Canopy Interior Fiberglass Prep Work

[rleffler]

Originally Posted by CharlieWaffles

Are you sanding the door posts by hand for the contour? A lot of things I read said not touse hands, but rubber blocks. Just not sure how to get a stiff block around that door shape.

You can't use a hard block on the doors. You need a sanding sponge or something extremely flexible. My wife used a sanding sponge, but used a piece of sandpaper underneath the sponge (in other words, she didn't using the built in grit of the sponge to do the sanding). She also used a plain piece of sandpaper. If you use the paper on the posts like you were sanding your shoes, it works just fine. What you want to avoid is situations in which you apply various pressure with your fingertips.

I don't know about yours, but my posts were in pretty bad shape. It took quite a bit of filler and sanding to get them mirror smooth.

bob

[Bill.Peyton]

I used the DA just about everywhere. I also used rotory drums of various sizes. The good thing about the glass work is you can fix just about anything you screw up, so don't be afraid to try something new. I was amazed at how much I had to remove just to get the cover to fit the fuse! Keep a good stock of expoxy resin and both fast and slow cure activators, along with various types of glass cloth, and multiple diferent filler additives. There are structural additives such as flox and fiber strands, adhesive additives, and fairing (fine sanding) addititives. Don't be afraid to add additional layers on the outside of the door frames to reiforce where you have removed material from the inside. It seems like it took me around 6 weeks of full time work to complete this section including the doors. It is by far the most challenging part of the build in my opionion, and I have a background of composite construction and bodywork from my younger years.
Bill

[CharlieWaffles]

Originally Posted by Bill.Peyton

You will need approx. .5 to .75" of flat area for the seal to install over. All of the curve needs to be removed. Use multiple layers of 6 oz. cloth on the opposite side to reinforce the door frame since you remove the material from the other side.

Are you referring to adding glass reinforcement on the inside of the door posts that cover the remaining lip in the door opening? Is the intent to get a specific thickness of the lip for the seal to attach to?

[fehdxl]

Originally Posted by Bill.Peyton

What Bob said! Paint last, after everything fits perfect, seals, doors, trim, overhead, trim front glass, trim the side glass. The cabin cover makes a real mess of everything everywhere.
Bill

With that said...paint with the cabin top on the fuselage or upside down on the bench?

Thx,

Jim

[rleffler]

Originally Posted by fehdxl

With that said...paint with the cabin top on the fuselage or upside down on the bench?

No question, upside down on the bench. Then you only need to touch up where you apply filler to join to the fuselage.

Now if you enjoy working as a contortionist in small space paint on the fuselage. Actually, my concern was more for overspray issues on the rest of the interior.

bob

[Bill.Peyton]

First and foremost, do all of this on the bench, not it the fuse. After you are satisfied it fits perfect, then just temporarily bolt it in when you need to make a measurement. The final door fit needs to be done on the fuse.

The door seal needs a straight lip that protrudes 90 deg. from the door frame. The current lip is rounded/cupped to accomodate the seal which Vans provides, which is a circular tube seal. It also acts as a drip rail. that curve/drip rail needs to be completely removed and a new lip which is straight and 90 degrees and parallel to the DOOR inside surface. For the seal to fit properly it needs to protrude into the door frame to contact the door all the way around about 1/2" inside the actual door itself. For this to happen you will need the door frame lip to protrude out from the frame around 3/4". It will vary depending on how you fit the door and where in the door you measure. I will post some close ups today when I get in the shop.
Bill

[CharlieWaffles]

Thanks Bill. I looked on Ivan's site and it appears the remaining lip, once cut to about 1" - 3/4" inch is also sanded thinner (thickness wise, not size from frame to opening) in some parts. Is that correct for what I am seeing? I assume this is to allow the door to sit more closely to the opening. Is this where the extra fiber material is being added in the inside?

It's actually starting to make sense.

[rleffler]

The seal can be ordered in different thicknesses. Some have gone with 3/16" and others with 1/4". I decided to go with the thicker version and added 3-4 layers of cloth on the inside of the cabin. Then I used a filler to blend into the the cabin cover frame. The thought was that the added glass would help compensate a little for the gutter being removed from a strengh perspective.

[CharlieWaffles]

So did you have to thin/sand the exterior of the frame? Here is the picture from Ivan's site. you can see the edge appears to be filed down on the outside, but not sure if this is a fitment issue, or just from the cutting of the lip.

http://ivankristensen.phanfare.com/2...ageID=55424021

[rleffler]

No, but when you cut off the gutter, you'll find that the thickness may vary. Additionally, depending on the size of the seal you order, you may want to build the thickness back up to about 1/4".

I don't recall any sanding on the exterior of the gutter once it was cut off, if that is the question you are asking.

bob