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Door alignment / fit

majuro15

Well Known Member
I have both doors trimmed and mounted now with the handles installed. I'm about to drill the holes into the fuselage for the pins but want to make sure I'm doing it right. I'm somewhat disappointed in the door fit though. My doors sit a bit lower the the cabin top on the curves but are even on the top and just proud at the bottom. I'm working with some washer combinations on the mounts but that won't fix everything.

Do folks just glob on the filler and start sanding? I had no issues bonding the doors together, it's almost like the molds for my cabin top and doors aren't the same! The biggest difference is 3/16" in some spots.

I just ordered the Cee Bailey's windows, should I wait until I have those to just put in place from time to time to help get a smooth profile as I fill in the low spots on the doors?

I'll post a few pictures tonight.
 
I would wait for final tweaking until the windows are in place. I found multiple places that need TLC. Many of the cabin covers have a flat spot between the rear window and the door that has to be built up.

Also, only use micro for very small areas. I used narrow fiberglass strips wherever possible for increased strength. Some places I needed to build up 1/8? to 1/4?.
 
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...Do folks just glob on the filler and start sanding? I had no issues bonding the doors together, it's almost like the molds for my cabin top and doors aren't the same! The biggest difference is 3/16" in some spots.

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I'll post a few pictures tonight.

Pictures will help. I don't remember any of my fit issues being that large.

Did you clamp/strap/etc. the doors to the cabin top when you drilled the halves together?
 
I did mine a couple of months ago. One door was pretty good, the other not as much, though probably only an 1/8" off in worst spot. Mine were clamped tight and cleco in spots. I think it has something to do with how the inner half is aligned with the top and the effect after mounting and finding a compromise, but not sure.

Only one thing to do at this point: Just slobber on the filler to make them level/flush. :) I would use epoxy with cabosil to get close. Once close, layer on the filler of choice. I work mostly with polyester fillers. 3/16" is too thick for pure poly filler, though it is done often. Others like Micro.

As others mentioned, there isn't really anything to do about the divot in the top between the rear window and door (B pillar for automotive types).

Larry
 
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Check

Are you absolutely sure that you have the hinges in the correct locations? The forward and aft hinges are NOT the same...
 
I'd like to echo what Bob just brought up. I was able to significantly adjust the fit of my doors by moving the hinges. I have one door that closes perfect and the other one is just a little off and I'm hoping to finalize it after I get my windows in.
 
Mine are about the same as the OP doors, but I put it down to the old green moldings... :)

I think some of my problem may be how I clamped the doors after bonding - if the clamps are a bit too far outwards from the door a little bit of a curve may be introduced.

Some shims under the hinges on the door side helped, and I think the worse error is just over 1/8 inch at the middle of the curve, front and rear. Like some of the earlier posters, one side is quite a bit better than the other even though I thought they were bonded the same.

Besides the filling needed, this error is starting to affect my next step which is the creation of an even 1/4 inch gap for the McMaster seals. Where the door is low in the middle of the curve more of the cabin gutter rail needs to be removed, seemingly to a knife edge in a few spots.

Just more glass dust I guess...:)


As a note to Bob's flat spot comment, all of the filling I need seems to be on the doors, not the cabin cover.
 
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Thanks for the help. I forgot to get pictures last night as I wasn't feeling well.

Yes, the hinges are in the correct location. Mine is similar as one door isn't as bad as the other. I used the cleco method with a few clamps as Justin Twilbeck and others did by clecoing the doors to the cabin top in drilled holes.

I think I'll have to lay up a few layers of glass then use filler. The worst door was made better with playing washer musical chairs last night.
 
Just got my finishing kit last night..

..and I'm not too excited about starting on my doors. Thanks for the insights. This will help me not get too agitated if/when I have spots that don't match up exactly.
 
I got reasonably good fit with my doors. I think this was in part due to the extra effort I put into securing the doors to the cabin top while bonding the two halves together. In addition to the clecos called out by the plans, I used duct tape to pull the doors securely into place all around the perimeter. Once the epoxy cured, when I removed the duct tape and clecos the next day, the doors laid flat against the cabin top.

Just a suggestion for those who haven't bonded the doors together yet.
 
I got reasonably good fit with my doors. I think this was in part due to the extra effort I put into securing the doors to the cabin top while bonding the two halves together. In addition to the clecos called out by the plans, I used duct tape to pull the doors securely into place all around the perimeter. Once the epoxy cured, when I removed the duct tape and clecos the next day, the doors laid flat against the cabin top.

Just a suggestion for those who haven't bonded the doors together yet.

Thanks for the post. Duly noted!
 
Worked very well for me

Use enough cleco's and I doubt you'll need to break out the duct tape. Very happy with the fit of my doors to the frame.
 
I'm honestly wondering if it's because I have a pink top and grey doors! Either way, some work to be done!
 
I don't think so.

Same molds are being used for the gel coated parts, as were previously being used for the non-gel coated parts

Are the old (c. 2005) green tops different?

The finish inside looks different and AeroSport talks about a different fit for their overhead console.
 
Are the old (c. 2005) green tops different?

The finish inside looks different and AeroSport talks about a different fit for their overhead console.

The console fit is an issue with the inside surface of the top. The inside surface is variable by the guy doing the layup. The mold is only for the outside surface. Can't speak for anything but the green tops, but it is clear these did not use a mold for the interior side .
 
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You know when you have a long day at work and are tired but choose to build an airplane when you really should be resting? That equals dumb ideas and ludicrous jumps to conclusions.

I only had two screws in each hinge on both doors and the cabin side of the hinges weren’t tightened. So, I got all that resolved and then went back and added two washers under the rear hinge of the left door and wow, the difference is night and day. I still have some low spots on the doors but the situation is 100 times better.

I feel like I got two weeks of work done in an hour tonight!
 
You know when you have a long day at work and are tired but choose to build an airplane when you really should be resting? That equals dumb ideas and ludicrous jumps to conclusions.

I only had two screws in each hinge on both doors and the cabin side of the hinges weren?t tightened. So, I got all that resolved and then went back and added two washers under the rear hinge of the left door and wow, the difference is night and day. I still have some low spots on the doors but the situation is 100 times better.

I feel like I got two weeks of work done in an hour tonight!

Since you're working on the doors, you'll give both weeks back pretty soon doing stuff you thought would take an hour. ;-)
 
Use enough cleco's and I doubt you'll need to break out the duct tape. Very happy with the fit of my doors to the frame.

As my finish kit arrives in a few weeks with the exciting anticipation of doing the doors. I like the idea and methodologies demonstrated in the apove photo. Where do the clecos along the sides go? Are the drilled into the side of the cabin top and the resultant holed filled?
 
Exactly, Mark. Use a hole finder to locate the ones in the fuselage sides.

This method helps match the cabin curvature exactly as the door halves cure up. Trimming later will let the door settle into the hole like a tapered cork, so remember that some possible shift can occur if all the subsequent iterative door trimming is done on the same 3 sides of the door vs all four. The tendency will be to allow the door to dangle in the doorway (on straps of aluminum held on with cleco's the way I did it) and trim ever more off the bottom and sides till drops into the doorway perfectly - except now it's lower in the doorway than you intended.

>> Trim the top edge, too, as you go - keep it centered! <<

Happily, I discovered this drift before it became too much and I lost too much of the bottom door lip. That would not have been good.
 
Mark, if you want to chat as you mentioned earlier on FB Messenger, say when. I didn't see your message for a good while. Happy to be of any assistance I can.
 
I used this method as well and liked it. I didn't use the hole finder to trace the edge of the door, though. I'm going to go back and do that as I created a bit of extra work on the cabin top sanding it down to fit the door on a 45. If using the McMaster Carr seal, there's no reason really to have the door edge on a 45 degree angle. Just get a good rounded edge and even gap allowing for paint.
 
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