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Replacement canopy

joew

Well Known Member
All the previous threads are 2016 or earlier that I saw. I just completed the big cut and fear it may have not been done accurately as the canopy is not fitting the frame as it did before. So just in case, any ideas on replacements other than VANS?

Thanks in advance

Joe
 
As Joe mentioned, pictures will tell a lot more, but as I recall the big cut is only the preliminary step and lots of small cuts and tweaking is still there to get it to fit. Unless something is really amiss, I would not judge it based on the big cut
 
Canopy fit

The canopy fit is one of those things I found to be difficult to get right. I don't think there is any guarantee another canopy will be any better. I would try and make it work; I found the fiberglass fairings around the canopy can make up for a lot of "errors". And if you use sikaflex to attach the canopy and windscreen, even more poor fitting can be made to work. JMHO
 
Attached are some photos. The frame appeared to fit well (whatever that means). The curvature along the middle of the canopy frame was great, though the canopy at forward bow was about 1.5 inches high.

I thought cutting it would allow it to relax and come down. I emailed Vans who suggested the same thing. I made multiple adjustments, drew a reference line 3/32 from the frame forward bow and made the cut. It appears I nave have cut it too short. I have room in the back to slide the frame aft. If I do that, the gap gets larger in the front. If I set the front at 3/32 and clamp the canopy down, it rises about 1.5 inches in the back. Frustrating to say the least.

I do not have pictures after the cut. I’ll take those when I get home.

Appreciate the help
 

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It is too short. If I line up the hole (canopy latch), I do not get the edge distance. Sliding the frame forward to get the edge distance along the forward edge, the gap in the front or rear depending on what I clamp gets worse.

If I slide the frame forward, it appears it would fit better. Not sure WTH I did, but it’s cattywompus. That would explain why I have extra on the windshield
 
Attached are some more photos
 

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Joe,
Take a drive down to Tripp City, OH and talk to Jeff Rogers (owner of Airplane Plastics). He’s a very nice and helpful guy and can probably help you to save your canopy. If not they have “blems” if you only need the aft part, or front part. If so, you will need to deal with Vans on the purchase, but I’ve done that over the phone - twice. You’ll pay 2/3 of the canopy full price, but if Jeff isn’t busy, maybe he can trim it for you. I don’t want to speak for him, but he helped me out that way. Call first and bring your canopy and frame and they can put it in the mold to see how it lines up. They use the same mold for the RV6, 7, & 9 whether it’s a tipper or slider. You might be able to make what you have fit.
 
Canopy

Joe,
Take a drive down to Tripp City, OH and talk to Jeff Rogers (owner of Airplane Plastics). He’s a very nice and helpful guy and can probably help you to save your canopy. If not they have “blems” if you only need the aft part, or front part. If so, you will need to deal with Vans on the purchase, but I’ve done that over the phone - twice. You’ll pay 2/3 of the canopy full price, but if Jeff isn’t busy, maybe he can trim it for you. I don’t want to speak for him, but he helped me out that way. Call first and bring your canopy and frame and they can put it in the mold to see how it lines up. They use the same mold for the RV6, 7, & 9 whether it’s a tipper or slider. You might be able to make what you have fit.

That's as good as it gets. Same state! I agree. Jeff is good people. He helped me get the tint I wanted. SC-15 is awesome. Serious UV blocking.

It looks like you may have made the "Big Cut" in the wrong place. Good news is you have plenty for the windshield. I'm no expert but check out my Kitplanes articles. They may help a little.
Look under "Kitplane Tips"
http://wirejockrv7a.blogspot.com
 
Cutting

It does look like the big cut was made a couple of inches too far back. :mad:

I cut mine a couple of months ago and it turned out OK, although the centre line ended up being off-centre by 3/4", despite slow and careful measuring and double and triple checking. I think it is just a very tricky thing to get right the first time and there are no real good reference points on the canopy itself.

I found that the sides can pull in quite a bit after cutting, which helps to get the plexi to fit around the front and rear hoops, but the top can flex much less to be able to match the contour of the spine. The instructions say to slide the frame fore and aft to get the best overall fit, but the latch tube gets in the way, so I used shims of the same thickness at a couple of points to try and compensate. My cut line was further than 3/32" from the front hoop, more like 1/4", this was just enough to be able to trim back to an even 3/32" overhang after the canopy was drilled and cleco'd to the frame.

Good luck with v2!
 
My “version 2” followed what Larry recommends, and what I got from Jeff at Airplane Plastics and the West Systems specialist in Bay City Michigan. Jeff says - don’t fasten down the canopy ‘under load’, especially on that center spine of the frame. That’s where most slider canopies crack. If you have a gap - leave it, or adjust the frame so you don’t have a gap, but don’t pull down the plexi to the frame. That’s a load that will result in a crack, likely eventually. I have spacers in several areas around the front and aft bows of the slider frame, but on my center spine I used Silpruf to glue the canopy with no solid fasteners - as recommended by Jeff. My canopy touched the frame center spine at the front at the canopy latch, and at the very aft end. In the middle I had a gap of up to 3/16”. This was after ‘tweaking’ this flimsy frame for almost 3 months! I settled on one area being accurate - the canopy sides - and used spacers everywhere else I needed. The center spine has no spacers, just Silpruf, which is a glazing adhesive that remains flexible and is a very strong, long lasting adhesive. It is used primarily in glazing windows in sky scrapers, and on boats, and is what most Glastar builders use to attach their plexi windows and windshields - no solid fasteners anywhere. You could also use Sika instead with similar results. I used a combination of Silpruf and #6 screws on the front and aft bows of the frame and Silpruf only on the center spine. On the side skirt area I used #6 screws and a thickened west system epoxy, as recommended by West System. This epoxy also remains slightly flexible. All of the #6 screws all went in through larger 3/16” holes in the plexi, and tightened to finger tight only. Leaves room for plexiglass expansion.

The slider canopy is, in my opinion, the most difficult part of a side by side RV build, mostly because the frame is flimsy and doesn’t fit the variable airframe it is going on, but the end result is worth it. It is a personal preference, but I much prefer the slider canopy from an operational standpoint.
 
After action report

I spent most of the day with Jeff at Airplane Plastics- what a great guy, family and business. Though he had other things to do, he took time with me. My canopy was cut too short. He had a blemished one in stock. We pulled out old canopies that were cracked and checked the fit with my frame ( all were good). Confirmed the mold measurements and transferred the cut lines into the new canopy. And he helped me cut it (so it would fit in my truck for the trip home). Great company and great service. Although I wish I didn’t need his help- super glad he was there. Thank you for the advice.

Now I have a windshield for sale if anyone needs one!
 
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