'71 Globetrotter Full Monte

[monocoque]

Looks great. And, yeah, I agree with Zep. That's a marvelous looking belly pan! Those rivet lines on the panels are amazing too!

[vhord]

Screws? You holding out on us?

I'll admit that I used rubber washer headed screws to hold up some loose banana wrap before I brought mine home. Seemed to hold pretty good. However I figured I would get strung up for using them in my final install.

[Aerowood]

Those are actually 10/32 pan head screws and 10/32 bolts. I installed floating self locking nutplates at all the old pop rivet locations. It makes removing and reinstalling the belly pan much easier.
http://www.gen-aircraft-hardware.com.../nutplates.pdf

[vhord]

Tricky! Especially useful around the storage tank areas. Good idea.

[Aerowood]

It takes more time to install nutplates then pick up the holes on the new sheet but worth it in the long run. It also takes more tools like the drilling jig and the #40 microstop countersink and the rivet gun to pull 3/32 countersunk blind rivets. It's all about the tools. I'm sure glad I'm not buying all this stuff at once like a lot of you are.

[Jim & Susan]

Originally Posted by Aerowood

...... It's all about the tools. I'm sure glad I'm not buying all this stuff at once like a lot of you are.

Amen to that. Remind me sometime that I owe you a beer....er, several beers.

Jim

[Zeppelinium]

Originally Posted by Aerowood

Those are actually 10/32 pan head screws and 10/32 bolts. I installed floating self locking nutplates at all the old pop rivet locations. It makes removing and reinstalling the belly pan much easier.
http://www.gen-aircraft-hardware.com.../nutplates.pdf

Kip, in the data sheet, what is the material that is abreviated "cres."? The other material is steel. Is this "cres" stuff the pewter-looking gray material?

Zep

[Aerowood]

It stands for "corrosion resistant steel" aka stainless steel

[IndyAnne]

Originally Posted by Aerowood

Those are actually 10/32 pan head screws and 10/32 bolts. I installed floating self locking nutplates at all the old pop rivet locations. It makes removing and reinstalling the belly pan much easier.
http://www.gen-aircraft-hardware.com.../nutplates.pdf

Somehow, I am not seeing photos of the belly pan referred to in this part of your project. Are there pictures in another location?

I's love to see more about the nut plates. I was just thinking about reconfiguring the former black tank area on my Trade Wind into a spare tire holder. I wonder if that would add more weight to the back end than necessary?

Anyway, with compartments in the belly pan, it seems to me like it would be easier to service tanks, tire storage, and other possible storage areas.

Can you post some photos of how you installed the nutplates, and how they work?

Thanks,
Anne

[monocoque]

Originally Posted by IndyAnne

Somehow, I am not seeing photos of the belly pan referred to in this part of your project. Are there pictures in another location?

I's love to see more about the nut plates.

Check out post number 178 for the belly pan. The photos aren't close ups of the nut plates. However, maybe Kip will post some close ups of them. I would be interested in seeing them too.

[Frank's Trailer Works]

Originally Posted by Aerowood

It takes more time to install nutplates then pick up the holes on the new sheet but worth it in the long run. It also takes more tools like the drilling jig and the #40 microstop countersink and the rivet gun to pull 3/32 countersunk blind rivets. It's all about the tools. I'm sure glad I'm not buying all this stuff at once like a lot of you are.

Kip, Can I buy these tools at Harbor Freight? Just joking... I know that good tools cannot be purchased there. You are doing one hell of a fine job. every time I check in I am more impressed. Please pat yourself on the back for me.

[Aerowood]

I'll take some pictures of the nutplates and jigs when I get home from work, I don't have my digital camera here.

[Zeppelinium]

I use nutplates on Zip Dee installations whenever I can get at the inner side of the shell in those locations.

Here's what I am doing on the Safari--this is the front window arm attachment point. I use doublers on the outside as well as the inside, and appropriate shims to adjust for the skin joint on the outside and the rib on the inside. The inner doubler with nutplates that you see in the photo is for the other attachment point and is just balanced on the clecos here.



Note that you need to use flush rivets to attach both the doubler(s) [even if you only have a doubler on the inside], and the nut plates (called anchor nuts in some catalogs). Flush aircraft-quality 1/8" pop rivets are available. I have no clue where Kip got the 3/32 flush pop rivets (which are required for the nut plates)...

I also did this in another thread for the upper attachments on my Sovereign. The photo may be a little confusing, since the upper vista view window has been replaced with a patch. Also, the exterior photos in the thread below are a mix of the front and back attachment points, which are mirror images of each other--ack.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f442...fix-33935.html

Zep

[Aerowood]

I borrowed a camera. First Pic is of the nutplates assortment, and second is of the drilling jig and microstop

[Zeppelinium]

umm, the "drilling jigs" allow precise drilling of the holes for the nut plate attachment rivets in relation to the fastener hole, right? You could make a poor man's version, but it should be out of steel strap--aluminum would pretty quickly have enlarged holes from drill bit wander? [ok, I know with the poor man's version you'd have to hold the fastener to keep the tool aligned, then you'd have to also hold a long rivet in the first hole to continue to keep the tool aligned--painful but cheap.]

How did the microstop work in the steel frame? I thought that bit was only for aluminum.

Zep

[Aerowood]

The microstop has a #40 piloted countersink installed are they work work well with all metals. The part number for the 3/32 countersunk pop rivets is CCR264SS-3-03

[vhord]

Originally Posted by Zeppelinium

I use nutplates on Zip Dee installations whenever I can get at the inner side of the shell in those locations.

Zep

My plans WERE to purchase my Zip Dee awning after I completed my restoration. Do you suggest that it might be better to install it (at least the brackets) while I still have access to the backside of the outer skins? There were some old brackets (not Zip Dee I think) that I removed from the lower belt line that had been attached with large lag bolts (3/8" I think) that were pulling at the skin. I was thinking there must be a better way.

[Jim & Susan]

I think it makes is easier to properly seal things up with the walls out, if that's what you mean.

Jim

[Aerowood]

Originally Posted by vhord

My plans WERE to purchase my Zip Dee awning after I completed my restoration. Do you suggest that it might be better to install it (at least the brackets) while I still have access to the backside of the outer skins? There were some old brackets (not Zip Dee I think) that I removed from the lower belt line that had been attached with large lag bolts (3/8" I think) that were pulling at the skin. I was thinking there must be a better way.

Now would be the best time to, at the very least, install the Zip Dee mounting hardware. This is where nutplates are very handy. You will never have to worry about hardware coming loose, pulling out, or stripping out.

[IndyAnne]

Now the images in #178 are showing up in my browser. Cool!

Originally Posted by monocoque

Check out post number 178 for the belly pan. The photos aren't close ups of the nut plates. However, maybe Kip will post some close ups of them. I would be interested in seeing them too.