New start on and old RV-6

Hi guys,

I recently picked up an older 6 that my grandfather started building back in '92. I plan on completing the airplane and hopefully he can see it fly and go for a ride. He is 84. I had previously built an RV-7 but sold the project before I completed it.

So for now I am going through all the parts and pieces, organizing as I go. The motor will be an O-320-E2A that I plan on overhauling this winter. The case is currently at DivCo and the steel parts are at AS in Tulsa. Not sure what I am going to do with the Cylinders yet.

Here is how she sits in my shop. My first big thing I want to tackle (besides the motor) is to replace the canopy. I do not like the way he tried to fiberglass the windshield fairing and he put quit a few scratches in the canopy. So I already got a price on a new one from Vans.

I know its a big job but has anyone had to replace their canopy before? I am wondering if I should just start drilling our the old one or just order the parts to build a new frame and go from there. (I also want to remove all that dark blue paint on the interior and repaint it light gray.)

Suggestions?

nippaero said:

Here is how she sits in my shop. My first big thing I want to tackle (besides the motor) is to replace the canopy. I do not like the way he tried to fiberglass the windshield fairing and he put quit a few scratches in the canopy. So I already got a price on a new one from Vans.

Click to expand...

Are you positive that canopy can't be saved? If the scratches aren't very deep they can be cleared up with a micro-mesh kit. The fiberglass appears to just need some additional work to finish it out. The canopy would need to be totally trashed before I would voluntarily build another.

Best wishes for an enjoyable project and hope your grandfather gets to enjoy the RV grin.

If the frame fits - replace canopy -

Having wrestled with building a tip up frame for my 7, if it fits to your satisfaction all around, then I would remove screws then see how stuck the canopy is to the epoxy fairing.

Actually, having spent some time lately in polishing, You might get some 320-400-800-1000-1500-2000 then some 3000 and 5000 trizak papers (all 3M wet-or-dry products)and wet sand the scratches out. A half sheet of each should do every thing you need. Then use 3M buffing compound. I'll get the numbers if you need them. Use some baffle material for a rubber backer. Start with the 320, move to 220 if really needed, but no more coarse than that, and see if you get to the bottom of the scratches. Always wet sand, and alternate sanding direction by 90 degrees for each successive grit, ensuring none of previous sanding is visible. I did this to a bad scratch on a tip lense and it is now invisible.

Edit - you can start with 1000 and move down to avoid wasting time on a shallow scratch.

my 2cents

On the interior paint, I've just finished painting the interior removable parts and used a Dupont Imron 3.5 Polyurethane with reduced gloss, a satin finish, in a light grey code CAS779...came out nice - cockpit interior next. I wanted something very durable for the long term and apparently this paint is something akin to what local folks use when re-painting their tractors - again, durability was my goal. It matches well to the Telegrey 2 powder coating canopy frame, control sticks and so on.

You may find that solvent alcohol will easily remove most, if not all if the previous color, assuming it's not two part epoxy.

It's hard to get a good photo of the scratch but here is the best I could do. The scratch is right in the line of site of the pilot. It is deep enough that you can run your fingernail across it and feel the ridges.




I am not sure this will come out by buffing but maybe it is worth a try. I do have a couple of these Micro-Mesh kits that are unused.

http://www.aircraft-specialties.com/micro-mesh-kr-70-acylic-restoration-kit-kr-70/

I am sure these would probably come out.



Posterman,

I'll look into the Dupont Imron 3.5 Polyurethane you mentioned. The plan right now is to remove as much of the old paint as I can and prep it for new paint.

Errant sanding disc!!

Couple of things - -
Yes it will come out, you can start with 320grit sanding by hand 90 deg to the scratches, the downside is that there might still be a ripple with that much material removal. Hard to tell, but it will definitely come out.

I got a kit for restoration of my headlight lense. It had a clear paint, like a clear POR15, if that means anything to you. The kit was called Headlight Restore Kit at the auto body supply store. Link

I don't know about the compatibility with plexiglass, but I asked for the MSDS and they sent me 4 emails to see if i was happy with their service, so you might get a good response with a phone call. I have not used this stuff, so no data. The kit was about $20 and had a 1/4 pint can. If it works, maybe an air brush, or artists brush with multiple coats, then sand flat and polish from there.

Sam Buchanan said:

Are you positive that canopy can't be saved? If the scratches aren't very deep they can be cleared up with a micro-mesh kit. The fiberglass appears to just need some additional work to finish it out. The canopy would need to be totally trashed before I would voluntarily build another.

Best wishes for an enjoyable project and hope your grandfather gets to enjoy the RV grin.

Click to expand...

I agree with Sam.

Even after seeing your photos, repair is very possible.

I prefer THIS KIT, over micro mesh, after doing the initial sanding.

When sanding just keep in mind that to avoid inducing distortion, you must blend over a large area. For the heavy scratch that would mean sanding / blending at least 3-4 inches each side of it.

just my silly observations

if you go to the trouble to strip and repaint the interior, think hard about colour.
when sitting in any vehicle surrounded by glass, but especially your tipper, you are going to see a perfect reflection of the interior, on the inside of the 'glass.
the darker it is, the less you seem to see.
charcoal or flat black pretty much disappear under typical lighting conditions....making it MUCH nicer to look out.

When flying, or trying to take a photo thru the canopy, all I see are the myriad shapes of my light beige cockpit interior reflected back at me.
....I don't see how this is desirable, but hey, that's just my silly $.02

rvbuilder2002 said:

I agree with Sam.

Even after seeing your photos, repair is very possible.

I prefer THIS KIT, over micro mesh, after doing the initial sanding.

When sanding just keep in mind that to avoid inducing distortion, you must blend over a large area. For the heavy scratch that would mean sanding / blending at least 3-4 inches each side of it.

Click to expand...

I was using micro-mesh in a generic sense, go with the kit and technique Scott recommended. I would do a ton of sanding, buffing and fiberglass finessing before giving up on the canopy. Bet you can save it.

Sam Buchanan said:

The canopy would need to be totally trashed before I would voluntarily build another.

Best wishes for an enjoyable project and hope your grandfather gets to enjoy the RV grin.

Click to expand...

I second that! Canopies suck. If you're worried about the cosmetics of the fiberglass, you might want to show it to a local automotive repairman to see what they can do to clean it up with some good quality bodywork. Our paint guy works wonders with fiberglass and he'll get my canopy when I'm done trying to break...er...assemble it.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! I'll let you know how it goes and what I decide. I am sure I'll have lots of questions.

nippaero said:

It's hard to get a good photo of the scratch but here is the best I could do. The scratch is right in the line of site of the pilot. It is deep enough that you can run your fingernail across it and feel the ridges.

I am not sure this will come out by buffing but maybe it is worth a try. I do have a couple of these Micro-Mesh kits that are unused.

http://www.aircraft-specialties.com/micro-mesh-kr-70-acylic-restoration-kit-kr-70/

I am sure these would probably come out.

Posterman,

I'll look into the Dupont Imron 3.5 Polyurethane you mentioned. The plan right now is to remove as much of the old paint as I can and prep it for new paint.

Click to expand...

Those look they are from a cut-off wheel and I don't believe that you can remove them with sandpaper without creating a real Optics/distortion problem. I suspect that those are 20-40 thou deep and that is a lot of removal for plexi. I am not an expert, but believe that anything other than light removal (i.e. few thou) causes distortion. I would consult with a glass or acrylic shop that does this for a living. I believe you may be able to fill these then sand / polish without the distortion issue.

Larry

Do not be discouraged from trying a repair of the canopy Mike.
It is very possible with the right technique (pretty much the case with everything we encounter while building an airplane right?).

What Scott said

i agree with Scott. Take your time and try and repair the scratch. Who knows, you may get it out to your satisfaction. If so, it would be a Hugh time and money saver. The rest of canopy looks good. Hate to see all that work go to waste over a reparable scratch.
Good luck!
Cj