mountainmatt wrote:
Great work Greg, I can't wait to hear your thoughts on this mod. (And all the mods that you've done for that matter.)

No worries man... Its all about sharing with the community.

I suspect I will really dig the mod which is why I pulled the trigger in the first place. I was just being a bit hyperbolic and dramatic to set the stage for the mini-write up on the install.

mountainmatt wrote:

fiftynineSC wrote:Thanks for the continued updates..... For a 180/185 guy this thread is the gift that keeps on spending.

Fixed it for you 59SC.

Great work Greg, I can't wait to hear your thoughts on this mod. (And all the mods that you've done for that matter.)

.....Correct!!

Now that you're getting the WingX installed, you can save a few pounds of weight by taking the big tail off and still keep your 3190 gross. [emoji1]

Chris

airChris wrote:Now that you're getting the WingX installed, you can save a few pounds of weight by taking the big tail off and still keep your 3190 gross. [emoji1]

Chris

It does get confusing... But the WingX is only 2950 so I think I'll keep the stab. (Looks much better also)

bigrenna wrote:

airChris wrote:Now that you're getting the WingX installed, you can save a few pounds of weight by taking the big tail off and still keep your 3190 gross. [emoji1]

Chris

It does get confusing... But the WingX is only 2950 so I think I'll keep the stab. (Looks much better also)

On the topic of weight-savings- I bet there's a couple extra links in your gas cap chains that don't need to be there!

Will you strip the WingX primer and polish them up, or paint them red?

Looking great.

-DP

On the topic of weight-savings- I bet there's a couple extra links in your gas cap chains that don't need to be there!


DP, that was funny!

Take those big tires off until you really need them will be the quickest and cheapest weight reduction if weight is really the objective.

Gotta say, pretty sweet airplane! You did a stellar job on it Greg.

Next I focused on the stainless strap. Again, this is getting sandwiched between the skins at Sta. 100. Note: This step is only required on SOME models. You will have to check your main spar to see if it is needed.





With the strut out of the way, you can now drill the heads of the flush mount rivets. You will be drilling out the 5's and installing #6 universal head cherry max. Even though you will be eventually enlarging the holes with a #10 bit, take care not to take the easy way out and just drill out the 5's. Snap the heads, and drive the tails out with a punch...



With the flushies out, slide the stainless strap between the skins and start spotting. Spot drill, remove, drill press, install, spot drill, remove, etc... Stainless sucks so go nice and slow and take your time.



Once the holes are all in, and everything fits, fit the strap and enlarge the holes with a #10. Remove and debur, then install for the final time....



Since clecos wont really pull the sandwich tight enough, I used several #10 fastners to snug it up real tight. Once you are all set, pull the #6 universal cherry max rivets. The 6's are damn near impossible to pull by hand, so make sure you have a good pneumatic rivet gun handy.



One final note... The kit comes with all the fasteners and rivets you will need. That said, make sure you double check the hole with a grip gauge before you pull the cherry Max. The stainless strap will use 6-6's for all save one. This is where the skins lap. Here WingX provides a 6-7.

bigrenna wrote:

mountainmatt wrote:
Great work Greg, I can't wait to hear your thoughts on this mod. (And all the mods that you've done for that matter.)

No worries man... Its all about sharing with the community.

I suspect I will really dig the mod which is why I pulled the trigger in the first place. I was just being a bit hyperbolic and dramatic to set the stage for the mini-write up on the install.

Betting this will be your most favorable mod to date. Yes, the roll rate will be slightly slower than your used to but who is doing barrel rolls on final. The slow stable approach it gives you will have you feeling like its a cub!!!....well almost

AKT

I'm with AKT on this... Easily one of the most noticeable mods on my wagon. Thanks for documenting this install in such high quality! Looking forward to your thoughts after flying it.

I just noticed that this little thread of mine went past 60,000 views... holy crap... I think I need a new hobby.

The install continues...

A word about pulling the rivets. Although the kit comes with everything you will need (and some extras for once) it's always good to understand just WTF is going on. The stainless strap uses Cherry Max and not just cherry rivets. If you and (God forbid your AP) don't know the difference, its worth learning.



Before you move on, make sure all the rivets lock. In a nutshell, the stem gets pulled and must lock with the steel collar. If it doesn't, the rivet will not look flush, and if its not flush, its not structurally sound.



Next step is to dress up the outboard ends of the upper lift strut. Because flush rivets were removed and universal heads were installed, you will have to dish out some material on the inboard and outboard side of the strut in order for the strut to fit back where it belongs... A bit nerve wracking at first, but no biggie as you will be working distal of where the tangs rivet to the strut. Dremel works great here, first with the cutting bit, then the sanding drum.







Remember to measure sixteen times and cut once... You can always remove material, but never add it on.



Last thing you might want to think about here before you re-install the lift strut is to rehab the tangs. I cant in good conscious re-install a part without freshening it up, so I hit it the part with some scotch bright, z-chromate, and some metal finish Rustoleum.

Your attention to detail is great. Reading this thread and seeing you leave no stone unturned makes me happy.

I might point out that this would be a great time to replace the tie-down return springs if they're broken or iffy. I haven't gotten around to installing them yet, but my IA got me a set-- don't know where but they were about $25 for the pair.

Been a hot busy summer w/out much desire for posting... but I will see if I can get thru this install post if at least in a truncated manner.



With the bottom strap installed and the struts buttoned up, you move to the top to install the two doublers. In a nutshell, you will be adding stiffiners to the bottom side of the main spar cap. A bit of a pain, but really no biggie... Again, measure six times and cut once! Begin by drilling out the flushies on the top paying close attention not to enlarge the holes as only half will be enlarged.





Once the rivets are drilled, you will need to notch out the inside corners of the ribs to allow for the extra thickness of the doublers.





The secret to nibbling out these notches is patience, but the right tool helps, and this is where the Dremel Flex Shaft is key. This will give you the ability to carefully work the tool inside the bay and cut nice notches. Remember to debur and get the corners nice and round so no cracks propagate.



With the ribs notched, you can work on fitment of the doublers. Spot the face, and then drill the holes. Doing it right requires fitting and removing a BUNCH of times but taking one's time is worth it. A trick here for a tight fit is to use a bunch of fasteners first rather than just clecos. The last thing you will want is the new rivets in the upper spar cap quietly working in the background....

With the strap firmly in place and tight, add holes between each existing rivet hole. Cleco, and start bucking!



(hint: Spend the cash and invest in a tungsten bucking bar...I used this one from ATS. Makes this job MUCH easier!)

Just spent two hours reading this whole thread for the first time. That's a cool airplane!

While flying home the other day in my polished '59 with the ponk-50 and sportsman STOL, I had a morbid question pop into my head, "what would you do if you wrecked your airplane?" Answer......get another one!!!

Amazing machines. Nothing does the job like a 180. Hope to see you in Idaho!!!

With almost 75 hrs on the WingX now, I have been chomping to give a PIREP, but have been dogged by finishing this install thread..... here goes:



With the strap installed, you can start into the meat of the install and begin with the actual extensions.

In a nutshell, the wing extensions are installed like a wing tip, but with structural fasteners that screw into anchor nuts installed in the stringers.

Once you have your holes drilled in the stringers, use the same technique as you would to fit tips. It is crucial that you get the leading edge of the extensions to lay as snug as possible to the leading edge. One trick you can use it to use a ratchet strap to pull the skirt flush.







With the skirt flush against the leading edge, pick up the first hole on the top to secure the WingX. With this first fastener installed, you can now work on getting the wash correct. This is a crucial step! Not paying attention will lead to adverse flight characteristics and can ruin a perfectly rigged aircraft. To pinpoint the fit, the instructions call for using a long string, but I think a long bubble level tends to work a bit better.





Once you have the wash perfect, pick up the rest of the anchor nuts below and fit the extension. Now all that is left is to trim the aileron slot, and buck the trailing edge.

For some reason, it seems that there are two categories where A&P's seem to have issues. One is with electricity, and the other is with sheet metal. For these last two steps, its pretty important that you take your time and bring some finesse into the sheet metal work.

Pretty won't make the bird fly any better, but sloppy technique here will only net an embarrassing install. It should go without saying, but take your time to measure twice, file your edges, and radius your corners.







With the material removed for the aileron, the last step is to trim the leading edge and buck in the reinforcing strap.







Of course you still have to finish up with paint, but with these things finished, all that's really left to do is FLY!

I have really enjoyed the threads you & a couple other guys have started about tricking out your Skywagons. Yours like Skalywag's is a real beauty. Mine's pretty basic and I have no real plans to change that, I just kinda nibble around the edges, but I do like seeing the modernized panels etc.

We need a Pirep, Bigrenna! Or does it no longer fit back out through the hangar door?

hotrod180 wrote:Interesting wingtip design, Greg. Is that a sportsman tip you modified, something Stene offers for the Sportsman cuff, or ?? It's very nicely done, but (no offense) I'm not sure if I like the looks of it or not. Can you maybe post another photo from a different angle?

BTW I have really enjoyed the threads you & a couple other guys have started about tricking out your Skywagons. Yours like Skalywag's is a real beauty. Mine's pretty basic and I have no real plans to change that, I just kinda nibble around the edges, but I do like seeing the modernized panels etc.

I'm pretty sure they RMD wingtips.

hotrod180 wrote:Interesting wingtip design, Greg. Is that a sportsman tip you modified, something Stene offers for the Sportsman cuff, or ?? It's very nicely done, but (no offense) I'm not sure if I like the looks of it or not. Can you maybe post another photo from a different angle?

"Is that a tip you made? No offense but I don't like it." I love when people say "no offense," and then dump their pile of poo. Funny that the comment on the addition of two more landing lights is about aesthetics... I guess to each their own.

To answer your question, the tips are RMD's, although RMD has now been sold to Knots 2 U so I can not speak to the quality now. Willie (Stene) has a new set in development that will be pretty cool.

I will say this.. the addition of the two AeroLED landing lights in the tips is probably in the top 10 mods on the wagon. The combination of the wig-wag recognition and additional light for off airport night ops is insane.