From: RWolf99@aol.com
Message-ID: <69.e5b22f1.276977a8@aol.com>
Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 20:08:56 EST
Subject: LNC2 Canopy Fitting
To: lancair.list@olsusa.com
Reply-To: lancair.list@olsusa.com
Mime-Version: 1.0

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I am partway through a dry-fit of my LNC2 plexiglass into the canopy frame.  
Right now the plexiglass is installed with the clecoes and area washers as 
per the manual.  The protectant has not been removed.  Some observations and 
factory comments to share with y'all.  I expect they will be generic to all 
Lancairs, not just the LNC2.

1)  Trimming the plexiglass was pretty easy with a Dremel tool equipped with 
a fiberglass reinforced disc.

2)  The resulting rough edge was handily smoothed out with a palm sander (the 
motorized kind) with 80 grit paper.  I did it once around, wiped it clean 
with a damp rag, let it dry and reinspected with a bright light.  I then 
touched up the few remaining nicks in the edge.  It's now quite smooth all 
around the edge.  All told, the sander was running for less than ten minutes. 
 

3)  I used four 20 pound bags of kitty litter to made a nice conformal nest 
for the plexiglass while I was working on it.  Covered it with a towel to 
keep from scratching the plexiglass.  Replaced the towels after the sanding 
was done to avoid scratches.  (My wife has six cats, so we'll use up the 
kitty litter fairly soon.  Might take a year's worth to close out a wing!)

4)  The clecos and area washers are quite easy to install.  Once again, this 
was a task I had been concerned about that turned out to be a trivial job.  
I've got them 6 inches apart and I get a very tight line-to-line fit on the 
inside.

5)  The outside is a different story.  When you look at the canopy from the 
outside, it fits well in the front and back, but there is a gap along the 
sides.  This is at the edge of the fiberglass along the sides, about an inch 
in from the edge of the plexiglass. The gap is as much as 1/8 inch between 
the plexiglass and the fiberglass.  It's line-to-line at the bottom of the 
gap where the clecoes are but at the top there's a gap between the plexiglass 
and the fiberglass.

6)  Mark Manke (sp?) at Lancair recommended the following.  First, get some 
expandable curtain rods similar to the pull-up bars that you install in a 
doorway.  This is a rod with rubber end cups that gets longer when you twist 
it (like a turnbuckle).  Put these on the inside to push the plexiglass into 
the fiberglass.  He also recommended that I replace the clecoes along the 
sides with 1/8 inch bolts and wing-nuts with area washers.  This allows a 
greater compressive force than a cleco and the area washer spreads it out.  
(Might also be a place where one of those inch-wide aluminum yardsticks might 
be handy, but that's my idea, stolen from Bill Rumburg...)  I'm to close it 
down as much as I can and fill in any remaining gap with micro later.

7)  Finally, he told me to use alcohol to clean the plexi prior to bonding.  
I knew MC and acetone were bad on plexiglass (in fact, MC is often used to 
glue plexi together) but I didn't know what to use.  Now I do.  Too bad I 
can't use vodka.  (One for you, one for me....one for you, TWO for me...)

8)  The canopy with the plexi installed is too heavy for the Pep Boys gas 
struts to hold up.  I'll have to reinstall the Lancair-furnished ones, which 
will require precompressing the struts somewhat.  Ric Argente told me he had 
good luck compressing them with those long clamps that have rubber ends, so 
I'll try that.

I'll be trying these tips this weekend and will report the results when I'm 
done.

- Rob Wolf
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Please send your photos and drawings to marvkaye@olsusa.com.
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