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RV 4 floorboards Removable or pop rivet on

Stewbronco

Well Known Member
Hi ....bought a -4 and needed to get under floorboards for strobe module removal and flap SB . Combination of screws and pop rivets hold floorboards down which is a PITA! Someone mentioned the rivets were there as this is considered part of the structure? Sure would like to put back in using tinnerman nut ! What are your thoughts? Probably call Vans on Monday ? Thanks. Stew
 
Pop rivets are a lot less money, weight, and installation time than screws with tinnerman nuts.

I would stick with the plans.
 
All good points

Time and money both departed the project a while ago as major considerations��.....weight and strength never will . Wondering still what other -4 owners have done as serviceability is a consideration also Thanks. Stew
 
When I built mine I went with nut plates and screws. I’m glad I I did, I’ve had them al out more than once.

Bob burns rv-4 n82rb
 
Time and money both departed the project a while ago as major considerations��.....weight and strength never will . Wondering still what other -4 owners have done as serviceability is a consideration also Thanks. Stew

Hi Stew,

When I built my -4, I had the same question and called Van's. At the time, they suggested Pop rivets as it was faster to build and "easy to drill out" should you need to do so. I ended up using screws for those floor boards I expected to remove more frequently, and rivets for the balance. Were I to do it all over again, I would use screws and nut plates for all the floorboards.

Good luck,

Dean
 
I would use screws and nut plates. Well pop rivets are ez to drill out, you run the risk of over sizing the holes every time you drill out a rivet of any kind. Pop rivets tend to become loose in holes drilled several times and then thay spin. Over sizing the hole and just making it harder to remove. Eventually your up several sizes and no longer have Ed. I know it’s more work, more time, more weight, more money but then there’s the time, money saved when needing to get to something for maintenance. As the old addicted seas pay me now or pay me later.

RD
 
Great feedback

Thanks to all .....I am going to go with the tinnerman nuts and screws I think ....there are some nut plates already but for all the reasons posted by respondents above I think pop rivets are coming out permanently. Cheers. Stew
 
The plans on most tandem RV’s call for nutplates for the forward cockpit floor area, and pop rivets for the aft section - at least all of mine have, including both RV4’s. There is nothing wrong with using nutplates for the aft section too, and many have, although I have not needed that for maintenance. I have manual flaps on my current RV4 where everything is above ‘sea level’, but I had the electric flaps on my last RV4, and had to change my flap motor. Removable aft floor would not have made any difference. I was able to access the motor and all mechanical components with the aft floors riveted in place. One area to look at is the side wall angles where the floor attaches. This piece of angle is 1/2” wide. Make sure you will be able to drill the holes (nutplate jig) in that area. Then you will be installing the rivets in the nutplates. A squeezer may not fit in that confined area. Shooting the rivets might require an offset flush set. At the rear end of the floor where the seatbelt clevis is, not sure you could get a nutplate in that area. It can be done, and has, but there’s some obstacles you’ll have to deal with. Might be worth it if you have maintenance issues to deal with under those aft floors.
 
Tinnerman

Going to use tinnerman nuts as not too interested in drilling a bunch of holes in excess of that which is there already . There are a smattering of nutplates already and the web of the " longeron" has already been trimmed for flap rod clearance... going to address that one also....contacted VANS and got strenght on the blind rivets specific to floor board and the strength of the screws replacing them is about 15% more in both shear and tensile
 
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Completed my 4 in 2000 and I used pop rivets (per plans) for the main floorboards.
This does not apply to the fwd 3 floorboards & baggage area which are all nutplates & screws.

I Do have manual flaps.

When I built the fuselage, I installed a length of thinwall PVC under the floor that extends from just aft of the main spar, to the baggage area.

In the past 20 years, I have never had a reason to remove the floorboards.
The area is fairly easy to inspect with a mirror & flashlight and I have performed several wiring changes/updates over the years with no reason to remove the floor.
 
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