Empennage Attach bolts

[ZAM]

I'm looking at how to get at the bottom of the forward Emp. attach nuts, and I figure I will need to employ a child/small armed person, or take a trip into the tailcone. I have the platforms ready to go, and now I'm wondering if there are "best practice" rules to prevent my from installing the fasteners with the nut's up. This would be much easier to inspect, install and torque. Granted, once installed, a borescope inspection would be fairly easy. Thoughts?

 

[rvbuilder2002]

I'm looking at how to get at the bottom of the forward Emp. attach nuts, and I figure I will need to employ a child/small armed person, or take a trip into the tailcone. I have the platforms ready to go, and now I'm wondering if there are "best practice" rules to prevent my from installing the fasteners with the nut's up. This would be much easier to inspect, install and torque. Granted, once installed, a borescope inspection would be fairly easy. Thoughts?

Standard practice is to install bolts, threaded end down, aft, or outboard, depending on their orientation.
Installing these with the nuts above, doesn’t really simplify the process because the head of the bolt will still have to be held from rotating.
I agree it is not the easiest access, but thousands of other RV-4 & 8 builders have found a way to succeed, so I’m sure you can as well.

 

[Desert Rat]

Best practice is always going to be with the bolt pointing down so that if the nut comes loose it won’t automatically fall out of the hole.

It’s not always possible, but in this case it’s doable.

 

[Carl Froehlich]

Yep - a real PITA. I insert the bolts thread side down. Then some masking tape (lightly) to hold a washer and nut in a box end wrench. The wretch gives you the reach you need. Lift the bolt out of the hole, slide the wrench in and look for the washer and nut to line up with the hole, then gingerly try to start the bolt. Once started remove the wrench to take the tape off. Then use the open end of the wrench to “feel” your way back to the nut. Tighten using a ratchet on the bolt head as you hold the nut.

Carl

 

[ZAM]

Thanks everyone. I got 2 nuts on, and I’ll try the box end wrench /tape for the other two.

For inspection purposes, would you bother with marking/ torque sealing the nut side? Never thought about if marking the bolt head side is at all helpful…

 

[spatsch]

Best practice is always going to be with the bolt pointing down so that if the nut comes loose it won’t automatically fall out of the hole.

It’s not always possible, but in this case it’s doable.

It is. In this case though I see no harm in turning them around. Do you?

Oliver

 

[nohoflyer]

I remember there being enough room in the lightening holes to do this. I did use a borescope to check my work mostly because it wasn’t super easy.

 

[Desert Rat]

It is. In this case though I see no harm in turning them around. Do you?

Oliver

Not really, it just bothers me that it doesn't follow convention, and with a little creativity it's definitely doable to put them in the right way (at least on my 7).

 

[DanH]

The wretch gives you the reach you need.

...if you can convince them to worm back there

 

[climberrn]

After install, check the bolt length (exposed threads) with a mirror. Found bolts too long, shanked out on inspection of a couple of planes. Confirmed when able to easily turn bolt head on torqued bolt

 

[ZAM]

After install, check the bolt length (exposed threads) with a mirror. Found bolts too long, shanked out on inspection of a couple of planes. Confirmed when able to easily turn bolt head on torqued bolt

After torquing, the threads looked right upon inspection, but now I'll double check. Van's did call out a washer on the head AND nut side...which if missed, might be enough to bottom out the nut on the shank. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[PhatRV]

Thanks everyone. I got 2 nuts on, and I’ll try the box end wrench /tape for the other two.

For inspection purposes, would you bother with marking/ torque sealing the nut side? Never thought about if marking the bolt head side is at all helpful…

The way I inspected these bolt was to remove the vertical stab and check the torque on the nuts. There is no way for me to access them with the elevator torque rod in place.