sliding canopy tips

[JimWoo50]

Just getting started on the canopy and was hoping some of you builders out there can give me some pointers. It has me somewhat intimidated since a number of my friends flying 6's say that the canopy is the one aspect of the aircraft that could have went better.

[FrankK90989]

Finished my 9A slider a little while back and have had no trouble. No frame cutting, no jumping, no welding, no blasting. Just a little tweaking. I think the 9 parts fit better than the other models.
I cut the plexi with a 4.5 angle grinder with a cutoff stone, trimmed with a belt sander (coarse belt) and finished with a palm sander.
One thing I did to get it sliding really smoth was to put a 1/16" delrin pad on the wheel mount on each side (between the track and wheel mount)this holds the wheel dead center. I also made the rear skirt of fiberglass.
Just take your time and plug away.
Frank Wiring
-4.7F. last night

[petehowell]

My 9A slider frame was a "bit" more challenging. I jumped - bent - unbent that #$%^& frame for about 2 weeks before finally listening to a -9A builder (Vern Below) on this board. A local -6A builder then brought a torch over and we cut and welded it. After the cut and weld it was fit in less than 2 hours. The parts appear to be quite variable from ship to ship.

If I were to do it again - I would futz with it for 2 hours - it it did not fit, I would cut it at the back bow to side frame interface and make it fit and reweld. Prime - paint and be done with it.

This was the most frustrating part of the build to date - but it can be done!

[vlittle]

Pete's advise is good: Try to fit the frame. If it doesn't, cut and weld. It will save you a lot of pain and aggravation.

The aft skirt is best done with fiberglass. My technique was to lay up a layer of epoxy fiberglass on a piece of countertop laminate, waxed of course. Then, I cut this piece to the rough shape for the skirt (using the aluminum skirt template, but oversize to allow for taping it into place along the edges).

It's more flexible and easier to form than aluminum, and it can be cut and shaped/filled for a perfect fit. This piece is taped down all around, and several more layers of glass are layed up over it.

Once cured, then remove the whole shebang, trim to size and put back into place. Drill through the transparent layup into the (previously drilled) holes on the back bows and side skirts, countersink and rivet. Fill the rivets with micro and sand smooth. You can also mold a doghouse in place if you want.

A lot of work, but every day you make progress and the result is worth it.

Vern Little

FMI http://www.vx-aviation.com/rv-9a/pho...py_photos.html

[tommylewis]

Frank - you posted "One thing I did to get it sliding really smoth was to put a 1/16" delrin pad on the wheel mount on each side (between the track and wheel mount)this holds the wheel dead center"

What is a 1/16" delrin pad??

Tom Lewis
RV7a canopy

[mark manda]

Don't loose any parts. I can't find my tracks; when I finally need them. "UPS ground plz"

Keep fresh rubber in your rollers, my O-rings only lasted two years. (I built it two yrs ago and shoved it up above.)

I also used some Tinnerman washers I thought looked cool but I can't hide them now.

[FrankK90989]

Originally Posted by tommylewis

Frank - you posted "One thing I did to get it sliding really smoth was to put a 1/16" delrin pad on the wheel mount on each side (between the track and wheel mount)this holds the wheel dead center"

What is a 1/16" delrin pad??

Tom Lewis
RV7a canopy

Delrin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Delrin is the brand name for an acetal resin engineering plastic invented and sold by DuPont. Often marketed and used as a metal substitute, Delrin is a lightweight, low-friction, and wear-resistant plastic capable of operating in temperatures in excess of 90 degrees celsius (approx 200 degrees Fahrenheit). The Food and Drug Administration has approved Delrin for use in the food industry. Delrin was used by Mattel from 1968 to 1972 to produce the low-friction wheel bearings found on redline Hot Wheels.

It is also used extensively in paintball markers, where it is used to make bolts, rams and many other parts. Its low cost, adequate strength, light weight and self lubricating properties make it ideal for markers. Its competition in this area, Nylatron, while slightly lighter is more prone to swelling. A swelled part can make the mechanism impossible to operate and sometimes even damages the marker.

Other names for this compound include: polyoxymethylene (POM), acetal resin, polytrioxane and polyformaldehyde.

[JimWoo50]

I Have been fitting the canopy frame and am suprised it is so close; all I have to do is trim the tubes where the rollers insert by about a half inch.

[mark manda]

you might consider polishing your rails and the handle. only took a couple hrs.

[Bob Axsom]

Mark if you leave the latch arm as shown in your photo some day it will be unlatched with the rear of the arm pointing forward and someone (not you of course) is going to shove the canopy forward to the closed position but it won't get there. The end of the latch handle will cut into the windshield assembly. The lower surface should be cut off so that it tapers up enough to clear when that awkward moment arrives and the latch handle is pointed forward instead of aft during closure.

Bob Axsom