Rear Window Install

After putting it off as long as possible allowing easier access to the rear fuselage it was finally time to install the rear window. Before doing that, the canopy needed to go back on. I enlisted a couple neighbors to help out. I'm pretty paranoid about the canopy because so much labor went into building it. It was the single hardest thing on the plane IMO. After briefing them on the intricacies of installing it we got it done quickly and safely. This was the first time I'd had the canopy on since finishing my avionics and powering up the systems. I was relieved to see the defrost fans, red LED glareshield lighting and Canopy Warning microswitch all worked as they should. The glareshield lights are fully dimmable and are pretty dramatic when turned on full bright. The canopy also cleared all the sub-panel mounted avionics when closed. I had one wiring bundle that needed adjusting and that was it. From there I clecoed in the rear window. I needed to check the clearance between the aft edge of the canopy and leading edge of the rear window with the canopy closed. As expected, I had several areas that interfered. Careful application of an 80 grit sanding block to the canopy trailing edge slowly removed material finally allowing the canopy to fully close. I ended up with a tight and straight gap of approximately 1/32" on the rollbar between the canopy and rear window. Vans doesn't a publish min gap spec in the KAI but other sources say 1/32" is adequate. Even though I initially fitted the rear window a couple years ago it needed additional trimming and adjusting due to angle brackets installed on the lower roll bar after the window was fitted. These brackets prevented the lower screw holes from fully lining up. A little massaging with a rotary tool sanding drum made it all work. The plans direct using a thin smear of Proseal on the rear edge of the window when installing. I elected to use clear RTV silicone sealant. I did this because I hate Proseal. Its messy and also unsightly when viewed from inside the cockpit through the edges of the window. It also is pretty sticky stuff when cured and would make removing the window almost impossible. The RTV dries clear, is much less messy, is safe on acrylic, is UV resistant, and will hopefully seal the rear window edge against water. It will allow for easier removal of the rear window should that ever be necessary. Hopefully it never will be. With the window clecoed in I applied blue tape to the window where it met the sheet metal. After removing the window, I used a popsicle stick to apply a very thin coat of RTV along the window edge. I re-clecoed the window back in place quickly to allow the RTV to get sandwiched between the sheet metal and Acrylic. Then began the process of installed all the #6 screws along the rollbar and screws and nuts along the aft edge. All fasteners were torqued gently to avoid cracking the window, The tape was peeled off and removed most of the excess RTV. I need to me mindful to clean the edges of the metal thoroughly of RTV since paint will not stick to it. I wasn't looking forward to this chore as it required considerable prep work but once done the actual installation went pretty smooth and I was pleased with the results.