Landing/Taxi light cover

[wyandot jim]

Just marked it. With my luck I would slip and drill through the wing.

Yep I would probably do the same thing. Besides when you drill plexie you want to have a backup on the hole you are drilling so it doesn't punch out. Mark the holes on top half and drill those holes. Install with a couple of screws and mark the other half. Since the holes need to be oversize if you are a little off it shouldn't be a problem.
After all the holes are drilled use a countersink or deburring tool to break the edges of the holes
Happy drilling

[Gilbert Pierce]

As Jim noted, be sure your holes are oversized or the lens will crack around the holes over time.

[Frank Green]

Bad idea is drilling in place with a tinnerman underneath. Never good.

[Jim Hann]

I bought the two bits I needed from Great Lakes Aero Plastics when I bought the new lens. Told them what I knew and they fixed me up just fine. They even sent some scrap for me to practice on before I "went live" with the lens. No problems drilling back then, no cracks so far.

Yeah, maybe I could have gotten them cheaper elsewhere or made my own, but they were still way cheaper than buying another lens. I figure GLAP probably knows a little bit about drilling holes and why try to reinvent the wheel (or drillbit)?

[grbamford]

I really enjoy the TriPacer/Pacer and working on them. While I have done work on my vehicles for some time, working on my own airplane has been something that I've slowly worked up to over time. I should have done more research on parts suppliers before I bought the replacement lens from Univair. Another long story short (its a theme with me).... I bought the proper drills and they did a great job. I gooned the repair work by trying to use clamps to hold the lens stable while I drilled. Got through the first set of holes and not an issue. When I started on the holes perpendicular to the wing, I had too much pressure on the lens and cracked it. I had to drill a stop hole and removed the clamps. Found that the best way to drill the rest of the holes was leave the clamps on the flat piece of the lense and hold near the hole by hand. Had much better results. Unfortunately the stop hole is located on the top of the lense and I am concerned about water getting in and I'm a bit OCD and that darn crack is all I can think about....

Did more research this time because another 100 dollars (with shipping from Univair) was painful... I found Great Lakes Aero Plastics like Jim recommended and Knots2U. Knots2U is a vendor for GLAP. Paid 72.00 w/shipping and it is already on its way. They also say that they have trimmed the part to fit our aircraft. The fit on the piece from Univair was off. It wasn't symmetrical and did not fit the length like my original piece did. I had to do quite a bit of cutting and sanding on the part from Univair. Once I have fitted the part from GLAP I will do a quick review on it and post some pictures of my hole drilling process and end result.

That being said, I really appreciate all of the help. Tips were spot on, get the right tools for the job the first time and you'll come out ahead. If it hadn't been for my mistake with the clamps, I wouldn't be looking at doing the repair again.

Greg

[andya]

Regards the one that you stop drilled, a little clear rtv would probably kept water out.

[J Ryd]

As a follow up to this discussion. I'm swapping out a landing light. Should there be any type of gasket or sealer used between the lens and wing to deter water intrusion?

[grbamford]

I didn’t see any on my lense when I removed it. I would think the fit is pretty snug with the frames on.


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