I am unhappy with the final rivets on the top VS rib flange. I should have flipped the rivet the other direction so I would not get the flange pucker like I did. The joint is sound but I just don't like the look of it. I have learned my lesson though on fixing something that doesn't need to be fixed!!
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I have learned early on if something is cosmetically unsatisfactory but structurally sound, LEAVE IT ALONE!! I had a very light smiley on one of the hinge bracket rivets so I decided I'd replace it. After I got the rivet out a portion of the manufactored head was stuck to the paint/powder coat of the hinge bracket. I used a sharp wood chisel to unembed the rivet head and in the process successfully managed to gouge the surface of the bracket. I polished it it out and contacted Van's and they said it would be fine. Here the internal structure of the vertical stabilizer is all put together. I wasn't very happy with the first flush rivet on the VS skin. I had tape over the rivet set so I wouldn't mar the skin. The result left a slightly "domed" rivet head. Although it was hardly noticeable and one rivet out of many on the skin, I decided to leave it alone since it was in a bad spot. I will take the tape off of all the flush rivet sets from now on.
I smeared the head of a AN470AD4 rivet on the spar doubler while bucking. I should have squeezed it. After removing the rivet the area around the shop head left a slight "counter sink" where the rivet had expanded and stretched the material slightly. After confirming with other builders as well as a few IA's I know, I replaced with rivet with a slightly longer one.
In the picture to the right I was looking at how bad the inside surface of the skin got scratched from the top rib of the VS. It wasn't too bad so I just scotchbrited and shot it with some zinc chromate. I have decided that I am going to prime all of the internal ribs/spars/stiffeners as well as where they mate to the skin. I am using Moeller's zinc chromate at the moment. I tried both the yellow and green primers but have found the green to cover much more evenly. The vertical stabilizer all clecoed together. Tiffany's favorite task is clecoing, good thing because it is one of my least favorites. More fitting of parts. The top rib took quite a bit of filing/sanding/fluting to allow an easy fit of the skin.
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