One of the primary causes of
cracks in plexiglass is the fastener touching the edge of a hole. To
eliminate this, I overdrill each attach hole.
Into that hole I insert a
bushing cut from a piece of tubing.
The screw is then treaded into
the hole.
Result is the screw holding down
the plexiglass and the bushing.
To avoid crazing of the rear
window by fuel reaching an unprotected edge, I loosened all the screws and
used wedges to hold the aluminum off the edge of the window. I then
used a syringe to inject fuel tank sealant all along the edge.
This is what it looks like from
the inside. I had previously painted the mating surface black on the
outside of the window to hide the sealant. It turned out nice.
While waiting for the avionics
kit to arrive, I decided to create a storage compartment over the spars.
This is where I will store a small tool kit, my tie down kit, and some
cleaning products.
Keeping a wary eye on adding any
weight to the airframe, I used some .016 aluminum sheet to build a hinged
panel.
Total weight of all the panels,
hardware, paint, carpet, etc was 1 lb, 13.8 ounces.
I cut a small piece of
lightweight carpet for the floor of the spar box. This is just to keep
stuff rattling around in flight.
I also applied a small D-shaped
weatherstrip to the aft edge since my door panels will rest on this edge.
Again, this is to keep the rattling down.
The panels go together very
quickly and are held together with hinges.
The door uses two winged camloc
fasteners to hold it closed.
Overall, I think this looks more
finished, which I like. It comes apart very easily and very quickly
and provides a hiding space for some of the items that are commonly carried
all the time.
Last step is to install the
interior. Those pictures can be found on the next page.
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