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Fiberglass fairing repair

Kbolvin

Member
Does anyone in the Minneapolis MN area have the experience or know of someone who can rework the vertical/horizontal Stab fairing of my 14 a bit. It does not conform to my horizontal stab in the front and I don’t think I want to make it worse by my limited glass skills. Thanks.
 
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I’ve never posted an image so not sure if this worked. Anyways, there’s a pretty good gap between the horizontal stab and the fairing on both sides. I had to cut away parts of the front of the fairing around the leading edge to get it to fit. Not sure a hair dryer can fix that big of a gap but worth a shot.
 
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It looks like you have pop riveted the faring on? The 14 parts are not perfect but light years ahead of previous models. Drill out these pop rivets and then place it on the fuse without any pressure and send another picture. There is some glass work required to make these things fit perfectly. You can not force them into place. DO not use a heat gun, it will only lead to more distortion.
Find a multiple builder and get him to show you how to do this.
This is a project that will take an hour a day for a week or so. There is no shortcut to making glass parts fit well.
If you are unable to find a local experienced builder send me a private message and I can talk you through this
 
The fairing is screwed on not pop riveted.

I found a boat fiberglass guy who?s agreed to take a look at this to see what he can do.
 
Looks like you could cut the fwd half of the horizontal part that fastens to the stab apart from the rest of the fairing. Fasten it down to the stab and glass the gap. Other ideas??
 
Yeah that?s the first thing I thought of. Cut it just behind that most forward screw and then replace with a wet layup connected to both the fuselage portion of the fairing and the stab portion. I?m hoping the boat fiberglass repair guy has this skill because I?m not sure I can pull it off without making a mess. But if he?s not game, I?m going to have to give it a try myself since I can?t leave like it is.
 
Just be aware that fiberglass work for boats is different than fiberglass work for airplanes. Weight is important! I’ve done both, and there is a totally different mindset for each. I’d find an experienced airplane fiberglass guy to help you learn the fundamentals. Fortunately, there is a great RV building community in the Twin Cities! I’d suggest posting a new thread with a title something like “Looking for some Fiberglass help in the Twin Cities area” and see if you can’t smoke someone out.

What you’ve got doesn’t look bad - you just need someone that has been there to show you the ropes.
 
I say again. Before you do anything drastic, use a heat gun to bend down that area which is too high. Hey, I built a fiberglass airplane. I know this stuff.
 
Possibly dumb question----are there shims that are to be installed under the front spar mount for the H stab?

If so, are they in place?

The gap in the photo seems to be quite a bit more than normal, just be sure all the structure underneath is correct before you start "adjusting" the fairing.
 
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