Dueck]

Sorry I wasn't clear.

Where the bottom of the forward side skin covers the aft tailcone - we are supposed to make a conical bend/roll.

Here's how Smitty did his:
http://www.smittysrv.com/more_stuff.asp?ID=573

Here's what I'm thinking... In addition to clamping the angle to the table - I was also going to cleco it down in a few places - just to make sure it didn't move. I was also going to put the other angle (the one you grab with vice grips) on the outside of the skin that way I'm not trying to pull the clecos out (like Smitty did).

So any other thoughts??

Thx, Lorin

[Spike]

I did it similar to Smitty though instead of using clecos to hold the angle to the skin I used vice clamps. The reality is that the bend isn't that difficult and you are going to massage it a fair amount once you get the skin back on the fuse. I would say bend it a bit and then fit the skin, then pull it back off and finish it off. After that you will probably need to work it by hand.

Ultimately I found it difficult to get all of the pre-punched holes to line up to my liking. After I fit the baggage area bulkheads (which will position the bottom triangle former in place vertically) I wasn't happy with the fit. Ultimately I worked it all over again by hand and then punched all of those holes out to AD4 rivets. In the end though it came out quite nicely.

My bottom line advice is that it really isn't as stressful as you would think, and that you don't have to put as much muscle/energy into the process that you might be imagine.

Spike

[Lorin Dueck]

Thanks Spike...

I guess as CJ used to say - "nothing to it.. but to do it...."

Lorin

[captain_john]

Thanks Spike...

I guess as CJ used to say - "nothing to it.. but to do it...."

Lorin

HEY!

I still say that!!!



I just need to "DO IT" more often!

CJ

[Lorin Dueck]

CRUD!!
I tried to roll the 1st skin.
Got everything clamped nice & tight.
Pushed with one hand and rolled the other with the vise grips.
Everything seemed to go well until I removed all the angles - and saw a 1/4 crack at the tight bend corner.

In case anyone is wondering a new forward skin from Vans costs $97.30 and change... oh, and 6 week delivery

Lorin D

[Spike]

1/4" crack? How did that happen? Did you make it a bit too tight or something? Sorry to hear about that.

It shouldn't stop your progress though. There is still tons of stuff you can do in the front end of the plane with the current skin in place.

Spike

[captain_john]

Lorin,

I am sorry to hear about your crack.

I seem to recall small crack on mine too but if it is stop drilled it is likely not to progress.

If it does progress, it isn't catastrophic.

I know how it must bother you. If it bothers you that much, you must get the new skin.

It isn't about the mistakes... it is more about how you fix them.

Repairs or new parts will fix anything.

Take it with a grain of salt. Again, sorry about the crack.

CJ

[bullojm1]

CRUD!!
I tried to roll the 1st skin.
Got everything clamped nice & tight.
Pushed with one hand and rolled the other with the vise grips.
Everything seemed to go well until I removed all the angles - and saw a 1/4 crack at the tight bend corner.

In case anyone is wondering a new forward skin from Vans costs $97.30 and change... oh, and 6 week delivery

Lorin D

Lorin,

I am pretty sure mine cracked too. I stop drilled it with a #50 bit and then smoothed the crack over with a file and some sandpaper. I can't even tell its there anymore. I say build on. It isn't worth the expense and delay in progress to wait for a new skin!

[Bob Barrett]

When I bought my kit in 1998 they said the average builder spends about three to four hundred dollars on replacement pieces. Of course now the pice of kits has gone up. I used my total allotment and may have gove over a little.

[Lorin Dueck]

Good advice guys...

BTW - I did buy a new skin.
For me - The "back of my mind concern" when flying long X-country flights with family or friends; and the relative difficulty in fixing it later (should the crack progress beyond the drill stop and likely end up in the side step hole under the step plate) - far outweighed the short-term benefits of pushing forward, and doing unplanned "corrective action" now.
In case it's not obvious - I am risk averse, enjoying the building process (most of the time), and not pressured to get my bird in the air ASAP.
This does NOT mean that I think those who decided differently are wrong... It's just not my choice.

For those of you reading this and have not gotten here yet - Things I WILL do different this time:

1. Prep the skin before doing any bending. Use emery and then scotchbrite pads to remove any/all possible stress risers at the corner.

2. Duplicate EXACTLY what Van's shows in the instruction manual pictures at the back of the chapter.

3. Go slower ... and put more pressure on the "Roll end" and less pressure on the "Bend end".

Thx, Lorin D
RV-9A (Fuselage - Standard Build)
N194LD reserved