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Does anyone have experience removing these rivets without leaving pieces behind to rattle in the canopy? It seems when the rivets are drilled out something will be left behind in the cavity. It looks pretty sealed up.

Can't answer your question but I'd love to know more of the story about how it broke.

I worry about the rear door but the front canopy attachment always seemed super strong. Did the canopy get caught in a major wind gust or did someone grab it and yank it or what?

I can't figure out where this is. It doesn't look like anything on my front canopy and doesn't seem to jibe with the interactive parts list. A couple more photos, please. And can you tell if the rivet remnants are ferromagnetic?

Rich wrote: ↑Thu May 28, 2020 11:00 pm I can't figure out where this is. It doesn't look like anything on my front canopy and doesn't seem to jibe with the interactive parts list. A couple more photos, please. And can you tell if the rivet remnants are ferromagnetic?

Me neither. If that is the attachment point for the canopy hinge bracket to the canopy frame, on my aircraft (SN: 40.049) the connecting hardware are bolts and nuts. If yours are riveted and you want to remove the rivet remnants, you could drive them into the hollow frame, then with a helper, maneuver the frame to migrate them to the left side, where the operating mechanism is. there should be enough room to fish them out from there...

Steve

I wish there was a good story but there isn’t. One day I opened the canopy from the left side and happened to look forward and down and noticed a round metal disk on the lower fuselage where the canopy meets the fuselage. I thought, hmm.. I wonder what that is and looked up and saw where it came from. The only clue that it was going to come off was the squeaky noise I would hear when taxiing when the surface was a bit uneven. Since it came off there is no more squeaking noise so it must have been the rivets coming loose over time.

I can’t tell if the remnants are ferromagnetic. I suspect the are aluminum. I think Steve is correct about there being some room to try and get to the location through the door lever mechanism. I’m a bit reluctant to unscrew the door lever assembly though for fear of hosing it up

To drill them out the canopy has to be open then the remnants will fall forward. I’m probably over thinking this and the remnants won’t actually rattle around.


Here is an image of where the pin should be.

The bracket kind of looks like the one on the rear passenger door to which the gas spring that holds it open is attached, but the rest of the picture looks like the front canopy. The front canopy gas spring is attached via bolts to the swing arm itself UNLESS some prior owner/mechanic has made an ill-advised modification.

Scott:

In looking more closely at your last photo, it appears that the plate/pin in question is along the side of the canopy frame. I thought it was the hinge bracket attach point, but those are in the front of the canopy. My aircraft does not have that assembly on either side.

Steve

I did some googling and it looks like some planes have it and other don’t. It seems like it’s just more to break and doesn’t really add anything to the mix. I have to get mine fixed just because it bugs me that it’s broken, even if it doesn’t do anything. I can either spend the money to get it fixed or spend the money to have my head looked at, I think I’ll have it fixed and work in my OCD later

The pins are an improvement against rattling from the canopy not being located very precisely.

Yes they will rattle around every time you open it and you’ll hate yourself for it. :p

Take the canopy off and rattle them down towards the latch frame hole to fish them out.