Brief Description: Canopy Frame 9 - Another Fix Required
There are days when I just shake my head and say WTF... . My "glare shield e.g ''dashboard" over the instrument panel should look kind of symmetrical as you sit in the seats and look forward. The weldment tube supports the back of the canopy top skin and Vans has said in past to slightly file a weld that prevents nice fits. OK. Co pilot side rises a little. Thats ok. I can spread 2 inch rivet spacing across it and it won't matter much and the skin will lay down ok. The pilot side weldment is at least 1/8 inch too high and you can't just file it down. The canopy hinge arm is supposed to meet flush to the top of the cross tube and be welded underneath to the tube. Mine is welded on top of the matchup and it sticks up about 1/8 inch to boot. Positioning the canopy skin and drilling it into the tube towards that weldment every two inches will result in a ''hump'' over that weldment. That will look like crap, Even if I throw padding and some sort of covering on top of the canopy top skin the trailing edge will look like a speed bump. Jees. My brain knows what to do. I just hate getting it done. I'll have to take off the canopy frame, secure it on a piece of plywood, take it to an aluminum welder, and have him cut that pilot side hinge arm off the tube and reweld it down 1/8 inch so it is more or less flush with the tube top. Darn it anyways. I spoke with Vans and they said the proper fix is either to cut the weld and re-weld in proper position, or spend a fair amount of time making a gusset to rivet the hinge arm to its correct position.
Tried to snap one looking across the canopy frame tube. Not right.
Co Pilot weldment is barely acceptable. Not too much rise above the tube.
Pilot Side weldment is crap. See how high above tube it is?
