elevator reskin and rudder bellcrank

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alaskan9974
Posts: 37
Joined: Wed May 06, 2020 6:48 am

elevator reskin and rudder bellcrank

Post by alaskan9974 »

I have my rear feathers off for strip and repaint, decided we will reskin one elevator. Is a jig required or can we do one skin at a time (LH)

Also the rudder bellcrank pn 0433113 was worn through at the bottom attach point, I ordered one off of McFarlane however it has much less rivets then the original. It is PMA'd, don't have it yet but wondering if they use less rivets to attach, or drill out new ones to match the original piece.
'53 B-model SN:25712
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c170b53
Posts: 2527
Joined: Mon Apr 22, 2002 8:01 pm

Re: elevator reskin and rudder bellcrank

Post by c170b53 »

Worn though, ? Crazy. I replaced one because the fuselage rudder stops had deformed the horn’s stop ears. Seems to me the new piece comes with enough holes to correctly position the piece. Just replacing it without checking alignment would mean guessing. Then of course the existing rudder bulkhead holes are picked up and drilled to size. On alignment; I think there’s threads on this which I’ve added what I think might have relevance. If the attach point is wallowed out, possibly the alignment is way off or the rudder bottom has been rebuilt (broken tailwheel spring). Shims on the bottom attach point or shims under the bearing blocks can correct gross misalignment. I use a long rod passed through the V Stab rudder attach horns to check the bottom fuselage rudder attach point and use the same rod down the bearings to find the correct position to rivet the new horn in place.
Real mechanic’s might have other techniques or ideas but it would pay to sort out why the wear took place and alignment will make putting the rudder back on much easier.
Jim McIntosh..
1953 C170B S/N 25656
02 K1200RS
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c170b53
Posts: 2527
Joined: Mon Apr 22, 2002 8:01 pm

Re: elevator reskin and rudder bellcrank

Post by c170b53 »

D6F01961-A832-4549-BDE3-9526066F4379.jpeg
Sorry for the memory slip, but I came across the horn had removed and remembered I was going to post the rivet pattern
Jim McIntosh..
1953 C170B S/N 25656
02 K1200RS
alaskan9974
Posts: 37
Joined: Wed May 06, 2020 6:48 am

Re: elevator reskin and rudder bellcrank

Post by alaskan9974 »

c170b53 wrote:
D6F01961-A832-4549-BDE3-9526066F4379.jpeg
Sorry for the memory slip, but I came across the horn had removed and remembered I was going to post the rivet pattern
That’s what mine looked like, the one from mcfarlane has spot welds and is one piece, not two like the original.

Must not have been aligned. My bird had a ground loop in the 70s when repairs were made. If I had not taken the rudder off for paint I wouldn’t have seen the wear, it was only on one bolt hole so must be alignment.
'53 B-model SN:25712
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