Alex's Vans RV-10 Build Log

I received the replacement trim mount bracket from Van's, and this time decided to dimple the nutplate attach holes that I had previously countersunk. Dimpling was far easier and I did not have to worry about removing too much material, none at all in fact! Dimpled nutplate attach holes I deburred all holes and edges in the trim mount bracket in preparation for priming it. Trim mount bracket ready for priming After priming the trim mount, I dimpled the attach holes on 4 nutplates, and set the nutplate attach rivets using the squeezer. I also squeezed rivets to attach the trim servo spacer and trim cable anchor brackets as well as the holes in the close out flanges.  To attach the trim bellcrank brackets, I switched to bucking the rivets as I couldn't quite fit the squeezer yoke over the trim mount flange. Bucking the rivets was easy in this location though!  All parts riveted to the trim mount bracket The trim mount bracket flange can present an issue for squeezing rivets if n...

I completed a few more steps on the rear spar by deburring the reinforcement forks and doubler plates and countersinking the bottom row of each double plate as directed. I'll leave the steps that countersink and dimple the rear spars themselves until I have the wing ribs in place to make sure that I don't miss anything. Reinforcement forks and doubler plates countersunk and deburred With the rear spar parts prepared and deburred, I started the process of priming them.  Rear spar small parts cleaned with EkoEtch and ready to be primed Getting ready to prime the rear spar parts EkoPrime Smoke Gray left to cure for a couple of days Next I assembled and riveted the aileron bellcrank brackets. This involves inserting a bearing into the slots at the aft end of the parts. These were easier to insert than I thought, still tight enough to stay in place but I didn't need to use the sockets as suggested in the plans. I was able to squeeze the majority of the rivets in a random pattern...

Finishing up work on the main spars, I primed the tie down brackets and left them to cure for a couple of days. Brackets primed and curing I also added a few additional (temporary) supports to my wing cradle so that I could move the spars over and free up workbench space. I'm happy with how the cradle has turned out. When it comes time to attach the skins, I'll remove the temporary supports and finish attaching the support straps. Spars resting on wing cradle. Temporary supports are held in place with clamps for easy removal. I first riveted the nutplates to the tie down brackets with the squeezer. Tie down brackets ready to be riveted to the spars Carefully lifting a spar onto is side and clamping it down, I completed riveting the wing attach (squeezed) and fuel tank attach (bucked) nutplates. For the fuel tank attach nutplate rivets closest to the step bars, I switched to using a 3/4" mushroom set as the 1" set was a little too large to fit. Using clamps and support...

While wing rib work is on hold awaiting laser cut parts resolution, I decided to start work on Section 15 of the RV-10 plans with the wing rear spars. All parts in this section are punched, and the work involves creating a number of smaller assemblies that will be riveted when the rear spars get riveted to the wing ribs. I therefore should be able to complete most of this section without issue. Rear spar parts laid out. Several small parts need to be straightened I started by labeling the inboard/outboard and top/bottom of each rear spar to avoid any confusion. Labeling the ends of the rear spars I then worked on straightening each of the smaller parts by putting the part in the vice and applying either force by hand, or light to medium whacks of the rubber mallet. The thicker, 1/8" parts required more straightening than the thinner parts (especially the rear spar reinforcement forks), but being careful to not over bend I was able to get all parts sitting flat on the work bench. A...