Info needed: c15a Rear Stowage Boxes

[Bob Carriere]

Will have to dust off the finished boxes currently in the sea can for final photos.

Grant to you remember the gauge used...... 16 for the box and 14 or 12 for the doors????

We did the bottom from a single piece then used the modern body shop glue to install the tight fitting back of the box.... very solid and watertight. We used a pan box brake for all the bends and a spot welder to finish the sides.

I may install some thin wooden pine strips inside the box to get a snug fitfor the POW cans and minimize rattle and wear....... a foam strip ( roof pad scraps) at the back and firm rubber inside the lid may also be tried.

Cheers

[Paul Edwards]

Thant's Grant, Bob, Where did you source those hinges?

Cheers,

Paul

[Grant Bowker]

Bob's source: https://spaenaur.com/catalog/L80/



We later found: https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop...es?item=A06508 but note that they say "no longer available".


Other sources: https://www.mcmaster.com/hinges/hing...aterial~steel/ - often reluctant to ship out of USA


https://spep.com/product-category/pr...s/butt-hinges/ - may have minimum order size....



They seem to be referred to as "weld on butt hinges" in most suppliers' catalogues. Most seem to be square in overall dimension when laid flat but the originals were longer perpendicular to the pin than along it to allow a triangular rivet pattern. With the modern square hinges we had to accept a linear rivet pattern, offset a bit away from the pin to allow clearance for the thickened frame around the opening. Note also the pattern of the drillings to ensure the bucked end of the rivets don't interfere.

[Gordon Yeo]

Bob and Grant
Thank you also for the information on the stowage boxes, most helpful.

Gord

[Paul Edwards]

Bob, Grant How hid your form those rivets? Hot or Cold.

Cheers,

Paul

[Grant Bowker]

They were cold formed.

As a flat bucking surface - a hand held, chunk of steel with a flat smooth face (definitely nothing larger than fist sized needed here). For the head (preformed, round) end of the rivet, I happened to have a suitably shaped set to fit an air powered rivet gun. The main difference between a rivet gun and an air hammer is in the trigger - rivet guns have a teasing trigger that makes it easier to get the gun to give only a hit or two at a time if you want. That said, you should be able to get by with an air hammer or a manual hammer for the few rivets involved.... to build confidence do a couple as practice in a couple of pieces of sheet you don't care about that match the thicknesses involved. For the few rivets involved a used rivet set should be adequate - or borrow one from a friend (or you might become the one everyone wants to borrow from...). Most rivet supply houses also sell the setting tools. If you happen to know someone who's into homebuilt aircraft, they might be willing to loan a rivet gun or use their's on your project.