Scott Hersha
Well Known Member
I have an RV6 that I built from a used kit that has gone through a couple builders (or more) before me. My tail stinger rod was the original bent rod that came with RV3, 4, and early RV6’s. I modified it for a full swivel Doug Bell tailwheel unit. One thing that bothered me was that the stinger rod seemed to rotate slightly when bolted into the tailwheel weldment. I installed a close tolerance AN4 bolt to make it more secure. That helped, but it still has some slight movement rotationally. What I would like to do is ream the hole for the bolt oversize and install an oversized bolt. The bolt as called out in the plans is an AN4-14A. My research has told me that an oversized replacement for this might be an NAS2904-18 bolt. The grip diameter is .2641-.2651 on this NAS bolt. The AN4 bolt as called out in the plans has a diameter of .246-.249. So the NAS2904 bolt is between an AN4 & an AN5 (5/16).
Has anyone here dealt with this situation? Any recommendations? Where can I get a reamer of an appropriate size? I’m pretty sure the hole inaccuracy is in the weldment, not the stinger.
Has anyone here dealt with this situation? Any recommendations? Where can I get a reamer of an appropriate size? I’m pretty sure the hole inaccuracy is in the weldment, not the stinger.