Right Wing Closeout & SB0014
With the trim servo mods completed, I spent the last few working sessions closing the starboard wing. There are many hundreds of rivets to install, and sometimes the holes need to be reamed open for fit, so it’s just time-consuming work. I also had to carry out service bulletin 14, (SB0014), which requires the replacement of standard aluminum rivets with stronger Avinox stainless steel rivets for ~50cm out from the wing root along the wing spar. After completing the SB0014 work, I filled all the rivets heads with spackling, which is another repetitive, time-consuming task.
The photos below detail my progress from 1/23, 1/29, 1/30, and 2/6.
After getting in most of the rivets on the top side, I flipped the wing over to finish installing rivets on the bottom side. I am happy to report the wing step skins fit better on this wing than on the left wing, which had misaligned holes.
The next few photos show the work to carry out SB0014. The joyful part of this task is having to apply a corrosion inhibitor to the rivets due to dissimilar metals (SS rivets, aluminum skin and structure). I used leftover fuel tank sealant as a corrosion inhibitor – first, filling the hole with sealant, and then buttering the rivets with sealant before setting them in the holes. Afterward pulling the rivets, I cleaned up the excess sealant with an acetone-soaked towel, same process as the fuel tanks.
