Wed 14 December 2005 |
| I wanted to continue with the canopy frame work but needed to get everything tightly aligned. I therefore decided to use 6 #6 screws on the rear rib lightly. This enabled the tie plate to be drilled out to #30s, including the outboard locations. | 
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| With everything locked, I also drilled the canopy handle mounting block and tidied / edged the forward plate. I think we will probably keep it, it provides a better aesthetic finish and beefs up the center structure as a side benefit. | 
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| Also drilled and tapped the two strut mounting blocks. I'm not sure how / if we will use these yet but didn't take long anyhow. | 
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| The temps were in the low 30s (C) and continuing with the forward canopy. Using the palm sander I bevelled the front edge - this should help smooth the fibreglass filling / profiling. | 
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| The end of the afternoon was spent reviewing the canopy lift struts and canopy alignment / rear edge location. The standard strut configuration seems to result is a 'small' opening, one suggestion from other local builders is to switch the pivot points and use a longer / stronger strut. This is also meant to help reduce the final '2" inch' drop as the canopy closes. No decisions made yet, just researching and testing mock-up solutions. | 
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| This is the rear edge - just under an 1" to remove. We will probably wait until the forward skins are complete and the plexi is mounted on the frame before cutting. It should be good and solid and make working with it simpler. | 
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