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Nutplates and Piper Channel

Jim Miller

Registered User
Normandy TN
I have mentioned this before but now that photo's are easy to post will mention again.
Putting nutplates in piper channel either requires extra holes and trouble for 3/32 rivets
or drilling 3/16 for #6 rivnuts. I don't like either option and do it as follows. Drill all the #6
holes drop in #6 non-floating nutplates held in place by #6 3/8" Long SS screws. Then
I fill ther channel with the dental impression tray resin. Look at the three photo's
Advantages are 1. very fast 2. does not weaken channel actually makes a little stronger
3. fills and seals channel to keep out water and dirt. I did my Colt this way and have had
no problems. I am doing the Cub same way which it is the cub in photo's. After the resin
dries in about 30 minutes you can sand flush with channel and unscrew the #6 screws
and the nutplates are forever held in place. If you ever need to replace one a dremel can dig out old and then resin in a new one. The resin bonds very well to inself.


Jim Miller
 

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That looks good Jim. I tried bucking a few rivets into the back of the channel and that didn't work well. My friend told me that nutplate rivets are only to hold the nutplate till a machine screw is set in, the the tension of the machine screw basically holds the plate. So, in channel, I just use countersunk poprivets on the nutplates. Also works great and installs super easily.
 
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That looks good Jim. I tried bucking a few rivets into the back of the channel and that didn't work well. My friend told me that nutplate rivets are only to hold the nutplate till a machine screw is set in, the the tension of the machine screw basically holds the plate. So, in channel, I just use countersunk poprivets on the nutplates. Also works great and installs super easily.

I did the same thing. It is A LOT of work but it worked good.
 
Another advantage of this is if the channel is viewable you can sand and paint same color as the channel and if
it is lower channel in seals it to prevent the rust that always affects the lower channel that tends to hold water, dirt
and dropped hardware.
 
I ground the edges off the set on my rivet squeezer so it fit inside the channel. Worked great. Only had to use 6 C/S pull rivets.
 
I have glued #6 nut plates in the channels using Flamemaster (fuel tank sealer)with good results.
 
Just a note. Backcountry Cub uses a 3/32 pull rivet that is not countersunk but has a low profile head. If I did it over again I would use those as fabric covers the back bow and the two boot cowl pieces overlap on the front.
 
I ground the edges off the set on my rivet squeezer so it fit inside the channel. Worked great. Only had to use 6 C/S pull rivets.

That's a good idea. If I was going to use rivets I would have considered shearing off some thin maybe .025 or .032
4130 just wide enough to drop into the channel, then attached the nutplates to that with dimpled flush rivets.
I could then rivet this to the channel using about one rivet per 6-8 inches.
 
Nice
any chance of a clear 3rd picture?
Thanks
Gene

Gene
The area in the photo is lower channel and I had to use a mirror. I have just finished some of the upper and can
now take a direct shot. I have one side finished and sanded smooth ready to paint. I will take a photo and post.
If you fill the channel slightly overfilled it is possible to sand very quickly to a smooth finish and paint to look
very nice.
 
Nutplates 2 007.jpgGene
Here are a couple more photo's. They are of the completed side screws in place and other side sanded and
brush painted.

JimNutplates 2 009.jpg
 

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