Well, I'm a fair amount into the new canopy build. I've decided I'm definitely using Sikaflex, and have the materials on the way.
I'm having trouble believing how easy this is. The canopy frame was a near perfect fit right out of the box. I spent maybe a couple of hours getting it tweaked to line up perfectly, and doing some careful filing of excess material off of a few welds. The canopy itself dropped into place with zero trimming, and even the hole for the handle was already drilled. It appears to have a light tint to it, though I haven't compared it to the old one side by side yet.
Last night I fluted the C-1203 attach angles, it was easier than I thought to get them matched perfectly to the frame side rails. If I get good enough weather to shoot primer and paint it should be ready for Sika this weekend - though we'll be gone for a funeral, so it will have to wait a bit longer.
The skirts have prepunched holes for the screws I won't be using. I don't really feel like cutting new skirts, but maybe I should. I'm thinking I'll let the Sika fill the holes, and use a razor to shave it flush before painting. I don't know that I'll be able to get it completely invisible after painting, but it won't be as noticeable as screw heads. I don't want the paint cracking though.
The new rear canopy seal uses an aluminum strip (C-1221) that's supposed to slide under the nuts on the screws that won't be there. The old canopy didn't have anything there. I haven't decided for sure what to do about that. I could possibly use flush rivets to attach a strip for the seal... will evaluate that tonight when I put the frame back on the airplane for some final drilling.