Glareshield Conversion

[AmigOne]

In another thread a new model E owner was complaining about lack of space for stuff, particulalry on top of the glareshield.  These are pictures of an Ashby glashield http://www.aircraftglareshield.com/ originally purchased for a single Comanche which was easily modified to fit my model C.  As one picture shows (the one with the Pro Alert on it) there is now plenty of space for stuff.

[Oscar Avalle]

Looks really great. Congratulations.

[drapo]

And how easy was it to convert? I have a 65 M20E and would love that upgrade.

[PilotDerek]

Can it be converted to fit with the original windshield?

[AmigOne]

I do have the original windshield  in my 1968 C.   In order to determine how much the larger Comanche 250 gs had to be trimmed  I removed the old soft gs and traced the same pattern on a stiff cardboard.  After deciding how wide I wanted the new gs to be (measuring from the back) I traced a larger pattern following what I wanted to be (about 10" measuring from the back) the new gs contour (the original gs contour is wider on the pilot's side).  With this pattern I made several fitting tries and trimmed further as needed.  You need to bear in mind that the total length (from one end to the other) can only be slightly wider that than the actual space between the windshield posts, you get it through by compressing both ends of the gs.  I suggest that you remove the plastic interior cover of the post to avoid damaging it.  If the explanation is not quite clear everything will be self-evident when you begin the job.  Important!  Cut the gs larger and trim little by little as needed.  The curving on the sides of the Comanche gs are more pronounced than in the Mooney by this portion is removed during trimming and what is left fits perfectly the shape of the Mooney gs.  You also need to cut the front edge on the gs to fit around the center post.  I cut it a bit larger because I feed the varios  GPS and Pro Alert cables through it. The fiberglass Comanche gs is easy to cut with a Dremmel tool using a cutting disk, just take your time.    Hope this helps.  

[Immelman]

Very nice, I want one!

[AmigOne]

Found these two additional pictures which might make my previous explanations a bit clearer.  They show the original and the new gs side by side.   The other picture shows how the gs is attached, the aluminum angles were later on painted black and white for cosmetics for now.   Later on, when I go to the six pack instrument config I will modify it for the angles to be behind the panel cover.   Next step will be to attach glo strips like those ASpruce sells  http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/elpages/umaltstrips.php

[DaV8or]

To AmigOne-

I love the results and need something like this. I have the 201 winshield in my F and the factory floppy glare shield doesn't even come close to fitting. I notice that the Ashby folks sell a 201 glareshield, did you look at this one? How did you settle on the Comanche shield? Is the fiberglass still pretty flexible so it can be forced to match the contour of the Mooney panel? Is this something you were able to eyeball and conclude would work before purchase, or did you take a leap of faith?

Thanks for sharing!

[jetdriven]

I think that glareshield is ABS.

[AmigOne]

Dave those are good questions.  According to the website the glareshields are 100% fiberglass that is hand-laminated to form a one-piece structure.  They are manufactured out of fire retardant resin that meets Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) parts 23 and 25.  This label is pasted on the back of the g/s.  I did not choose this gs for the Mooney but I purchased it for a Comanche 250 that I had years ago but never installed.  It is covered in leather which I purchased from a company that sells surplus leather from the aviation upholstery industry.  Can't remember the name it was a long time ago.  I didn't even know that Ashby manufactured a 201 gs. So there it was - laying in my hangar - this g/s had been staring at me for the 2.5 years that I owned my 20C and one day, just like that, with nothing to do to my airplane, it ocurred to me that perhaps I could trim it to fit.   I didn't care if I ruined it.  So I made a cardoboard pattern and noticed that the drooping ends would be trimmed off ( the Comanche gs is wider) and I eyeballed that after cutting the ends the remaining contour would be about right.  And it was almost perfect.  The job, excluding the mounting brackets, took about 4 hrs.

As I said before I started with the gs a bit wider than it would fit and I trimmed it several times until it fit.  The fiberglass is very rigid except at the ends, and not much there either, about 1" inwards which is all I needed to get it through and get good coverage.  I debated if I wanted to try to install a female portion of the snap hooks that hold the original gs but I decided that, the fiberglass being so rigid, would not afford room for even small location mistakes.  So I decided for the angles which do not please me a lot plus the fact that I can not remove the male portion of the snaphooks because the bolt that holds them in place has a nut (I thought it should be a sheet metal screw) that I can not reach.  So the gs is resting on the old snaphooks and does not allow securing the rear of the new g/s to the structure with velcro.  The back is for now sandwiched between the winshield and the structure  I'll think of something to improve this.

I can take more pictures if you think they might help. I love my new gs and have trippled the amount of shelf space.   Jose