Brief Description: Continued hinge blocks, release mech. installation
Contiunued fabricating and making up the canopy hinge blocks in the UHMW material provided. This involved trimming the blocks (which was odd since Vans usually supplies them precut at the right size) which was an absolutely nightmare, without a proper saw this took some time and even more time to get the cut even and a smooth finish, all by hand. The material is a non-abrasive and resists grinding and cutting and shapinp. Eventually I had the 4 blocks made up and drilled and dry fitted to the subpanle structure where they were match-drilled. I am following the popular much easier, more accurate method of hinge location and drilling as laid out on VAF forums by other builders which departs from Vans method from the start but before I focused on that I installed the canopy release machanism starting with the block - here again I found Vans instructions to be flawed where nutplates werenow required on the insed of the channel already riveted to the back of the subpanel! I had to devise another way to install the block so I cut two opening holes in the subpanel face which allowed me access to two bolts which were pushed into the channel holes match-drilled for the block, the blockl was then slipped onto the bolts and the fitting secured with washers and nuts - a far stronger fitting anyways but I could have been saved a lot of hassle and two nuts and bolts had I known to put the nutplates on the channel before installing it.
