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Slider Canopy Frame Fitting

RV6A sliding canopy quamire

Appreciate the reading of this thread. I am also getting to know my canopy frame WAY TOO MUCH. Almost at a loss for words at this point. Yah, i think i'm close.... then reality sets in.

The side rails are super close (at least i keep teling myself that). The front bow is good to the front windscreen frame....slightly "taller" at the 10 & 2 positions (when viewed from the front). And the rear bow is an 1/8' below the aft skin. THEN.....then....then...the gap of the rear bow as it follows downward along the aft skin (both sides equally) gets bigger...and bigger....Then there i stand with the dumb look on my face (other option is to throw tools...which i refrain from as this hobby is kinda pricy).

(stop smerking Dave :)

Jerry
 
Bow

Appreciate the reading of this thread. I am also getting to know my canopy frame WAY TOO MUCH. Almost at a loss for words at this point. Yah, i think i'm close.... then reality sets in.

The side rails are super close (at least i keep teling myself that). The front bow is good to the front windscreen frame....slightly "taller" at the 10 & 2 positions (when viewed from the front). And the rear bow is an 1/8' below the aft skin. THEN.....then....then...the gap of the rear bow as it follows downward along the aft skin (both sides equally) gets bigger...and bigger....Then there i stand with the dumb look on my face (other option is to throw tools...which i refrain from as this hobby is kinda pricy).

(stop smerking Dave :)

Jerry

How much taller @ 10 & 2 forward? A little may not be a problem but it does mean the canopy will be that much higher too.
The gap at the rear can be adjusted by spreading where it the gap starts getting bigger. Tiny bits. That does increase the width at the bottom so it has to be adjusted inward.
Pretty much any change effects the shape somewhere else so make small changes. You got this.
 
The problem is if you can't manage to figure out how to do localized bending then you will have difficulty achieving the fit that Van's suggests. This is what I finally realized. My problem was I couldn't figure out how to do these localized bends.

I think my current clearance at the rear bow when I slide the canopy back is somewhere between 1/16" and an 1/8". 1/8" is probably good enough. This is still a work in progress as I do the final shaping. I'm concerned is that 1/16" isn't quite enough.
 
Clearance

The problem is if you can't manage to figure out how to do localized bending then you will have difficulty achieving the fit that Van's suggests. This is what I finally realized. My problem was I couldn't figure out how to do these localized bends.

I think my current clearance at the rear bow when I slide the canopy back is somewhere between 1/16" and an 1/8". 1/8" is probably good enough. This is still a work in progress as I do the final shaping. I'm concerned is that 1/16" isn't quite enough.

If the bow slides back and clears the deck, it's enough. Canopy will spread it a little more. More forward than aft but it's suprising how much. Best to find out before. I recommend measuring before, clamp the canopy and measure again. That's partly why I had to layup a skirt. She's got muffin top! :D
 
My canopy frame is almost there. I'm still not sure who is going to be the winner me or that pile of steel tubing, but I think I've almost got it. I'm able to slide it back now without hitting the aft fuselage. At this point I'm mostly working on the shape of the rear bow so that it more closely matches the shape of fuselage skins.

I've also been working on the canopy side skirts. I have inner side skirts fabricated. I used 1-1/8" holes and they seem perfect. No problem with flexibility. The 1-1/4" holes were just going to be too big in my opinion.

I'm trying to figure out about the C-660 side skirt. I'd like to use the aluminum skirts if they work and save the fiberglass work for the other areas. After looking at DWG 41 and DWG 43 I still have some questions. Its not totally obvious to me how far forward the side skirt is supposed to go. Does it end up flush with the canopy on the forward edge? Also, why is lower area on the forward portion removed?
 

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I trimmed the sides of the canopy today. I cut them 5/16" above the top of the side bows. The canopy seems like it is pretty close now, but I still need to do some final fitting. I used some spacers cut from a paint stirring stick to simulate my Sikaflex gaps. Later I went to the auto parts store and bought some heater hose that I'll slice up for the real spacers.

I plan to use the inside canopy skirts (C-759) like Larry did on his install. I'm still trying to figure out the their exact placement and rivet arrangement. I clamped those in place and that looks pretty good too. I did have a question though on the Sikaflex spacing that folks are using. For the forward bow if I keep the 1/8" all the way down to the side bow area then it seems like the canopy will then be wider than expected due to the Sikaflex material and that could mess of the skirt fit. I was wondering if that is what folks did or did you let the gap go to zero as it reaches the side bow area to keep the canopy the right width?

I also realized today that I don't have enough spring clamps to do this job. One more trip to Home Depot.
 

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Spacers

I trimmed the sides of the canopy today. I cut them 5/16" above the top of the side bows. The canopy seems like it is pretty close now, but I still need to do some final fitting. I used some spacers cut from a paint stirring stick to simulate my Sikaflex gaps. Later I went to the auto parts store and bought some heater hose that I'll slice up for the real spacers.

I plan to use the inside canopy skirts (C-759) like Larry did on his install. I'm still trying to figure out the their exact placement and rivet arrangement. I clamped those in place and that looks pretty good too. I did have a question though on the Sikaflex spacing that folks are using. For the forward bow if I keep the 1/8" all the way down to the side bow area then it seems like the canopy will then be wider than expected due to the Sikaflex material and that could mess of the skirt fit. I was wondering if that is what folks did or did you let the gap go to zero as it reaches the side bow area to keep the canopy the right width?

I also realized today that I don't have enough spring clamps to do this job. One more trip to Home Depot.

Personally, I'm not a fan of forcing the canopy to conform to a defined spacer gap. I'm not an Engineer, but clamping it in localized areas seems like permenant stress points waiting to crack. I used very few clamps amd only a couple spacers. The plexi had one clamp fore and aft at center with a spacer to match the gap needed for the latch bushing.The plexi was then clamped along the sides with a long piece of 1-1/2X1/8" aluminum. The rest of the bow areas fore and aft were allowed to form a natural curve. Some places were zero gap. Some 1/8" or so. YMMV.
 
Personally, I'm not a fan of forcing the canopy to conform to a defined spacer gap. I'm not an Engineer, but clamping it in localized areas seems like permenant stress points waiting to crack. I used very few clamps amd only a couple spacers. The plexi had one clamp fore and aft at center with a spacer to match the gap needed for the latch bushing.The plexi was then clamped along the sides with a long piece of 1-1/2X1/8" aluminum. The rest of the bow areas fore and aft were allowed to form a natural curve. Some places were zero gap. Some 1/8" or so. YMMV.

I agree with Larry, and so does Jeff Rogers, owner of Airplane Plastics in Tipp City, OH. They manufacture our canopies we get from Vans. Jeff told me (more than once, since I’ve cracked two of them), do not allow the canopy to be attached to the frame with any fastener under stress. If you look at the canopy plexiglass at a tangent angle where the fastener is to be installed, and can see reflected light change because the canopy is deflecting even slightly, that is a stress point. If the deflection is too much, and it ain’t much, it will crack eventually. The only place the canopy will have to move a little inward is the sides where it attaches to the side skirt tubes. Don’t try to make the bubble conform to the frame on the rear bow, aft bow, or the center tube. Make the frame fit as close as you can to open and close smoothly without hitting the turtledeck skin, and use spacers as necessary so that the bubble attaches without stress pulling it in to meet the frame. I have spacers on all three of those tubes in various places. On the center tube, the bubble only made contact with the tube at the front and at the back when laying on the frame naturally. I used Silpruf to attach the canopy and fill the gap to that center tube, and also to fill the gap between the canopy and frame where the spacers were used on the front and back bow. I also “caulked” the frame to tube areas that didn’t need spacers to make it look nice and uniform. It comes in various colors. I picked one that closely matches the powder coat color on my frame.
 
Kitplanes

I would subscribe to Kitplanes and review the article written by Larry (wirejock). I followed it to the letter and my canopy came out great. It would have been better if I wasn't such an amateur.
 
Kitplanes

I would subscribe to Kitplanes and review the article written by Larry (wirejock). I followed it to the letter and my canopy came out great. It would have been better if I wasn't such an amateur.

Kitplanes would prefer subscribers, but I do post links on my blog (below) after they publish. They send me pre-production artwork. It's not the beautiful high resolution magazine artwork. Photos are not as sharp as the magazine.
 
I've read Larry's article several times. Very helpful info. The problem is magazines are not encyclopedias so its all of the tiny details that I'm trying to understand. Maybe that is just me. :D

I sanded the canopy edges to 800 grit yesterday so I think I'm done with the canopy prep for now.
 
Still inching forward with my canopy frame shape. I think I'm almost there. Did I say that before? At any rate, I wanted to thank you Paul for your lever idea. I made a slightly different version with the hole more in the center of the 2x4 that is about 30" long. That way I could use both arms to apply pressure during the "adjustment" process.

My "levers" are really simple. Drill a 1/2" hole near the center of the board then use the bandsaw to make a 1/2" slot from the edge of the board to the hole for the tubing. It allows localized pressure to be applied. The 2x4 is relatively soft so it compresses as you use it but that is fine so you don't damage the tubing. It did eventually split, but I just made another one and continued.
 
Canopy agony

I am at that stage in my build and have been poring over Larry's articles and these posts, reading them far more times than I thought possible. I spent 6 hours with my frame secured to a door and cabinet clamps bending it and then taking it off and finding no change. The canopy opens and closes fine right now. The rear seems too wide (0 or less gap on the right side and 1/4" on the left). I'm afraid if I do manage to bend it to the 1/16" gap, it won't open. And I'm afraid that it will never bend. This is a frustrating part of the build. I am thinking that fiberglass will cover a multitude of sins as far as the fitting goes. Aaarrrgh!
 
Bending

I am at that stage in my build and have been poring over Larry's articles and these posts, reading them far more times than I thought possible. I spent 6 hours with my frame secured to a door and cabinet clamps bending it and then taking it off and finding no change. The canopy opens and closes fine right now. The rear seems too wide (0 or less gap on the right side and 1/4" on the left). I'm afraid if I do manage to bend it to the 1/16" gap, it won't open. And I'm afraid that it will never bend. This is a frustrating part of the build. I am thinking that fiberglass will cover a multitude of sins as far as the fitting goes. Aaarrrgh!

Thanks for that.
I found the best method was 200 lbs and a pair of sneakers. I tried all sorts of contraptions and ended up just cussing, pulling and pushing. :D
It's scarry how much bend is required to effect a change.
Bottom line, make sure it will slide then squeeze it an extra 1/4" each side.
If you end up with "muffin top hips" (no offense) like Lucy, lay up a on piece fiberglass skirt and hide them.
You got this!
 
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