I did receive and email back from vans today. They said to look around town for a TIG welder to weld it shut and redrill....or to buy a new part...200$
I have done this repair before...it is not too big of a deal.
1. Push out the bushings.
2. Have someone
good at aluminum welding, weld both holes for you.
3. Flat file the welds to make it a flat surface on both sides.
4.
This step is important Make two steel bushings that are 3/16" O.D and about 5/32" I.D. The actual I.D. isn't all that critical. You are going to use the bushings as a drill guide to drill undersized pilot holes in the ears of the frame. This will prevent you from messing up the holes in the UHMW blocks.
5. Do any necessary trimming on the canopy deck skin to allow you position the canopy more forward and properly align the ears of the canopy frame. You can mark the desired hole locations and then use a light and a mirror to view in the hole before you commit to drilling.
6. Climb in the airplane with an angle drill with a drill bit that matches the I.D of your bushings.
7. You and a helper set the canopy in place with you inside. Verify again with the mirror that it is properly located.
8. Have your helper tape the canopy tightly down to the fuselage with some strategically placed pieces of duct tape (primarily between the forward deck skin and the fuselage sides).
9. Drill the two holes through the drill bushings.
10. Remove the canopy. Enlarge the holes to proper size in a couple of incremental steps. Install bushings.
11. Continue building.