Aftermarket
Eyebrow Windows
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Bobs ship with his new windows installed.
As of 1/1/06 the price Bob St.Denis paid was $50.00 for the kit for the new windows plus delivery to Florida which brought it to $65.00.
Bob also noted that Lowes sells a Lucite sheet .080" big enough for two windows for $10.97 and that the big secret to working with this stuff is "HEAT" in moderation but keep it warm!
The
directions for installing these windows were rewritten and sent to us
courtesy of Bob in Florida
Bobs
email address is stdenisr@se.rr.com
Bob's revised Waitman Eyebrow Window Kit Installation Instructions
1.Cut out the
paper "cutout template".
2.Transfer the
"cutout template" to either template plastic or thin metal
sheet to fabricate a more durable template.
3.Position the
cutout template 1.5" aft of the Plexiglas bubble windshield top
edge and 1.5" equally aft of the curved doorsill edge.
4.Mark cutout
area from template and check location both inside and outside for alignment.
5.Using the
provided window, fabricate a second template to replicate the window
including the holes (be careful not to damage the Plexiglas during
this process).
6.Using the
first "cutout template" centered on the second "glass
template" check for edge distance on drilled holes and align as
evenly as possible. Trace with permanent marker the "cutout
template" outline onto the "glass template". Mark on
both sides.
7.Place the
"glass template" on the inside of the fuselage and align
the fuselage cutout with the marked lines on the "glass template".
8.Select
several top edge holes and back drill from template. Temporarily
install round head #6 screws in drilled holes.
9.Select
several holes in the curved area and repeat drilling and temporary
securing. Verify continued proper overall alignment.
10.Complete
drilling of remaining holes.
11.Remove
temporary fasteners and template.
12.On scrap
piece of fiberglass (e.g. cutout section) drill several holes and set
up micro countersink cage for proper countersink depth.
13.Countersink
fuselage holes and verify with sample screw.
14.Break and
lightly sand edges of window.
15.Using
countersink, by hand, carefully deburr and break edges of holes in window.
16.Heat (warm)
Plexiglas window to make it slightly pliable.
17.Apply RTV
sparingly to edges of cutout fuselage.
18. Apply easy
pressure to form window to avoid cracking.
19.Install top
row of screws first and lightly snug up.
20.Install
fasteners in curved area next. Keep Plexiglas warm with heat gun to
assist in achieving a smooth bend. Do not use excessive heat!
21.Once all
fasteners are installed systematically tighten all hardware. Do not
over tighten!!
22.Clean any
excessive RTV, careful not to smear.
23.The window
should be cleaned like any aircraft window with a good quality cleaner/polish.
24.All
scratches can be removed as you would for all Plexiglas aircraft windows.
25.If a small
crack occurs in the screw hole to the edge it can be cemented with
acetone or special acrylic cement. Be careful using acetone, as it
will smear the surface of the acrylic window.
26.Replacement
windows can be fabricated from the "glass template" using
Lucite .080" available from Lowes or Home Depot.
Here's a
little trick most people don't know about bending acrylics such as Plexiglass
or Lexan.
First heat the
side opposite of the direction you want it to bend. In this
case that would be the outside of the window until it just bareley
begins to bend. Next you heat it on the other side, which in
this case would be the inside of the window and it will begin curving
in that direction.
Try this out
on a few scrap pieces before you do it on the real thing. It's hard
to describe but once you try it you'll understand.
