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Gear bolt access

JDA_BTR

Well Known Member
I'm installing the lower fwd fuse skins, and the instructions dont mention opening the holes for the AN4 bolts to be put in outboard, but the plans call it out. Isn't now the right time to open up those holes as opposed to later when the floor might interfere with drilling them open?

Is there an optimum size or just whatever is needed....? I assume you can slide a plug into that hole once the gear are on?
 
If you're talking about the call out on DWG 75 "Installing the Bottom Skins", Its on plans page 8-43, last item at the bottom of the page.

Final drill 1/4". This is for quickbuild fuselage that already has the fwd bottom skin attached so you can access the foward bolt on the outboard landing gear wear plates.
 
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I’ll review that thanks. I’m doing a slow build but not putting the gear on until later. The holes for the gear have been drilled. I think these skin holes have to be big enough for the 1/4 bolt head to go thru? Can you drop the bolts in without the holes? Or maybe I can install the wear plate now before putting those skins on and leave the rest of the gear for later. Hadn’t considered that.
 
Eventually the holes have to be big enough for a 7/16” socket. Once you have the gear legs on you can’t get a wrench on them anymore. It’s no big deal. The gear leg fairings cover the holes. I didn’t realize it until after I had the gear legs on. I wish I would have opened up the area around all the gear leg bolts in that area for socket clearance while I had it upside down
 
If I had it to do over, I'd match drill the wear plates and brackets to the airframe, then take them off and leave them off until all of the skin riveting is done.

The outboard wear plates cover a couple of counter sunk screws which have nuts on the back of them that are in the way of several rivets that have to get bucked on the forward side skins.
 
That's where I'm at now. I pulled the gear pieces off after drilling them all, and am now doing the bottom skins. I'll put the gear pieces back on later.
 
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