Who plans to make their wing tanks removable with nut plates

[rlweseman]

Posted by Paul Salter on 6/20/2014
Ercoupe tanks had screws, but believe the Piper Cherokee series had rivets. Same guy designed both, maybe he learned after the Ercoupe Rivets on mine also, Aluminum rivets are easy to drill out and 1/3 of the number of holes in the wing spar (in that area).

[rlweseman]

Posted by Rachel Weseman 6/20/2014
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I agree with Tony. Backing out nut plates will certainly ruin the paint job. You might as well just drill out the rivets.

We riveted in the tanks and would do it again - simple because the cost and time versus the benefit is not that great.

In the end it is up to you and your wallet.

[rlweseman]

Posted by Tony Spicer 6/20/2014

I too have an RV background. That's why I used nutplates on the tanks when I built the first set of wings. Then came the second time around. Came to the realization that Dan was a pretty smart feller and he had riveted his tanks. So I riveted mine. Should a tank ever need to come off it will take all of 30 minutes to drill out the rivets. The few times I've seen tanks removed from an RV, backing the screws out has screwed up the paint just as much as drilling out rivets would.

Are there certified aircraft with RV/Panther style tanks? If yes, how are they attached?

Tony

[rlweseman]

Posted by Ken Tattersall 6/19/2014
If you want to gaurentee problem and leak free tanks, go with the removable option You will never have to take them off !
Honestly, I have an RV and I can see taking them off if ever needed, but I have my doubts if that need will ever arise.​ Then again, it is nice to know that it can be done if needed.
I think that I will add the few hours to do it...

[rlweseman]

Posted by Andrew Shorter on 6/18/2014
Looking at the A/C Spruce hardware kits, I noticed that there is a wing tank option to buy machine screws and nut plates for the installation.

Does anyone have any previous experience where you needed to remove a wet wing tank after it was installed? I was planning on rivets since I was thinking it was a kind of permanent​ affair...


Thanks,
Andy