Boards in rear fuselage for access?

cjensen · Post by **cjensen** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 6:33 pm

I need to get access to the aft fuselage for drilling and bucking, and wondered what you all were doing to get back there.

My simple idea here is to slide a couple of boards back there over the bulkheads and shimmy my way in there. The boards would go somewhat where I've colored in below-

Problems with this?

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 6:55 pm

No problems, Chad.

WS did exactly the same. it worked out well for him in the narrow tailcone of the -8.

Go for it, but do your wiring, static lines and what nots first while you can still lean in!

CJ

4kilo · Post by **4kilo** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 8:09 pm

Chad,

Just for info, the back boards for the 8 actually fit fairly tightly between the skins resting on the lower longerons. This allows the longerons to take the load instead of the bulkheads. I haven't looked at the bulkheads in the tailcone of a 7, but I wouldn't want to put my weight on the bulkhead webs in my 8.

Pat

Wicked Stick · Post by **Wicked Stick** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 8:55 pm

4kilo wrote:Chad,

Just for info, the back boards for the 8 actually fit fairly tightly between the skins resting on the lower longerons. This allows the longerons to take the load instead of the bulkheads. I haven't looked at the bulkheads in the tailcone of a 7, but I wouldn't want to put my weight on the bulkhead webs in my 8.

Pat

Chad, I have to concur with Pat on this one. On the 8, the boards dimensions are wide enough to rest on the longerons for supporting the weight. Modify your yellow highlighted areas so they are wide enough to rest on the longerons. Make each piece of plywood long enough and wide enough to take up the entire area between each bulkhead. That way you are distributing the weight evenly along the entire length of longeron.

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 9:40 pm

In the -7, there are no lower longerons. There are only stiffeners.

Dunno what else to do?

CJ

svanarts · Post by **svanarts** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 10:05 pm

When I built the 4 I cut some plywood that would cover the whole bottom of the coffin (as I called it) or fuselage so I could slither back in the back and work on things. I just left it in there until I no longer needed to go back there.

Wicked Stick · Post by **Wicked Stick** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 8:52 am

captain_john wrote:In the -7, there are no lower longerons. There are only stiffeners.

Dunno what else to do?

CJ

What about attaching some sort of extension footing pieces with another wide footprint to it that would rest on the bottom skins as well as the stiffener/longs ???

4kilo · Post by **4kilo** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 9:47 am

What material are the lower stiffeners made of?

On the 8, the lower longerons are only 1/16" 3/4" angle stock, so we may just be getting hung up on terminology. If the 7 stiffeners are similar, they should be plenty strong to take the load provided the boards go all the way to the skin so that the force from the boards is transfered to the skin/stiffener rivet line.

Pat

cjensen · Post by **cjensen** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 10:09 am

Nah, the lower stiffeners on the 7 are just J channel that is bent in to the bottom skin...I think it's .040?

cjensen · Post by **cjensen** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 8:38 pm

Here's what I ended up doing...

I used two by's to lift it up above the bottom of the 706 bulkhead, and a 2x6 to rest across the J channel stiffeners for the board to rest on in the rear. It's 13 inches wide, and it turns out I only need one to work back there.

painless · Post by **painless** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 10:02 pm

This is where having an 11 year old son (at the time) that fit back there worked out well. If he did a good job with the task at hand, I let him come out.

JohnR · Post by **JohnR** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 11:08 pm

painless wrote:This is where having an 11 year old son (at the time) that fit back there worked out well. If he did a good job with the task at hand, I let him come out.

That's funny! I'm glad Luke is a lot lighter than me. He will draw the straw for that job.

John Courte · Post by **John Courte** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 3:37 pm

Chad, what flavor of paint are you using on the interior there? That black looks awesome.

cjensen · Post by **cjensen** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 4:04 pm

Rustoleum Satin Black for metal. I have to agree with you! I LOVE how it looks!

JohnR · Post by **JohnR** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 10:01 pm

It does look pretty sweet!

Bob Barrett · Post by **Bob Barrett** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 9:58 pm

I am building an RV-6A and I have two piceces of 5/8" V-shaped particle board or ply works. I have two by fours screwed flat that rests on the baggage floor. The narrow part of the V goes on the #8 bulkhead and I have a slot in the floor for the the upright brace to mount the elevator bell crank. The next section lays on top of it and can reach to #9 bulk head and the wide part rests on the first section. I have to remove the rear walls of the baggage department to get them and me in and out. I used that for riveting and have just finished installing a remote compass for my Dynon. I also used it to install the cables for the shoulder harness today. Vacumed everything out as I backed out and took out the floor boards. I am saving them in case I need to get in there for semething else. I don't have pictures and unfortunately I don't know how to post pictures.

Post by **Spike** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 10:55 am

Bob Barrett wrote:I don't have pictures and unfortunately I don't know how to post pictures.

Bob there is a tutorial in the Site Support Forum on how to post pictures.

Spike

Bob Barrett · Post by **Bob Barrett** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 9:41 pm

Thanks for the suggestion Spike but I can't even find the tutorial. I looked under the various things I thought would give them but no luck.

You do an excellant job of maintaining this site. My hat is off to you and you certainly are very knowledgeable in the this internet stuff. Thanks for all your hard work! Have a good 4th of July!!

svanarts · Post by **svanarts** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 9:58 pm

Hey Bob,
Check this out. Might 'splain some things about picture posting.

http://www.rivetbangers.com/cgi-php/for ... c.php?t=83

RivetBangers.com

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