The plans for the canopy section are from 1997 and the instructions are from 2001, which means not a lot has changed in the canopy assembly since the early days of the RV-8. It also means that we are using the earlier Van’s narrative style – which I call, short and sweet! Below are the instructions for what I did tonight.
INSTALLING THE SLIDE RAILS Make the C-805 Canopy Slide Spacer as shown on DWG 46. The forward end must be trimmed as shown on DWG 46, Detail A. Bend and fit the C-804 Canopy Slide Cap to C-805.
So basically what I did was mark the forward end of the C-805 canopy slide spacer – the part that needs to be trimmed away. On a positive note, using the older plans will occasionally provide an upside surprise… when you grab the part that they tell you, you will have to “make” (bend) and it is already bent! Score one for progress! As the Canopy slide spacer was already bent, I just marked the forward end of C-805 and started grinding away the excess material that needed to be removed. I used the grinder, the scotchbrite wheel and the file. Next, I grabbed a section of 2” pvc pipe that I had laying around and bent the radius of the C-804 Canopy slide cap to the same radius as C-805. I conversed with my buddy Rob from Virginia for a second opinion – Thanks Rob! That’s about all for today – next I will drill the holes in the C-804/C-805 cap and spacer.