Cabin Doors

Started my cabin doors yesterday. I have been putting this off till the end because they looked like they would be a pain. I was right, after about 15 hours both doors are bonded and one has been trimmed to fit. Tomorrow I will trim the second door and start attaching the hinges.

I can tell the seal is going to be a problem. I recommend not using the trim line on the canopy for trimming. Use the inner door shell as a template.

Pat Stewart

I trimmed door #2 today, it went much better than door #1 however still a nasty job with lots of fiberglass trimming and sanding. Did not get to the hinges, the mother-n-law wanted a ride in the J3 which took me away from fiberglass work, tough option.

Tomorrow I will start the hinges and then on to the latch mechanism. These doors are labor intensive, I would estimate at least 40 hours for each door before they are finished.

Pat Stewart

They are definately a PITA.

Pat, Out if interest - we have logged 93 hours on the doors, including making our close out rings A lot of time goes into the final fitting and trimming and "gapping" around the edges. And then comes the finishing touches to make the window/door joint smooth.

Doors

Jan,

Current status is both doors are trimmed, fitted and hinges attached. I currently have about 30 hours total in the doors. I still need to remove the doors, build and install in latch assembly's (Hendrick's), Install the windows and of course do all the filling and sanding to make sure they blend well with the canopy. I'm estimating 80-100 hours total on the two doors.

Pat

Your estimate is still under by a factor of 2. The latches take a lot of time, even more when you drill the holes in the cabin top for the latch pins. Then you find out that all of your trim work is still not done as you need to make more adjustments. And then there is the lift strut.....

Gluing in the window is the easiest job. Good luck.