Canopy Lock Rebuild

[daveb]

Got a perfect working canopy lock that I have to rebuild or move.

 

Long story short, old radio died, couldn't be fixed, got a borrowed Icom A200 fitted awaiting the new A210. It arrived, great radio - doesn't fit. It has an extra knob on the left side.

 

It is not an option to move the whole radio rack to the right. There is less than half an inch before other instruments have to be moved.

 

You can see from the first pic that the canopy lock may have been forgotten during the panel design. It has to come off to get to the radio or transponder and the transponder knob is a challenge to use.

 

I'm thinking about removing the spacer block you can see in the second shot and putting the hardware on the other side of the main plate which would then be almost flush against the cockpit wall. The tension spring for the rear seat latch puller could be located a little inboard. I should then have knob clearance on the panel if this all works.

 

Remaining problem is that the large locking knob will have its locking bar the thickness of the removed block too short to engage the latch.

 

As this looks like a commercially made part, does anyone know how the knob pin is attached? Might it be screwed in or embedded somehow during manufacture? I'm wondering how I might make it longer rather than making a whole new part? Its a nice knob.

 

Plan B might be to just bend the main plate, but that seems a bit crude and it may also end up slightly short to engage. I guess I could cut and refit the spacer block at the end of the plate where it all locks but again this is hardly elegant and given the forces involved when it is engaged it may not be a good result.

 

Any suggestion would be very welcome.

[Drew Swenson]

Looks like you already have a metal panel. Making another one is not that big of a deal. Move the instruments where you want them.

[Wayne Hicks]

Or dog-leg the handle so that the latching hardware hangs from the top longeron.

[michaelj]

This may not be an option for you but here it goes. After flying my Cozy in the cold winter months I experienced too much cold air on my hand due to the access door. On my LongEZ project I decided to relocate the access door to the bottom of the strake and the access handle to the center attach point. Some may not like this due to the extra effort to visually see that the latch is secure.

[Wayne Hicks]

Dog leg like this. Use your imagination.

This figure shows the Cozy latching feature. It is very simple. Just a hole and a slot to retain the end of the handle. It's almost fool proof.

[BLUE MAX]

Here is a mod to replace the door on the LongEZ. The mod catches the stock canopy latch knob and with a turn of the key from the outside....the groove of the brass fitting rotates around the knob locking it down. The key is inserted through a little 1/4 hole that is drilled in from the outside. Cool isnt it????

[JTest]

Here is a mod to replace the door on the LongEZ. The mod catches the stock canopy latch knob and with a turn of the key from the outside....the groove of the brass fitting rotates around the knob locking it down. The key is inserted through a little 1/4 hole that is drilled in from the outside. Cool isnt it????

 

G'day

 

Yes it is cool. What kind of key system do you use? If you have any drawings could you post?

 

Thanks

 

Jeff

[JTest]

Got a perfect working canopy lock that I have to rebuild or move.

 

Long story short, old radio died, couldn't be fixed, got a borrowed Icom A200 fitted awaiting the new A210. It arrived, great radio - doesn't fit. It has an extra knob on the left side.

 

It is not an option to move the whole radio rack to the right. There is less than half an inch before other instruments have to be moved.

 

You can see from the first pic that the canopy lock may have been forgotten during the panel design. It has to come off to get to the radio or transponder and the transponder knob is a challenge to use.

 

I'm thinking about removing the spacer block you can see in the second shot and putting the hardware on the other side of the main plate which would then be almost flush against the cockpit wall. The tension spring for the rear seat latch puller could be located a little inboard. I should then have knob clearance on the panel if this all works.

 

Remaining problem is that the large locking knob will have its locking bar the thickness of the removed block too short to engage the latch.

 

As this looks like a commercially made part, does anyone know how the knob pin is attached? Might it be screwed in or embedded somehow during manufacture? I'm wondering how I might make it longer rather than making a whole new part? Its a nice knob.

 

Plan B might be to just bend the main plate, but that seems a bit crude and it may also end up slightly short to engage. I guess I could cut and refit the spacer block at the end of the plate where it all locks but again this is hardly elegant and given the forces involved when it is engaged it may not be a good result.

 

Any suggestion would be very welcome.

G'day

 

I know I have seen the Canopy lock drawing someplace but now that it is time to build it I can't seem to find the drawings.

 

Could anybody assist by pointing them out...

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Jeff