When to permanently attach cabin top?

[UnPossible]

Hey - I am at the section where you fit the fiberglass cabin top to the fuselage.
After a few days of sanding and fitting over and over again, it now fits well and I am about ready to match drill it to the fuselage.

In the builders manual, one of the next steps is to permanently attached the cabin top. However, I remember reading in a few threads a recommendation to avoid mounting the top until the last possible minute.

I am trying to figure out what all I really should/need to have completed before I rivet this on. For those that have completed a 10, or are ahead of me in the build process, I'd love to learn from your experience.

Thanks,
Jason

[rvdave]

Have you completed what you will do to the ceiling of the canopy? If not wait, since it?s much easier when it?s upside down to finish that ceiling.

[UnPossible]

Originally Posted by rvdave

Have you completed what you will do to the ceiling of the canopy? If not wait, since it?s much easier when it?s upside down to finish that ceiling.

That is definitely on my list... just trying to figure out what else I may not be thinking of... thanks

[majuro15]

Cabin top finishing, overhead console (aerosport or other), and possibly antenna if you are putting anything up there (some have some haven't). It's a lot easier to do the overhead console with the top upside down on a bench.

[Tassie]

... and just match drill #30 for now (I used #40 on the horizontal sill). No need to drill the holes to the bolt size. You'll most likely have the cabin top on and off plenty more times yet, and it's a lot easier to cleco it on rather than mess around with those bolts and nuts. Drill to the final bolt sizes the day you're ready to permanently attach.

[mciaglia]

It?s personal preference and building style. For myself I followed this theory:
1. Fit cabin top
2. Remove and fit the overhead
3. Fit and trim for headliner
4. Fit cabin top back on
5. Do the doors
6. Remove cabin top finalize door openings, filler and paint overhead if desired
7. Reinstall cabin top permanently
8. Spend all the time filling and sanding the transitions and door sills
9. Final paint
10. Install systems and proceed as desired

[Kyle Boatright]

Regardless of when you do the final attach, my suggestion is to sand and shim the thing so you have a flush joint along both sides. Do that prior to the final attachment. If the fiberglass top is proud of the aluminum canoe along the sides, you or your painter will need to be creative to hide the discrepancy.

[az_gila]

I would add

1A. Install all of your wiring.