Interior covering for upper longeron

[jsisk]

The RV-14 canopy rests on the upper longeron assembly when closed. It is typically painted but subject to a lot of scuffing and wear. I ordered the Classic Aero interior, including sidewalls, but they do not cover this area. I found an inexpensive, thin EVA plastic sheet, actually intended for lining shelves that seemed a good candidate for this project. The other component is a very thin double sided adhesive, 3M 300LSE. Portions of the sidewall must be removed so the material can fit down under the top of the sidewall trim, more involved on the pilot side. I found putting the double-sided tape down first works best. Then fit & trim the plastic sheet using scissors and hobby knife.

Attached are some pictures of the process and results.

 

[N14KR]

Looks really great! I'll definitely be referring back to this post when ready to consider the same in the future.
Thanks for sharing all the pics.

 

[MED]

Looks nice, but will the plastic potentially collect moisture underneath, possibly leading to unseen corrosion? Maybe I am too paranoid.

 

[jsisk]

Since the surface below is primed and painted, I would not think so. Just my opinion. I did consult with Classic Aero about covering this area. They did not express a concern. Perhaps someone who is expert is such things can offer their analysis.

 

[MED]

Since the surface below is primed and painted, I would not think so. Just my opinion. I did consult with Classic Aero about covering this area. They did not express a concern. Perhaps someone who is expert is such things can offer their analysis.

I didn’t realize it was painted beneath the plastic. Should be fine.

 

[dmattmul]

Self adhesive leather

This also works pretty well. Perfect width and just trim with an Exacto. I found it easier to drill out the chrome alignment bracket and re-rivet. Primed and painted underneath but after a year was seeing signs of scratching. Imposible to protect unless one uses clear vinyl over the top to protect or powder coated.

 

[jsisk]

This also works pretty well. Perfect width and just trim with an Exacto.

I was going to use that, but staff at Classic Aero suggested it would be easily damaged. Looks good though.

 

[dmattmul]

1 year (220 hours) and ok so far

It seems to be holding up much better than my paint and figured if I needed to replace easy enough. Lots of color choices. Probably took all of an hour to install. Being self-adhesive makes the process pretty easy. Your method also looks good and definitely needs something to protect the longeron.