In my early kit it had a few spares. Not a lot but enough to make a small mistake like that.
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Nice work! That is a reference dimension, it’s to help you interpret the drawing but it controls nothing, is redundant, and will never be inspected.
Interesting… Thanks!
I’m working on the vertical stabilizer aft spar, and messed up one of the 3/16" bolt holes. It looks fine from one side, but is elongated from the other:
I’m 99% certain that this is out of tolerance & I have two potential options:
- Upsize the bolt to AN4
- Order a replacement part
Measuring the properly drilled hole above it, there’s ~11/32" from center to edge. Upsizing to AN4 with a 1/4 (8/32) diameter would give an 11/8 = 1.375 diameter/edge distance ratio.
I’m going to email Sonex this evening, but a couple of questions:
- Am I correct that the edge distance isn’t sufficient to upsize?
- What’s the best way to match-drill the replacement part given that the other pieces are fine?
- Use silver clecos & C-clamps to get things as aligned as possible?
You’re probably going to have to wait for Sonex to reply. That’s a pretty critical fastener.
If you do end up having to drill the new part, I think a combination of clamps and clecos (after drilling each hole) should do it. Just make sure it’s lines up before drilling that first hole - it will determine the placement for the rest.
Another option (though hard to find) is a NAS6203-NX (where the N denotes the length, for example NAS6203-5X). It’s a specialty shear bolt that’s 1/64" oversized at the grip from an AN3 bolt. The threads are the same as the AN3, so it still uses the same nut. It’s designed for this exact issue (to up-drill very slightly without encroaching too much on the edge distance).
There’s also a Y designation for another slight size up from the X - I think 1/32" up from a standard AN3, or 1/64" up from the X.
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Thanks, that’s some good info about the oversize bolts - I hadn’t heard of those previously.
For drilling those thick pieces, use a drill press wherever possible.
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Yep, that’s what I should have done.
Sonex replied to my email confirming that upsizing the bolt wasn’t viable, as expected.
I’d obviously prefer to have never messed up the part in the first place, but a next-day response from the support team is a positive sign for the reborn Sonex.
A few updates:
- Sonex shipped out my replacement part a few days after our initial discussion & it arrived via UPS a bit after that
- No complaints about the process/customer service
- Would be nice if the part was available through the web store, but it sounds like they’re working on it
- Updrilling the replacement part went well - I spent a bunch of time getting it clamped juuuust right & it came together well
- Also knocked out the rudder drive horn which was nice & simple
My plan is to use some sort of torque indicator paint on all bolts - is there any specific product that I should use (or avoid)?
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Small issue, but some slight hole count inconsistencies in SHX-V05 detail D - I’ve sent an email to Sonex to confirm, but it seems pretty clear that 3 holes is the correct count based on the drawing:
Made some good progress on the rudder today.
Spent a fair bit of time measuring out the cuts and reviewing others build logs.
After two trips to the hardware store for more tools (including nicer snips), things came out reasonably well I think.
Especially given that this is the first sheet metal fabrication work that I’ve done.
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Support confirmed 3 holes is correct
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