Author |
Message |
   
Louie Lacy
New member Username: Llacy
Post Number: 100 Registered: 10-1999
| Posted on Saturday, July 09, 2011 - 10:46 am: | |
If you remove the main spar bolts they will never go back in. You will have to take the biggest hammer ever made to get them out of the carry thru. You will destroy this aircraft in my opinion! |
   
Charles Wood
New member Username: Cwood
Post Number: 13 Registered: 11-2004
| Posted on Saturday, July 09, 2011 - 10:48 am: | |
I would remove wing spar bolts last. Wing will stay rigid until you are ready to slide it off. Bolts should be pretty tight, but if you use a threaded rod inserted into securing bolts, you should be able to pull them into a larger container. |
   
Jim Ward
New member Username: Jim_ward
Post Number: 4 Registered: 08-2007
| Posted on Saturday, July 09, 2011 - 12:09 pm: | |
Guys Help my memory. I thought that we drove a double female receiving ''socket'' into the blocks glued to the main spar. Then screwed the bolts from the rear and front of the carry-thru into those. Once you remove the bolts, the ''socket'' should be flush with the spar blocks. They don't need to come out to remove the wing. Let me know if I'm remembering wrong. Jim I agree, the sequence I described above was all mixed up(train of thought;-) Jim Jim |
   
Werner Maag, CH8174 Stadel, Switzerland
New member Username: Wmaag
Post Number: 31 Registered: 01-2003
| Posted on Sunday, July 10, 2011 - 07:53 am: | |
Hallo Gentlemen I had to remove my wings after the static test we do in Switzerland to check about damaged holes or pins. One of the pins (actually hardened steel tubes with inner threads at each end to take the bolts) was jamming because we drove that one in too tight (pull out carefully with long threaded rod, if you hammer you could splice the spar cap!) All others came out easily when wing and fuselage are supported correctly and the wing lifted a bit at the inboard trailing edge (wing is aft heavy). Second time (years later) removal because I squeezed the teflon brake line when mounting the wings for good. Again with no problems. If pins wood be corroded... just hope not! Good luck Werner. Will be at OSH july 27-28 who will be there too? |
   
Chaz King
New member Username: Chazking
Post Number: 33 Registered: 01-2005
| Posted on Saturday, July 09, 2011 - 03:40 pm: | |
All, I'm removing the wings to transport the plane w/o engine home; it's in Atlantic City, now. The engine almost lost a cylinder & it's being rebuilt at the moment. So far, the news is very discouraging to say the least. Destroying the plane is more than I had bargained. Best, Chäz |
   
Al Kittleson
New member Username: Al38kit
Post Number: 53 Registered: 07-2007
| Posted on Sunday, July 10, 2011 - 08:18 am: | |
Chaz...I don't know if the S-90 wings are identical to the original, but here it goes...I removed the wings from mine for transport. It isn't that difficult if you think it out. I believe the tough part is to support the fuselage while you remove your wings and not transmit some distortion to the carry through where the pins attach. I put a padded crate under the belly and I think it added some stress in the area, making my pins very tough to remove...I had my machinist friend make a driver out of steel that was just a few thousandths undersize of the pin. It was about 6 inches long. On one end it has bout 3/4" of male threads that fit into the pin. I tightened it down so it had a good shoulder from the driver to the pin. A few good whacks with a few pound hammer and the pin WILL move. I got them all out this way and did no damage to the plane or pins. I can take a picture of the drive unit if you wish. It was made of steel. I first tried one out of 6061 and it bent...they can be pretty tight! |
   
paul mikaelsen
New member Username: Pmikaelsen
Post Number: 17 Registered: 07-2002
| Posted on Sunday, July 10, 2011 - 10:59 am: | |
I removed my wings to move my express from Washington to Texas. I have the new setup with two pins per wing. I built a tool to pull the pins out. There was no damage at all. |
   
Chaz King
New member Username: Chazking
Post Number: 34 Registered: 01-2005
| Posted on Monday, July 11, 2011 - 07:51 am: | |
All, Thank you for your advice. I considered any "damage" comments to be made out of frustration, not reality. I have heard from non-Express sources that the bolts are frozen before they are installed & that makes them all the more difficult to remove. Since none of you have made that comment, the "frozen" observation seems spurious to me. Anyway, I have access to several people & a fork lift or two, so the stability question should be "easy" enough. My plan for the moment it to remove the wings next week. Best, Chäz |
   
Chaz King
New member Username: Chazking
Post Number: 36 Registered: 01-2005
| Posted on Monday, July 11, 2011 - 07:52 am: | |
More ... When transporting the airframe on a flatbed do we need to remove the: 1) horizontal stablizer? 2) main landing gear legs? 3) the nose gear? Chäz |
   
Reinhard Metz
New member Username: Reinhard_metz
Post Number: 93 Registered: 03-2003
| Posted on Monday, July 11, 2011 - 02:25 pm: | |
Freezing them is absolutely not spurious. The pins are about 2.5 to 3 thousandths oversize for a standard reaming tool, so most folks cold soaked them in dry ice or liquid nitrogen before installing them. it was impossible to get them in without doing so. Even so, they would go in 3/4 of the way when the cold was gone, and had to be pulled in the rest of the way with great force. So, it will again be great force that takes them out, though it can be done - just do with care as already pointed out - most important being careful balanced removal of load on the pins. Reinhard Metz n49ex |