I started out today installing the AN3 bolts I finally ordered (and received) from Aircraft Spruce to attach the Canopy Safety Catch (SC-1).

Here are the temp screws that I used to hold the safety catch in place.

And the new AN3 bolts.  The plans call for button head screws, but those are such a pain to deal with I just went with the bolts.

Here we have the inside with the nuts securing the SC-1 bracket in place.

To get the bolts level with the canopy frame surface I had to grind them down a bit with the Dremel Tool.

I then filled in the counterbore holes with dry micro, per plans.

I then pulled the pins and popped open the aft nose/avionics cover with the cured interlocking hinge tabs working as designed.

I then took a good half hour to test out my 1/32″ flat peel-n-stick rubber seal I got from McMaster-Carr.  I checked the Gorilla duct tape and found that 2 layers of that came out to about 0.031, the same as my seal tape.  So I tacked it in place and tried it out a number of times….

Seems like the 1/32″ will do just fine.  The front hatch door still locks and opens fine.

And whatever gap it creates I can fix with an extra ply or two of glass (and then some micro) on the surrounding nose area around the nose hatch.

My last act before taking off for my weekend trip to Greensboro was to grab this pic of all the lower panel components in place.

I’ll be out of the shop for the weekend, but plan on hitting it hard when I get back Monday.