GPS Puck, Fan Covers, and AOA Mount

The covers I ordered for the defrost fans arrived today. I installed them to make sure of the fit, perfect. I will paint them to match the matte black of the rest of the build. I originally had planned to mount them on the top of the glare shield but quickly decided I liked them better mounted underneath.

 

The next task was to fabricate a mount for the GPS puck. I wanted to mount it so I could remove the glare shield without having to remove the GPS puck. I need to put sides on it yet.

 

 I cut out the area behind the puck mount for the AOA cable and the GPS wire. Once the glare shield is covered, I'll add a bit of trim to prevent wire chaffing.

Next, I had to build up the area for the rear attach points of the AOA because the glare shield slopes down from the panel. So, I mixed up some resin and cut some pieces of fiberglass to lay up a ridge for the back of the AOA mount to rest on. Tomorrow I'll drill and mount a couple of lock plates for the screws. I'll mount a couple of wire keepers to hold the AOA cable in place.

Next will be a front cover for the gap, probably will make a fiberglass piece to fill the gap from the puck mount to the fire wall.

Glare Shield and Defrost Fan Continued...

Accomplished several things today. First, I trimmed the front of the glare shield to clear the windshield former. I'm still not 100% how I'm going to attach it or at least stop it from moving up and down there? 

Second, I cutout the holes for the defrost fans and mounted them. I have covers on order and will fit them when they arrive.

Third, I glassed in around the structure that protrudes through the glare shield. I had over cut it and needed to fill in to start over. Got it done. I have a little sanding and touch up to do yet but it is much closer to the finished product. I'm still thinking about a cover for the  center section and I also have to fabricate a platform for a GPS puck, I'll probably mount it to the lower cross members forming the X in the center in between the fans.

Starting to get cramped in underneath the glare shield. RIGHT SIDE

More stuff in the way on the LEFT SIDE

Glare Shield Tabs and Defrost Fans

I managed to get the glare shield tabs cut/bent and cleco'd in place. I think I can make this work and will look pretty good when finished. Now, I need to remove them sand and primer them then I'll reinstall them permanently. I also figured out where the defrost fans would go and drilled the holes for them. I then cut some 6 inch square fiberglass pieces as doublers on the bottom for strength. Scuffed/cleaned and epoxied in place. Waiting for them to dry, then I'll use a hole saw to drill out the opening for them. They mount on the bottom of the glare shield. I've still got some overall trimming and fitting to do but getting there...

Glare Shield Trimming

I spent some time removing the mold and all the tape/Styrofoam/Super Fill dust and cleaning up the avionics/engine. 

Afterward, I started trimming the glare shield. I got the panel side trimmed close but left enough for final sanding. I drilled the screw holes thereby setting the placement of the glare shield. I also trimmed the sides and will have to add some material to extend them down a little bit. This is because the boot cowl has a thin profile when mounted and won't cover the sides of the glare shield as they are now. Just trying to make it look finished. I also have quite a bit of work to mount the defrost fans and get the front trimmed and mounted to the windshield former.

I've got some trimming to do on the sides for the wires.

Did some final trimming this afternoon. Got the panel edge done to my liking. The front and sides are trimmed and sanded.

I made clearance cutouts on the sides where the antenna wires run. Now to figure out how to attach it to the windshield former.

Glare Shield Fiberglass

I finally got around to fiber glassing the glare shield. It was a good call waiting for more resin. I would have run out about three quarters the way through the first coat of glass. Speaking of the first coat, I decided to stop and not put the second layer of glass on. After speaking with Paul and Terry about their Kitfox glare shield, which came with their kits, they said they were really flimsy. The glare shield is not a structural item, it's just there to protect the avionics from the sun. So, to save weight, I decided to stop with one layer. I'll see when I pop it off it that was a mistake. I can always add stiffener pieces if needed or even a second layer. It came out pretty good, I'll see how good when I pop it off and get it trimmed up.

Ok, I popped it off this evening, worked just like it thought it would. Took my time and used a putty knife and a long thin screw driver. I was also correct that one layer was enough, two would definitely be stiffer but one was enough. The curved sides give it some rigidity. Since I rolled the front edge over the panel, it gives me a cut line to follow. I'll trim it up in the morning. I'll glass in a couple of pieces underneath where I plan to install the defrost fans to give those areas a little more meat.

Panel Side

Front

Left Side

Right Side

More Gare Shield

This morning, I cut the two pieces of chopped strand fiberglass for the glare shield and trimmed them to fit. Then I realized that I may not have enough epoxy resin to do the complete job and don't want to take the chance of running out before finishing. So, I've ordered more but it won't be here for a week. :(

The second piece ready to go.

Glare Shield Test

Ok, I wanted to test out whether or not the clear packing tape would release the fiberglass. So I made up a test piece using a small box I had in the shop. I taped it up as I have the glare shield mold. I then cut four pieces of the chop strand fiberglass into similar sized pieces. Mixed up some epoxy resin and started laying the fiberglass down on the box. I stopped with three pieces to see if that would be strong enough figuring I could add another piece later if needed. I whetted the fiberglass really well and used my roller to squeegee out as much resin as I could giving the fiberglass a nice smooth even finish.

After several hours in the 100+ degree heat I popped it off without any trouble. Came off perfectly. I couldn't be happier. So, tomorrow I'm on to the glare shield.

Three layers after whetting out.

Another shot after whetting out.

The top after popping it off the box.

The bottom, you can see the tape overlap stripes. They do not translate to the top and can't be seen from the top side.

I will only use two layers on the glare shield as I believe that will be plenty strong and will save some weight.