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Sanity check re; RV7 spar cap nut plates

Desert Rat

Well Known Member
Working on the main bulkheads for my RV7 and all that's left is the nut plates that go on the upper flange of the fwd bulkhead.

The print calls out K1000-8 nutplates in 18 places, which matches the total number of holes pre-drilled in both bulkheads. No problem in the aft one, but on the fwd bulkhead the holes are barely too small for a #8 screw to go through. Like maybe they were reamed to somewhere around .155 at the factory or something.

Can anybody verify that I'm looking at the print right? The fwd bulkhead definitely gets nutplates for a #8 machine screw, right?

If I'm thinking right on this, I can just just ream these out to a #19 and call it good, but worried that I might have missed something here...
 

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Thanks Ralph, but I think I know where the nutplates go. On the aft spar upper flange they are prepunched for K1000-8 nutplates and a #8 machine screw fits through the center hole at each nut plate position as drilled at the factory.

On the fwd spar cap, the print that I attached seems to say that they use the same K1000-8 nutplates, but a #8 machine screw doesn't go through the center hole at each nut plate location as it came from Vans. I will have to ream them out to get a #8 in there.

Seems odd that the two bulkheads would be reamed/drilled to different sizes if they take the same screw.
 
the floor plate is screwed to both forward & back spar bulkhead, again, just place the floor panel in place & treat the holes accordingly.
Some folks countersink those screw holes & dimple the floor panels for a smooth finish. Plans call for the domed screw heads there, your choice.
 
Yes, a #8 screw really does go in those holes. Drill/ream to fit. You have many years of maintenance entertainment with all those floor pan screws.
 
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