Canopy Slider Track position?

[N804RV]

[RV-8]

Getting ready to drill the canopy slider track onto the fuselage. But, plans and drawings aren't really clear. Is the gap and the fore-aft position correct in the photos below?

(I know the left-right position looks slightly off in the first pic. I'll have to adjust that before I drill.)

Also, how the heck do you get the fastener in the forward hole? Is it even necessary?

 

[NavyS3BNFO]

Look pretty similar to mine. I don't think my gap was quite as big but pictures can be misleading. I assume you tapered the forward end of the slider rail according to the plans. You can play with it a bit to get the best fit but I assume you already did that.

Getting the forward most screw in was challenging. First you have to match drill the slider track to the recess. Then you have to get a screwdriver on the head of the screw to tighten the nut. I used a combination of wrenches and a the tip of a phillips head to hold the head of the screw while I put a socket on the nut on the underside. Thinking it over I wonder if some sort of screw with an allen head would work better since it would be easier to get an allen wrench on it.....

What helps slightly is the screw is perpendicular to the bottom of the recess no the top of the slider rail which gives you a few more degrees to play with.

Hope that makes sense. There are probably better ways to tackle this and maybe others will chime in but I don't think there is any right way to do it. The plans are definitely vague on how to tackle this one.

 

[PhatRV]

You need to get the plastic end piece into that slot before doing any drilling as I recall. The plastic end piece is what stops the canopy from sliding too far forward at closing. You may find that you will have some fitment issue if you don't. Take a picture after you fit that plastic piece in place.

 

[NavyS3BNFO]

I was able to fit the anchor block (C-806) after drilling the canopy rail to the canopy rail receptacle (F-882). You want to have the canopy frame on and fitted to align the pin in the canopy frame with the anchor block before you drill the anchor block for the two AN507 screws through the F-807 bulkhead.

 

[benjam]

Superglue the forward screw into the runner. It is then fairly easy to tighten the nut on the inside of the skin