Windscreen 9A Slider

avi8tor50 · #1 06-16-2007, 05:21 AM

Getting rady to fit the windscreen. Have a couple of questions for those of you who have completed this step.

1. How far forward on the forward skin did you set the forward end of the windscreen? Does it matter?

2. How did you deal with the aft end laterally where it meets the skin at the rollbar? Did you make the slit in the skin and tuck the plexi behind the skin at the rollbar?

3. Have heard the Vans recommends butting the plexi against the skin at the rollbar instead of tucking it-anybody do this?

4. Did you trim the bottom edge of the windscreen to be level with the bottom edge of the slider?

As always, all help is appreciated and the more photos the better!
Thanks.

Peter K
9A QB slider

Steve · #2 06-17-2007, 10:32 PM

My lower forward windshield edge is just aft of the row of sub panel rivets.

My aft side edge extends approx 1/2" below the aluminum skin. The drawing shows the plexi being tangent to the skin. Vans tech help confirmed that but said it was OK to have some overlap but NOT to slit the skin like the RV-6.

I don't have the drawing with me but I think I remember a 1/16" gap between the windshield and the canopy plexi.

Steve

alpinelakespilot2000 · #3 07-19-2007, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by avi8tor50

Getting rady to fit the windscreen. Have a couple of questions for those of you who have completed this step.

1. How far forward on the forward skin did you set the forward end of the windscreen? Does it matter?

2. How did you deal with the aft end laterally where it meets the skin at the rollbar? Did you make the slit in the skin and tuck the plexi behind the skin at the rollbar?

3. Have heard the Vans recommends butting the plexi against the skin at the rollbar instead of tucking it-anybody do this?

4. Did you trim the bottom edge of the windscreen to be level with the bottom edge of the slider?

As always, all help is appreciated and the more photos the better!
Thanks.

Peter K
9A QB slider

Can anybody add to Steve's comments above. I'm right at this stage and trying to visualize where the cut off the glareshield will be on both the front and at the sides. Specifically, the part that prompted me to search for this thread was Steve's question #4 above. Will I be cutting the bottom sides of the windscreen on approximately the same line as the bottom side edge of the slider portion.

Also, I assume that where the forward part of the windscreen meets the fwd top skin, you just keep trimming back a little at a time until it starts to follow the contour of the fwd top skin? Seems like there a going to be LOT of cuts, 1/8" or so at a time until you figure out where to stop.

Thanks for any further help.

lostpilot28 · #4 07-19-2007, 07:19 PM

I just trimmed the windscreen today on my RV-7A. The front is just in front of the row of rivets on the sub panel and I curved the sides down to about an inch below the skin that wraps around to the side of the roll bar (the bottom of the windscreen is about even with the top of the rail track).

I'm by no means an expert and got tired of wondering how it went together and just started trimming it. That's probably not the best way to go about it!

I'm going to glue the canopy to the frame & windscreen to the rollbar with sikaflex (thanks Pete Howell for the great write up!). I put spacers under the frame and roll bar and the bubble is pretty much even with the top of the windscreen. I guess I can't ask for much more.

I did have to trim the top of the windscreen a little bit because it was hanging over the roll bar too much at the top, but not the bottom of the sides...now I've got a small gap (maybe 3/16" max) between the canopy & windscreen all the way around...at least it's even! I'll probably put a fiberglass fairing over the top, so I'm OK with it.

So far, so good.

Yukon · #5 07-19-2007, 07:38 PM

It looks like the fit on the bottom of the windscreen is going to be better if it overlaps the aluminum over the roll bar. I called Van's yesterday about this and he said it isn't critical to cut it above the aluminum like the plans say, just do what feels good. I cut it about 5/8 inch lower than the aluminum. Still going to take a fair amount of pressure to make the lower side edge of the windshield conform with the fuselage. Wish the plexi had a little more cuvature in this area.

alpinelakespilot2000 · #6 07-19-2007, 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lostpilot28

I just trimmed the windscreen today on my RV-7A. The front is just in front of the row of rivets on the sub panel and I curved the sides down to about an inch below the skin that wraps around to the side of the roll bar (the bottom of the windscreen is about even with the top of the rail track)...

Thanks Sonny and John. That's really helpful information and the type of help I was hoping to get.

Sonny-From the above quote did you intend to say that the front of your windscreen is just in FRONT of the row of rivets on the sub panel or just AFT? The reason that I ask is that I just looked at this on a lot of RV's at Arlington last weekend and it seems to be that the windscreen falls just behind (maybe by about an inch or so) that subpanel row of rivets. Not sure if there is a right or wrong though.

Steve · #7 07-19-2007, 09:13 PM

This shows the side view (like on dwg 43) of the windshield. Note the aft side edge of the plexi is approx 1/2" below the forward skin. Dwg 43 shows the plexi tangent to the metal. Vans tech help says some overlap is OK.

Steve

Steve · #8 07-19-2007, 09:17 PM

This one shows the windshield forward edge just behind the sub panel rivet line.

http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/7300/img1518we8.jpg

Steve

Steve · #9 07-19-2007, 09:25 PM

The shows the windshield sitting on the roll bar in the free-state. No screws. No clips. Other than along the top of the roll bar and along the forward edge, there is an ever widening gap all around.

http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/7920/img1520du4.jpg

It's 95 deg in the hangar. It's too hot to paint the innside of the canopy aluminum. I'm leaving for OSH on Sunday.

Steve

lostpilot28 · #10 07-19-2007, 09:47 PM

Hi Steve,
I noticed that the other RV's I've looked at had the windscreen trimmed with the forward edge just behind the sub-panel row of rivets, too...but mine is forward of it about an inch. Because of the ambiguous nature of the plans in this area I think it's going to be whatever the builder makes of it.

I think the reason mine turned out this way is because I chose to trim the aft part of the windscreen (the "big cut" line) to align with the roll bar. I am guessing that most builders leave the "big cut" alone and trim the forward edge of the windscreen back instead. Doing so will let the bottom aft corners of the windscreen line up with the roll bar and also bring the forward edge behind the row of sub-panel rivets. I guess I'm a backwards thinker.

However, I think either way works fine, and I actually may have a slightly more aerodynamic windscreen than the other guys. I suppose if you measured from the "big cut" to the forward edge of the windscreen I would have an extra inch or two. Anyway, it's just the way I went about it...probably would've been easier to do it the other way, though.

Steve (the "other" Steve), those are some nice looking straight lines you've got on your windscreen. I think I'll run out to the garage and spend an hour or so sanding my edges and try to make them look as good as yours (if that's even possible)!