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102. Glue pieces of 1/8" sheet to the fuselage top. (Do Step 43 before this one)
103.
a. Position the top & canopy on the
fuselage.
b. Outline the position of the plastic
fuselage top and canopy on the
top of the fuselage with pencil.
(Read note below.)
c. Carve to shape.
NOTE: The plastic top has a
tendency to "suck in" along the
bottom after molding. Plan the next
steps to correct this by spreading the
sides out slightly to a pleasing
contour as the gluing rails are
installed. (The canopy does not have
this problem.) Also, look ahead to
pictures of former FT which must be
worked, into the assembly at the
same time.
104.
Final shaping of the nose is best done with the cowl in place, sanding both fuselage and cowl to blend smoothly together.
Be sure and use fine sandpaper to remove any scratches left in the cowl after shaping.
We covered the fuselage at this point with Koverall and doped it several times so that these jobs did not have to be done
with the plastic top installed and in the way. You may want to do some plastic film covering at this point.
105.
a. Trim the front rail at an angle to fit against the front of the top.
b. Pin on the 1/8" sq. side gluing rails, using the lines as a general guide, with the angle of the pins inward. Sit the top
in place and see if the spread of the sides of the top is about right. If not, re-pin the rails and try again.
106.
Bevel the edges of FT to fit inside of the back of the plastic top. This operation must be done in conjunction with the gluing
rail installation. When everything is fitted, FT can be glued in permanently.
Sig-Ment may be used to fasten on the fuselage top. Don't put on large blobs - they may melt the plastic. Work quickly
or the Sig-Ment will get too dry and not stick properly. "Super" cyanoacrylate glues are handy for attaching the top. Put
it in place and run the glue under the seam between the plastic and the gluing rail. Or use slo-set glue, put on the rail
before adding the top.
107.
Taper the gluing rails for the canopy so that it fits against them snugly. The canopy must be trimmed down slightly to fit
properly against the fuselage top. Both the back and bottom can be trimmed to get this accomplished. Do not install the
canopy permanently until it is painted and the fuselage is completed and painted or covered. See the canopy painting
section for information on glues and paints to use.