Fiberglassing the forward Windscreen Pt.2

Nice! It came out better than I anticipated! I will etch and prime the top metal bezel soon.

Ahhh, all done! Well, until final paint...

Here you can see how the top metal bezel fits over the fiberglass fairing. It turned out very nice!

After sanding the final clear resin, I filled in any leftover pin holes and sprayed filler primer. After the primer dried, I sanded the fairing with 320 grit sandpaper and repeated the process once more. Finally, I pulled the last layer of electrical tape off with the help of a straight razor.

*(Not shown),I drilled several 1/8" holes, countersunk them, then installed CS-4-4 Blind Rivets at 4"spacing. This should help give the fiberglass fairing a mechanical bond with the top skin. The holes were then filled in with West Systems Resin and 410 filler. After everything dried, I sanded with a medium grit, then applied a squeegeed layer of clear resin.

Fiberglassing the forward Windscreen Pt.1

The second coat of resin.

Now the real fun begins.... sanding with 60grit.

Next,I applied numerous layers of glass cloth (horizontally-not shown) and topped it off with strips of dacron(vertically-shown). The dacron soaks up any extra resin and leaves a nice finish when pulled away the next day. The initial gap was filled with epoxy resin,black powder paint, and lots of microballoons/filler.

Sealing the Inside of the Windscreen

Sikaflex was used to add support to the Plexiglass and fill unsightly gaps.

The view after the sikaflex was applied and the edge tape removed. Looks Nice!

I used aluminum tape to seal off the outside. After the sikaflex dried, I peeled the tape off and started fiberglassing the front seam.

I taped off the inside and outside area before sanding and etching the metal.

Metal Windscreen Fairing

Here, the finished bezel/fairing is painted white with countersunk washers and #8 screws

Update-Here you can see the crease/pocket I made with a joggle tool. I placed a rectangular piece of anti-chafe tape on the inside to ease any friction between the canopy and the metal windscreen bezel. It fits like a glove! Sweet!

Here, the shrinker marks have been smoothed out with the scotchbrite wheel. I also tapped the rollbar for #8 screws.

I added rubber shims as necessary to match the fit of the canopy. I will fill the gaps soon with Sikaflex or silicone.

I used a shrinker/stretcher to get the fit right on the .025 alum fairing.

Poster board template. Lots of adjusting and trimming.

Well, I decided to try my hand at crafting a metal fairing.

Upgrade to the Canopy Latch Handle

Still waiting on the engine............So, I decided to tweak the canopy handle. I started off by rounding the edges with a belt sander and scotchbrite wheel. Then, I followed up by polishing the piece with a small dremel buffer and a little Nuvite "S" cream. Finally, I upgraded the cs #8 screw with a #10 socket head cap screw.

Here is the "BEFORE" pic of the handle.

Update: I trimmed off the little tab, fwd of the handle, on the top canopy skirts.

And here is the "AFTER" pic. As you can probably tell, I'm very pleased with the end result.

While Waiting on the Engine to Arrive...

I decided to put some finishing touches on the canopy. After a little more sanding and priming, it was time to take the top plastic off! It looks gorgeous! Here is the final product...*Note-I'm waiting on the final exterior paint.

Canopy Lock Installed

While waiting on the engine to arrive, I decided to install a canopy lock. I also found this solid aluminum canopy lock stop block nearby at HD(aka square cabinet knob)... It's held in place by two #8 screws from underneath the side rails. *I dressed the backside up with a piece of 3/4" plastic conduit and a piece of heat shrink.

Canopy Latch

I installed the canopy latch. After doing the initial trimming and fitting I painted the latch red and covered the sides in UHMW plastic tape. You may also notice the custom canopy unlock switch I created. I used a Honeywell micro switch with roller lever and a plastic cover. It was then wired to a warning light on the panel.

Canopy Complete!

Complete, except for exterior paint. (The grey is filler primer) Update: I trimmed off the little tab on the front of the skirts.

I finished off the top skirt edge with a bead of proseal.

I finished the inside of the Canopy!

I used the soft side of 3/4" velcro to trim the canopy. This should keep the sides from scratching the fuselage when I slide it shut.

Fiberglass Work Begins! Oh Joy!

First coat of primer. It actually looks pretty good. There are only a few minor touch ups to be completed before I do the final prime and finish sanding.

The center rail notch that I made came out nice. Also, you can't see any remains of the overlap b/w the two canopy skirts. A little more sanding to get the form all set and it will be ready for paint.

I used Rage Extreme light weight body filler and numerous layers of epoxy resin and micro to build up the rear canopy skirt.

I did 4 coats of squeegeed West Systems Epoxy resin followed by a light coat of Rage. Each coat was sanded and blown clean. This eliminated virtually all of the pin holes, but it was a ton of work.

Canopy Skirts Glued and Riveted

Canopy and Skirts all riveted. I hope all the extra work applying the SikaFlex adhesive was worth it. So far, So Good, No Cracks anywhere! I'm happy with the results.

Canopy Interior. Looks pretty sweet!

Close up of the interior Canopy Skirts. You can see the SikaFlex(black) in between the rails and ribs of the Canopy Frame. There was a ton of prep work involved with getting the Sika all glued in place.

Glued the Canopy

I prepped the canopy and applied Sikaflex adhesive to the inside edges. This isn't a necessary step on the project, but I feel it's added protection against any future plexi cracks.

Closeup of the black Sikaflex adhesive on the canopy cage rails. Looks nice!

Tip- Use electrical tape to mask everything off.

Closeup of the 3/4" black primer stripe inside the plexi.

Read more about Sika Flex Here-http://www.matronics.com/wiki/index.php?title=Gluing_Your_Canopy&redirect=no, http://picasaweb.google.com/rvtach/GluingMySliderCanopy#, http://www.rv8.ch/article.php/20040916070516135

Drilling the Canopy Skirts

Canopy slid open.

I underestimated the amount of work involved with fitting these skirts. I used a hole finder/duplicator to get the skirt holes in line with the canopy frame holes. The holes were then countersunk with a small diameter cs bit. Tons of trimming, fitting, and drilling going on here. I think we're there now. Whew!

I will be using a SIKA Flex sealant and blind rivet combination for final assembly.

Fitting the Canopy Skirts

Getting the skirts to fit just right is going to be a real challenge...Well, I've done the initial trim to fit on the flamingo pink skirts. Don't worry, they won't be pink for long, there must be a million pin holes. Lots of resin,primer, and sanding to come.

Canopy Work Continues....

#40 holes are opened up to #30. A plexidrill was used on the glass. Everything was deburred, both sides, and clecoed back up.

Then I checked all holes w/a pop rivet and made any adjustments. Next, I applied a few temporary flush rivets to hold the canopy in place while the skirt gets fitted. They will be drilled out later when final riveting is to be done. Be careful! Be sure to use AACQ 4-4 rivets and not the CS4-4 rivets, for the canopy. One rivet every 12" or so and a couple in the back to pull everything tight. I followed this by drilling the bottom rails and ribs out for the skirt. #40, then#30. deburr. The skirt will be fitted tomorrow.. Holes in the skirt will be located w/a hole finder and template.