The two previous posts Part 1 & Part 2 covered the steps necessary to perform the needed modifications to the WD-1207 & WD-1208 stabilator horns and preparing the stabilator for the new hinge bracket assemblies and new HS-01231C hinge gussets. Here in Part 3, the steps used to complete the instillation of the new bearing bracket assemblies and new hinge gussets to complete Service bulletin 18-02-02 will be covered.
As mentioned in Part 2, the decision was made to use all solid rivets for the three rivets that attach the HS-01231C stabilator hinge gussets onto the flanges of the inboard hinge bracket assembly. This involved a little more extra work than I anticipated but everything worked out quite well.
Assembly of the bearing brackets begins by bolting the outboard hinge bracelet assemblies to the stabilator. This is a final instillation so all new AN3-4A bolts were used because the bolts are being screwed into nutplates and every insertion wears the threads down a little. These bolts will likely never be removed again so figured bolts are cheap just may as well replace them with new hardware.
Because of my desire to install all AN470AD3-3.5 rivets in the flanges of the inboard bearing bracket, it becomes the sticky wicket during reassembly … in that, the inboard bearing bracket assemblies pose a problem for riveting because the bolts for the HS-1210 stabilator stops need to be removed along with the bolts for the bearing bracket mounting bolt for to allow access for the rivet squeezer’s yoke. (Note to fellow builders/owners … if not installing the aft AD470AD3-3. 5 rivets and using the LP4-3 rivet called out in the service bulletin, there will be no need to remove the bearing bracket mounting bolts during riveting). Guessing this is why Van’s instructs the builder/owner to use a pop rivet at this location. To save wear and tear on the nutplates, I decided to cheat a little and used short AN525-10R7 screws to temporarily hold the inboard bearing brackets for riveting).
As can be seen in the photo below, the inboard bracket assembly was mounted with the temporary use of AN525-10R7 washer head screws in lieu of the regular bolts. The HS-01231C hinge gusset was secured onto the stabilator with #30 Clecos and the inboard line of AN470AD3-3.5 rivets were set in place to assure positioning. A Cleco clamp was used to hold the HS-01231C hinge gusset firmly down on the flange of the inboard bearing bracket. Note the bearing stop bolt is in position and a standard nut was temporarily used to snug up the assembly to assure proper positioning during riveting.
To accomplish the actual riveting, the pneumatic rivet squeezer was outfitted with the “no hole yoke”. I found during bench testing it offered more surface area than the standard yoke with a flat rivet set. There is not a lot of excess room to reach the aft most rivet so felt the “no hole” yoke was the best choice since there is one in the tool box. I also discovered the aft most rivet needed to be accessed from the front and not the side in order for the squeezer to be properly squared to the rivet head during riveting. The first step in the riveting process was to rivet the forward most AN470AD3-3.5 rivet as can be seen below.
At this point, to gain access to the remaining two AN470AD3-3.5 rivets that need to be set, it is necessary to remove the bolt for the HS-1210 hinge stop and the bolt for the inboard hinge … which is why I used the short AN525 screw. (Actually, I had given this quite a bit of thought while waiting for the weather to improve and thought the much smaller head of the AN525 screw would allow access for riveting … not so, because the clearances are very tight. Even using the AN525washer head screws there was not enough clearance for the yoke of the rivet squeezer to access the rivet properly). With the hardware out of the way, the next rivet squeezed was the aft most AN470AD3-3.5 rivet.
The last AN470AD3-3.5 rivet set on the inboard flange was the center rivet. After setting the three AN470AD3-3.5 rivets on the inboard flange of the bearing bracket assembly, a new AN3-4A bolt was screwed into the bearing bracket assembly and torqued to specifications (20-25 inch pounds plus the running torque of the nutplate). At this point, the remaining #30 holes in the HS-01231C hinge gusset received pop rivets. Because flush rivets were used on the skins of the stabilator during the construction of the DOG Aviation RV-12, those rivet holes common to the stabilator skins received flush rivets and the remaining holes received the standard van’s LP4-3 low dome pop rivet. Most builders/owners can ignore the last comment because your RV-12’s used the LP4-3 rivets exclusively on the stabilator skins. When riveting of the HS-01231C hinge gusset is completed, the bolt that secures the HS-1210 hinge stop was final installed using a new AN365-1032 lock nut.
Gee this was just so much fun … let’s repeat the process again three more times for the remaining three HS-01231C hinge gussets that need to be installed.
After all four HS-01231C hinge gussets are riveted in place, the last remaining chore before the stabilator can be bolted back onto the RV-12’s tail cone is installing the WD-1207 & WD-1208 control horns onto the stabilator. Assembly is straight forward, in that, each control horn is first bolted in place and then the HS-1232 stabilator horn doubler is riveted to the HS-1211 spar cap. Once bolted, the position of the control horns won’t change … so prior to bolting the WD-1207 & WD-1208 control horns all the LP4-3 rivets were placed in the HS-01232 stabilator horn doubler but not set. With all the LP4-3 rivets sitting in place on the HS-01232 stabilator horn doubler, four new AN3-4 bolts were installed to secure each control horn to the stabilator spar box. This is followed by setting all the rivets securing each HS-01232 stabilator horn doubler to the HS-1211 spar cap which completes the service bulletin.
If the instructions in the service bulletin are followed correctly, you will find yourself with four leftover AN960-10L washers. This is because the original plans called for an AN960-10 washer to be placed under the heads of each of the four bolts that secure the four HS-1210 hinge stops and an AN960-10L washer under each of the four AN365-1032 nuts. Following the service bulletin, during reassembly the AN960-10 washers that were under the head of the bolt are moved to under the nut and the thin washers are NOT reinstalled. I’m guessing due to the extra thickness of the two thin HS-01231B brackets installed during the service bulletin Van’s decided it was cheaper to eliminate the thin washers as opposed to requiring longer bolts.
Bolting the stabilator back on the RV-12’s tail cone was NOT a piece of cake it requires lots of patience. It was hard to do the first time during the initial build … but with the addition of the box around the hinge bracket, it increases the level of difficulty. In full disclosure, I did not crazy glue the washers in place first … because others have reported they tend to fall off anyway, so I figured why bother and used a thin metal ruler with masking tape to hold the washers during insertion between the bearing bracket and bearing. What helped out the most after fighting with it for quite some time and ultimately ended up being a workable solution was to forget about the washers at first and just get the stabilator aligned enough so the bolts to go through the bearings. Then once both bolts are inserted, pull back one bolt and insert the necessary washers as the bolt is being reinserted … then do the same to the other side.
Unfortunately, I will likely need to remove the stabilator again in the spring for painting. My plan is to use the two old AN4-12A bolts and grind down the threaded area on the bolts to form a slight taper so the bolts will help self-align the parts as the tapered bolts are being inserted. Will likely also remove a little material (not much) from the shank of the bolt so it will be easier to slide then in and out of the bearing brackets and bearings. Once these bolts are used to “pin” the stabilator in place … then they can then be removed one at a time so the actual threaded AN4-12A bolt and appropriate washers can be inserted.
As mentioned in Part 1, the upper and lower stabilator cables were removed from the stabilator horns without loosening the adjusting barrels. So to aid in reinstalling the stabilator cables, I made a tool out of a piece of scrap aluminum and cut out a slot with a rounded bottom. A hole was drilled near the end of the piece of scrap metal so a used bolt and nut could be attached to make it easier to pull on the tool. Just place the tool over the cable and pull back so the bolts can be reinserted.
In summary, Service Bulletin 18-02-02 requires a lot of time to install … it is NOT a 2 hour job. If one wants to take the extra time, it is possible to not drill into the HS-1211 spar cap when match drilling the WD-1207 & WD-1208 stabilator horns to the HS-01232 stabilator horn doublers. It is also possible to use all AN470AD3-3.5 rivets on the inboard line of rivets securing the HS-01231C hinge gussets to the inboard hinge brackets for a more uniform look. Oh, I have not installed the upper & lower tail cone fairings yet, but be aware they will require a small amount of trimming to make room for the HS-01231C hinge gussets … so fellow builders/owners make it a point to check that after completing Service Bulletin 18-02-02.
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