Brief Description: Fitting of new instrument panel blank
Fitted instrument panel blank in cockpit. found that the shoulder panels are about .5 inch Aft of the centre consol end and central instrument panel support. This affords an approximate 20 degree offset inboard of the instrument panel. As I was intending to make an aluminium panel from 3 mm 5050T5 I will have to redesign the mounts or stay with the laminated wooden panel and deal with the LH instrument panel (Flight instruments etc.) Plan A; Re amke a new panel in wood as per the manual.
Plan B; I could have a centre fixed sub- panel with the header tank sight guage, main tank fuel guage, Tacho Mixture, carb heat and trim fixed to the central support and centre consol, and have the right sub- panel cantered while the Six pack is flat facing and the LH shoulder sub- panel is either flat and steps fwd to meet the six pack sub- panel or cantered to the six pack sub- panel. The downside in going with the sub-panels is additional work and more importantly a weight increase.
Plan C; Cut the exsiting shoulder monts for the instrument panel and lign up a flat Aluminium panel. then glass the ''new'' shoulder support points in place.
I have some major rremodelling to do on the LH side of the cockpit to mount the brake master cylinders over /around the NACA vent as part of the La Rue dual hyd brake mod so the additional glass work will not be that much of a bother. I will run the options by the Tech advisor and APand see what they advise..
