Original 4 panel flat windshield and wind screens

[Bob turner]

Friend is having the local shop do a 4-place windshield. The shop asked me about the rivets. Of course I have no idea, being mostly a Cub type, but I was horrified at the idea of a rivet gun being used on Plexiglas.

So hopefully, someone will see this. What are those rivets, how do you buck them, how do you provide for thermal expansion, etc? Thanks for the hints on the tile heater and bungees.

[3Dreaming]

Is this for 815 in Southern California? If so the windscreen they are replacing was made from DOT Lexan when it was done originally. The rivets were a special round head soft aluminum rivets, driven with a modified 470 set ground to match the rivet.

[Bob turner]

I will check. It came in about a month ago from the East. I think I am feeling sorry for the owner - shop rates are above $100/hr, and this one looks like a week's work.

So, special rivets. I proposed 4-40 screws to avoid over stressing the plastic and allowing expansion. The heads could be filled and painted, and the only clue would be the underside.

Owner wants rivets! I do not know him well, but seems like a very nice guy, making a living as a CFI. I made a living as an A320 Captain, and I am not sure I could have afforded a Taylorcraft windshield done in a shop.

Thanks for noticing my post - I do not get here often, and appreciate the help.

[Bob turner]

Yes. 815. Seems like a really nice bird. I am sure your advice will be welcomed. I love those little Lycomings.

[Hank Jarrett]

In some of the really old pre war photos of the Taylorcraft works there are some REALLY DEEP throat rivet squeezers. I SERIOUSLY doubt the rivets were bucked. They were most likely squeezed to keep from cracking the plastic. Even then, not cracking out the holes will require some serious experience. Remember they had a guy who squeezed HUNDREDS of them a week, so he was probably pretty good at it. Doing just ONE plane will have an almost vertical learning curve. Also the plastic used back them was called "Pyrene" which was softer and more crack resistant. That was probably its ONLY advantage. It yellowed in sun light, crazed and cracked when exposed to gasoline, scratched if you looked at it wrong and was MUCH weaker than plexi or Lexan. Try finding some now! I went to numerous plastics suppliers just to see if I could get a piece to do testing on. I couldn't find any ANYWHERE. When I did my 4 piece windshield I used screws and nuts (a WHOLE LOT of them!) and drilled each hole oversize with a silicone tube spacer in each hole to keep the threads from touching the edge of the holes. Seems to have worked well but was a BUNCH of work and analysis to determine what thickness was needed. Looks great and I would do it again. (And YES, my IA worked with me and I AM trained to do this kind of analysis).

I know, after all that careful work I got the line between the Maroon and Ivory wrong. Got lucky. The trim piece covers it!