Wheel pants and canopy strength

ao.frog · #1 01-27-2007, 09:04 AM

Hi fellow Rv-builders.

I live in Norway and am building a RV-7, currently working on the canopy-drilling and fitting of the wheel pants. (we're four people working 2+2. I know: I'm lucky!))

I've a few questions:
On the plans, there schould be no "reinforcement strip" on top of the plexi where it's drilled and screwed into the rollbar.
On pics of Vans demonstrator RV-7, there's a reinforcement strip underneath those scews, (at least that's what it looks like to me).
Has anyone of you mounted that? Or is it no problem with cracking of the canopy around the screws?

Regarding wheel pants:
We've a gap of approx 1/2 - 3/4 inch beetween the aft end of U-810 bracket and the inside of the aft half of the wheelpant. (Where the two platenuts are mounted diagonally on the aft end of the U-810 bracket)
Has anyone else encountered this?
I don't feel like bending the aft end of the bracket outboard to get it to touch the inside of the wheelpant. My plan is to put a spacer of some kind in there.
What have other builders done here?

We've also approx 1/8 inch spacing beetween the forward end of the the same bracket and the inside of the forward half of the wheelpant. (Where the two platenuts are monted one on each "flap" of the forward end of U-810)
I guess that gap can be easily closed with a spacer?

Lastly: How much spacing are ok beetween the tire and the wheelpant? In other words: how big a hole for the tire?

Regards Alf Olav Frog / Norway

robertahegy · #2 01-27-2007, 10:27 AM

I did not use any reinforcing strip to secure the aft window (tipup) to the roll bar, just the screws. I did lay the aft (thinner ) edge of a "P" seal under the plexi to provide a seal for the canopy as it layed on the roll bar. No problems in three years.

I had no problem securing the wheel pant brackets without spacers. I would be careful using spacers as you could encroach on the wheel clearances.

Go at least 1/2" on the sides and 3/4" on the fore and aft openings for adequate tire to pant clearance.

Hope this helps. Worked for me.

Roberta