[Bubblehead]

I am working on a way to seal the back portion of the RV-8/8A canopy better and need a tracing of the frame aft of the two WD-819G aft gussets.

If someone in the Dallas-Fort Worth area has the frame without the canopy installed I can come by and trace it myself. If you are not in the DFW area I'll pay for postage and materials if you would use some cardboard or poster board or foam core or other suitable material, lay it over the aft portion of the frame, trace outside the tubing, and mail it to me. I'll use your tracing to make a template to fit my canopy and then use the template to make an inexpensive mold and pull a couple of fiberglass parts this winter.

It seems that the one best place to compress a seal in the back is below the aft bow when the canopy moves the last inch into engagement. If I can seal above the frame with a light fiberglass panel, and then use foam below the aft bow, I may be able to eliminate or at least reduce the cold air blowing against the passenger's neck this winter.

 

[Bubblehead]

Bumping this back up. I'm sure someone has a canopy frame they could trace, although a lot of people are obviously at Oshkosh this week.

 

[Bubblehead]

Maybe now that we're all back from Oshkosh

bumping this back up

 

[Veetail88]

Not so sure it would work.

Dear Mr. Bubblehead,

I do indeed have the frame you are looking for and have not installed the canopy to it yet, (gotta get that done before the weather cools) but I'm not so sure you want is going to be accurate enough.

From my readings and experience making mine fit the fuselage correctly, I understand that while all the frames from Van's are close, that no 2 are exactly the same. There is a tolerance on the way the tubing flexes back after being in the welding jig and in the actual bends of the radii that makes them all a bit different.

It sounds like you are going to try to make a precision fibreglass part for your frame based on a different one, and that dosen't make a lot of sense to me.

Of course, if you really think it will work, I could trace mine and probably scan it into a PDF file that I could e-mail you. You could have it plotted at a Kinkos of something like that.

Let me know.

 

[Bubblehead]

A tracing will be just fine. I really just need a starting point. Once I have the tracing I'll cut and trim and fit a piece of thin foam for my particular airplane. From that I'll make the part.

If you scan it, please scan a scale along with it so that I make sure the scale is correct when I print it. Or fold it up and send it to me. I'll pm my address to you.

I appreciate the help!