So going back to your original point about complete rivetted joints & the legality of splitting fuselage lap joints.
How do you define a complete joint ? Is it the length of a single skin panel or from nose to tail ? Does a round insert repair within a skin panel constitute a complete rivetted joint , who knows?
So is ' replacement of the part' in ch 51 of the srm sufficient to cover a skin panel change?
One could say that the single hi-lock at the end of the frame to skin shear tie makes it legal as it's no longer a complete rivetted joint.
I don't know where this illegal/immoral use of EOI's comes from .
The use of an EOI to cover work not specified in manuals or processes that would only normally be found overhaul manuals is perfectly legal from my stand point . The fact that the manufacturer specifies limits in an srm does not mean they have to be rigidly adhered to as they are written with a safety margin . Boeing , for example are telexed almost daily & given information on damage sustained to a/c structure or wear to components which exceeds mm/srm limits . This will either result in a concession or details of reqd repair/rework to restore the a/c back to an airworthiness condition.
As you well know EO's are documents approved by a CAA authorised design signature & aren't raised , as your statement would imply , as an illegal means of getting the a/c back in the air.
By working to an EOI you've covered your own arse & if your still not happy with it then simply don't sign the job off.
As far as special bolted joints are concerned I tend to agree but suspect that it was written in for a/c of a bygone era.
Dc3 wing joints I believe .
AC.