Empennage/longeron fitment question

[buckaroo]

Drawing says the top two 5/8" longerons are supposed to be tacked on tangent to the vertical stab trailing edge spar, then trimmed.
However:
The top view of the whole fuse is drawn with the longerons conincident on the v. stab spar/tube, not tangent.
The top view in the empennage section also shows them coincident, not tangent.
if one follows the plans strictly and tacks them tangent, this puts the innermost horizontal stab ribs too close together and inside the fuse(actually under/intersecting the longeron and other parts)
if they are welded coincident to the v stab spar, everything fits, with an acceptable 5/16 gap between the fuse and the h. stab's innermost rib.

But I see most people put them on tangent. Any guidance? Am I missing something here?

 

[soneraifred]

The top longerons must be tangent to the tailpost to provide enough clearance for the elevator push-pull tube to get to the elevator horn. Then, make the horizontal stabs to fit.

 

[buckaroo]

Will do, thank you!

 

[buckaroo]

Fred, one more quick question for you(or anyone):

Why are pop rivets used to attach the ribs to the reinforcements? There is enough room to put in solid aluminum ones. I can't imagine there's so much shear on the rib that the steel is needed.

 

[soneraifred]

There is no reason why you can’t use bucked AD rivets. In shear, the stainless cherry rivet and the solid aluminum AD rivet have essentially the same strength. If you want, you can use 1/8” AD rivets in the wing skins. The cherry N rivets are just easier to install.