Canopy Part 2

Please Note:  I had problems later with he canopy cracking. 

Ended up replacing the canopy.  Big lessons learned:

- Don't use locktight on these screws

- Do chamfer the edges of the holes to make sure that you have some clearance. First time just knocked the edge off. Second time I used about half the depth of the pelxi. 

- Do use rubber washers in under the Tinnerman washers

- Do use tubing or something to keep the threads of the screw from touching the plexi.

- I did not put the front flashing on the it the second time.  Ended up with a much better seal on the forward edge.

See this Link

I the cut out for the latch.  YOU CAN ALSO SEE A VERY IMPORTANT WIRE.  You need to safety wire the latches or you will have a hard time opening the canopy once you have it in place.  I saw this on someone else's site and was glad I did it.
Not to bad
A view of the forward part.  My camera died after this shot.  Hopefully the focus will be better with the new one.
Now to drill out all of the holes.
The latch
The next step is to dimple the frame for the screws.  This is a test fit.
Added a hole to allow for movement of the latch from the inside if cable fails
Dimpled and ready to fit canopy
Flashing
Drilled the holes in the canopy with a step drill and worked like a charm.
There are some gaps with the seal that I will need to fix.  I will wait and see how much leakage I get.
A new Step Drill was worth the expence.
Here the handle is seen
Installed the compass and GPS antenna
I also have the handles to help get in and out.  Kind on need someplace to grab.
Now for the canopy latching mechanism.  I located and crimped the ends first.
Then pulled it tight and marked where the crimps need to be.  I had to take apart the handle in order to make it easy to crimp.
There is adjustment on the right side but none on the left.  It wasn't tough to locate.  Make sure you torque it up first before you install the side rails.  It is tough to do this after.  Not impossible but tough.  Hint.
I riveted in the inside rails but then realized that on the right side where the handle is, it will be very tough to slide the canopy in between the rails with the handle installed.
I ended up drilling out the rivets on the left side and taking out the handle to get the canopy on.  I am getting pretty good at drilling out rivets.  Anyway another hint.  Don't rivet the inside rails till after you put the canopy on.  With the handle in it is impossible to take off the outside rail.  The screws are put in from the inside.
Looks good with the protective film off.
I painted the rails before assembly.  I also decided to paint the access covers.
Ready to install the screws.
The screws went in fairly easy.  I used loctite to secure.
Next the seals.
I had some trouble with the canopy seals.  The one at the bottom is what came with the kit.  It worked ok on the aft edge but I really didn't like it on the forward.  The forward edge has the AL section in addition to the Plexiglas.  It is just too thick and irregular to work right.   I have noticed that some Zodies do not have the AL sheet and just the plexi.  If I were to do it again I would probably go this route. .  I used Silicon on the aft edge and it worked fine.  But on the forward edge it was a mess.  I ended up going to Lowes and looking at the garage door seal.  I actually worked great with contact cement.
I ended up trimming the aft edge of the garage door seal and using contact cement.  I roughed up the plexi and got good adhesion.
The seal looks good and is seals rather well.
Here is a look at the aft edge
Another view. .
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