What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Do I need a forward stop

RVG8tor

Well Known Member
It was over a 1.5 year ago when I glued my canopy and then I asked about the froward travel of the canopy and the rollers going up on the foot of the roll bar. Some have experienced this then one builder who has done a couple 8s said it should not go up on the foot of the roll bar it should just touch. Well in the opening and closing of fitting my skirt, if I let the momentum carry the canopy closed it likes to just ride up on the foot of the roll bar.

Now this might be a good thing, in fitting the skirts when it does this it makes the aft part of the skirt a little more snug of a fit. I have been fitting the skirt with the canpopy a very tad shy of touching the roll bar foot in hopes that fully closed it will be a nice snug fit.

But back to the canopy wanting to ride up onto the foot of the roll bar weld mount. Not only does this snug up the aft end but it also pushes the front end up when it does this, if one fit the windscreen glass work with the canopy just touching the foot, then the bit of forward movement onto the foot would really tighten up the front seal.

So my question to those that have gone before if the canopy roller is not supposed to ride up onto the foot of the roll bar then do you use some kind of bumper for a forward stop, it is obvious that the pin in the block in back allows the extra forward movement? The drawing of the canopy is not to scale but it sure looks like the roller might be meant to ride up onto the roll bar foot.

Thanks for any help, the skirt fitting is going nicely, I have only made trims and no glass work yet but I like what I have. Check out todays entry from the log link below.

Cheers
 
Skirts

Mike,

I wish I could help you but I had to write and say I too have been holding off on the skirts and would absolutely love to get a couple of hours from someone like you did who has been down this path. Those skirts look great...I hope to stop thinking and worrying about mine soon and take a shot at them. Good luck!

Doug
 
Get Help

Doug,

I had my skirt rough fit and was pondering the splice in the back and how to fit it up, I had read guys cutting out the entire back and doing custom glass work. I had no experience with glass work so I called a builder I know that has built sailplanes. In two hours we had the initial fit of the aft skirt, he showed me also how to use the heat gun to make subtle fixes to the fit. The biggest thing that helped me was slowly working the aft end, I found pulling up and in on the aft end took out the pucker in the s curve. I think I made 8 sands taking off 3/32 at a time until I had the fit I wanted. Both side would be perfect except I glued the left side with too much of the canopy overhanging so the left initial fit is a little lower than the right I also have the left skirt 1/8 further forward than the right so this effects how things tighten up.

I just laid up the skirt where it seemed to lay up the nicest then taped it up and drilled the side holes in the frame and skirt, then started working the aft end, after getting help to start the process. If I could give any advice, don't get any closer than and 1" from the scribe line the instruction have and don't round the corners the way the scribe line shows. I cut 1/2" to the line and rounded with it and this was almost too much, I think I will just make it once the bottom and front are cut. I plan to cut the front even with the lower horizontal part of the canopy frame.

To me this is what slows down my build process, I ponder what seem to be tough parts of the build too long. Once I understood how to proceed it does not take too long, although I am still tweaking the skirt, I need to make the "S" curves match bot sides. I plan to get one the way I want it then use some poster board to trace the curve and use rivets to set the position so I can put it on the other side and match the curve, the left aft end sits out a little further than the right.

Cheers
 
Back
Top