Bob Mitchell

Had a rough landing earlier this week, and the bracket holding the nose gear and steering arm in place cracked. The blind nuts on the back side of the firewall are turning in the wood, so I can't get the screws out to replace the bracket. Drilling them from the front is not an option as they just spin with the drill, and I can't reach them from the back side to keep them from turning.

The only thing I can think of is to cut out the portion of the firewall where the bracket mounts, cut a new piece to fit in the hole, mount the bracket and then epoxy the new piece of wood in place.

Any suggestions?

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

You can knock them through into the tank compartment and dump them out through the wing opening.

Epoxy the holes

I used a piece of threaded rod stuck from the front through the tank compartment into the wing opening. I screwed the blind nut onto the threaded rod and pulled the rod/nut back through the tank compartment against the firewall. Using a nut/washer on the threaded rod in front of the firewall, I pulled the new blind nut into the firewall then I removed the threaded rod.

Bob Mitchell

I can't push anything out from either direction. The bracket, blind nuts, and screws are all still in place. The bracket is still tight against the firewall because the screws can't loosen since the blind nuts just turn with the screws.

mesaflyer

Any way to cut or grind the head of the bolt off, using a small dremil tool? Cover the carb so nothing gets in the air intake opening.

JohnBuckner

My Feedback: (1)

Dittos

Just use a grinding wheel on your Dremel (don't have one, then get one you are going to need it) and grind the plastic away from the bolts on the front side. Then grind or cut the heads off and punch out to the inside.

When blind nuts are installed it sop to drip a little thin CA around the perimeter of the flange after installing and this won't happen. RTF makers omit this step when they are preinstalled.

John

carrellh

If you cannot cut off the screw heads, cut a small hole in the bottom sheeting of the fuselage and grab the blind nuts with needle nose pliers. I’d start the hole about a half inch behind the firewall so I had a little area for a covering patch to stick. When the repairs are complete you can just put a patch of covering over the hole, no real need to replace the wood,

Bob Mitchell

Yeah, I've got a Dremel, with most of the common bits. That's a good idea.

After I grind down the heads and push the blind nuts out, can I put new one's in the same location using either CA or epoxy or am I going to have to use a standard nut and bolt (assuming I can get an extension in to the back side of the firewall to hold the nut while I tighten from the front?

JohnBuckner

My Feedback: (1)

It should not be a problem to just reuse the hole. Just assemble everything so the bolt is tight and the T nut is seated. Make sure you first run the nut up on the bolt so it threads freely and put a little oil on the threads. After all the bolts are reinstalled use a CA applicator such as the Dave Brown:

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXB970&P=7


And drip a little thin CA (not medium) around the perimeter of the T nut on the back side and you are done. The CA applicators makes this job easy from the wing area or if even that is difficult make a small hole suggested by carrellh in the bottom and use the applicator from there.


John