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k1000-6 NutPlates

bob865

Well Known Member
Good morning VAF. A quick question I haven't been able to find an answer to through searching google and the forum. I'm finishing the right elevator on my empennage kit and when I try to thread in the rod end bearings for the hinge point, they are really tight after the first few threads. I tried the other nut plates in my bag and they are all this way. When I look at them, I can see the threads all the way through so it looks like they should be able to thread all he way through. It almost looks like the coating that on it is blocking the threads so I ran a tap through a couple. But I stopped because I am curious is this is the way it's supposed to be? Are they tight to hold a bolt like a nylock nut? or am I making a mess of things by running a tap through?
 
Good morning VAF. A quick question I haven't been able to find an answer to through searching google and the forum. I'm finishing the right elevator on my empennage kit and when I try to thread in the rod end bearings for the hinge point, they are really tight after the first few threads. I tried the other nut plates in my bag and they are all this way. When I look at them, I can see the threads all the way through so it looks like they should be able to thread all he way through. It almost looks like the coating that on it is blocking the threads so I ran a tap through a couple. But I stopped because I am curious is this is the way it's supposed to be? Are they tight to hold a bolt like a nylock nut? or am I making a mess of things by running a tap through?

They are supposed to be tight and you really shouldn't run a tap through them - they will lose some/most/all of their self locking feature. Use boelube or some other lubricant and the screws will go in much easier.
 
Nutplate adjustment

If you ran a tap through and they are loose, get a pair of vice grjps and squeeze the end were the screw exits. Start with no clamping force and increase a tjny bit at a time till it barely deforms. Lock that setting and repeat on the others.
I've had a few that were so tight, I had to run a tap through then reset them to a realistic friction.
 
Do check them for threads before you rivet them on, as from time to time a nutplate sneaks by the threading machine at the factory.
 
Also keep in mind that if your nut plate opening isn't perfectly centered with the hole in the material in front of it, your threads will end up rubbing against the aluminum opening as you thread it into the nut plate, adding what can be a lot of extra resistance.
 
Also keep in mind that if your nut plate opening isn't perfectly centered with the hole in the material in front of it, your threads will end up rubbing against the aluminum opening as you thread it into the nut plate, adding what can be a lot of extra resistance.

If you plan to customize your plate nut holes, it's best to get the floating nutplates for the not-so-perfect aligned holes.
 
Rod End Bearing

In my last EMP kit the rod end bearings that were sent by mistake were the larger size ones, part no. GMW-3M-576 these won't fit in the -6 nut plates, check the size of your rod end bearings.
 
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