Door Lexan

Work on the two door Lexan pieces started.  There have been several methods to accomplish the door Lexan installation.  After doing research and asking questions on Facebook and WingsForum, we settled on two separate pieces of Lexan and an aluminum strip to cover the seam.  The door frames were laid on the Lexan and a rough shape was drawn leaving about 2" of overhang.  The shape was cut-out.  The Lexan was first attached to the top section along the door hinge. 

Getting ready to drill top tops along Hings

Then the holes were located and drilled down the two side supports to the middle support.

Drilling down the side supports

Top section drilled and cleco'd

A line was precisely drawn down the middle of the middle support.  The Lexan was removed from the door frame and cut along the line.  Ed's hand was the most steady, so he got this job.  Once the cut was made, the edges were cleaned up with files and sandpaper.  Next, the bottom section was positioned.  Due to the curvature of the doors, the bottom Lexan had to be positioned an then excess material had to be removed to follow the upper Lexan piece over the middle door support.  Once the bottom Lexan fit properly the drilling of holes was completed.  TIP:  To locate the door supports without removing the protective material on the Lexan, a bright light was positioned below Lexan allowing the shadow of the door frame to shine through.  You can see this in the very first picture.

Next, a 1/2" x 1/2" x 48" piece of aluminum u-channel was ripped on the bandsaw to leave a 1/2" x 1/8"x 48" piece of aluminum.  The aluminum u-channel was placed on the door and the peak of the middle door support was located.  A pilot hole was drilled in the u-channel at this position.  The remaining holes in the u-channel were located and drilled.  A pilot hole was also drilled at the peak of the door middle support.  The u-channel was cleco'd to the middle door support.  Using the pilot holes in the u-channel as guides,  the remaining holes were drilled into the middle door support working from the peak to each side.  All holes were up-drilled to their final #30" size.

First Door (Left Side) complete

The complete process was repeated for the second door.

Second Door (Right Side) completed and tested

Hours: 20