How to position instrument panel assembly?

[Andy Walker]

I'm at the point of aligning and mocking up my instrument panel with the glareshield, longerons, fwd attach angles, etc to prepare for drilling.

How do you put this stuff in to make sure it's straight? The angles and positioning are such that I can't figure out how to clamp it all together so that I'm sure it's all aligned properly. Should I mount the panel to the lower support angle on the bench, then try to align to the side supports and longerons?

If I do that, I don't know how to keep all three sides of the glareshield squared up properly to the panel. Or do you drill/cleco the panel to glarehield on the bench too, and just trust it will all align and fall in place correctly? Even if I do that part on the bench, I have no clue how to clamp it all together while I drill... :?

[Andy Walker]

Nobody? Surely I'm not the first Sonex builder to put in an instrument panel and glareshield... :lol:

[kmacht]

Not sure exactly what you are asking. Either that or maybe you are overthinking this a bit. I did a vertical panel instead of the tilted one so maybe mine was a little different but here is what I did. I installed the glare shield first by attaching it to the longerons and making sure it was pushed all the way up against the upper firewall. I then put in the lower cross beam that goes along the bottom of the panel and its associated brackets and attached it to the fusealage. Finally I installed the panel and drilled it to the glareshield and the lower support beam. There were no issues lining it up. If you already have the gas tank installed (which your really should because it is a pain to install with the glareshield in place) it is going to square up the glareshield for you as the tank sits up against the bottom of it. Nothing was pre-assembled on the bench, it was all done on the plane.

As a side note, you might want to consider making a vertical panel. It isn't that hard to do. Just don't cut the glareshield on the panel side. Leave it straight. Once the glareshield is installed you then take a piece of cardboard put it where the panel will go and trace its outline and the outline of the lower support. Put a few tabs on it along the three edges of the glarshield and cut it out of aluminum. You now have a perfectly fitting vertical panel. A vertical panel will give you more space between the panel and the gas tank to put your instruments since the top edge is further away and in my opinion it is easier to view. I never understood why Sonex went with a tilted panel.

Keith
#554

[Andy Walker]

Not sure exactly what you are asking. Either that or maybe you are overthinking this a bit. I did a vertical panel instead of the tilted one so maybe mine was a little different but here is what I did. I installed the glare shield first by attaching it to the longerons and making sure it was pushed all the way up against the upper firewall. I then put in the lower cross beam that goes along the bottom of the panel and its associated brackets and attached it to the fusealage. Finally I installed the panel and drilled it to the glareshield and the lower support beam. There were no issues lining it up. If you already have the gas tank installed (which your really should because it is a pain to install with the glareshield in place) it is going to square up the glareshield for you as the tank sits up against the bottom of it. Nothing was pre-assembled on the bench, it was all done on the plane.

As a side note, you might want to consider making a vertical panel. It isn't that hard to do. Just don't cut the glareshield on the panel side. Leave it straight. Once the glareshield is installed you then take a piece of cardboard put it where the panel will go and trace its outline and the outline of the lower support. Put a few tabs on it along the three edges of the glarshield and cut it out of aluminum. You now have a perfectly fitting vertical panel. A vertical panel will give you more space between the panel and the gas tank to put your instruments since the top edge is further away and in my opinion it is easier to view. I never understood why Sonex went with a tilted panel.

Keith
#554

Thanks Keith! I already cut the glareshield, so I guess I'm going angled. :lol: I don't mind the angled panel, I have flown in Kip's Waiex with the factory panel and it doesn't bother me; I know some people think it creates too much panel glare. If I need to I can make a panel sunshield that extends out from the top of the panel down the road.

I don't have the tank fitted yet, I'm following the plans in order, though I'm starting to realize that's not always best. I was planning to set everything up and cleco in the glareshield/panel, then pull it back out and fit the tank , rudder pedals, etc that needs to go under it. I'll read the plans some more and maybe do that other stuff first before drilling the panel and glareshield.

I would think if you installed the lower panel crosstie first, that you might have trouble with the panel alignment against all three sides of the glareshield and making the bottom line up correctly. That may only be a problem with the angled panel, or maybe not at all...I'll play around with it some more and see.