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Cabin Top Fit

AviatorJ

Well Known Member
Need some assistance on what to sand down more in order to get a batter cabin top fit. Here's where I'm at right now. Over all it seems to fit well except for.....Both sides have about the same 1/8th inch area visible on the flange but near the aft end it disappears.

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Is this normal or what area should I sand to have this drop down more? I first thought it was the flange back area hitting the longeron but there's a gap right there. Thanks!
 
Thanks Jesse! I'll clamp it all in place and make sure nothing is noticeably off before I start drilling.

I'm guessing that 1/8 gap will be covered with glass at a later time.
 
Micro is your friend........ You'll be using quite a bit to fill in all the imperfections. It will hide all those minor gaps.
 
I agree, if it fits into the uprights and lays flat, then it will work. All of the gaps will be filled with fiberglass micro, and possibly glass to transition to the aluminum structure. Job well done!
 
Another question - if it is trimmed nicely and there are no gaps to fill under the door sill, is it really necesary to install it using structural filler as called for in rhe plans.
 
Yes, it helps to secure the entire structure a single piece for rigidity and structural integrity. The screws used wouldn't be enough in my opinion.
 
In addition to being an adhesive, the micro filler will provide an nice reveal gap filler all the way around on the inside and specifically on the lower door frame.
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Filling the gap between canopy and fuselage

I bought several turkey basters that look like giant hypodermic needles (from ebay) and filled them with micro balloon epoxy to squirt into the gap. Saved a lot of mess and got the job done quickly.

Of course you use them one time each.
 
We build a little triangular bed of epoxy with flox then seat the cabin top on that. Extra gets pushed out and we scrape it up then fill in areas that are lacking. I prefer flox to micro in this area.
 
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