Mike Hagans:
My glareshield looks terrible. What can I do to repair a glareshield? (glareshield repair, repair the glareshield, repair glareshield, glare shield repair, repair a glare shield, repair the glare shield, instrument panel cover)
Mark Perry, with insertions by the Technical Editor:
I refinished my glareshield last year, it was easy. Before I go into the
procedure, let me describe my glareshield. First, it is constructed of
plastic/fiberglass. Second, as original Beechcraft equipment, my
glareshield was finished with flat black paint, no cloth material covering
the glareshield.
The finishing process after removing from the plane:
1. Repaired and strengthened any fractures and cracks from the under
side of the glareshield with aviation fiberglass patch kit and used Bondo to
smooth any rough areas on the top side.
Editor’s Note: I strongly recommend that a product like Super-Fil be used; it is available from Aircraft Spruce. It is much lighter than Bondo, is non-shrinking, and will bond to both metal and fiberglass. It is a special blue filler made for this purpose. The best fiberglass cloth is the thin, strong, conformable type available from Hobby Shops. The best resin is Vinylester, often available from West Marine in the West brand. It is also available from Aircraft Spruce. I advise against standard Polyester resin and common Bondo, for similar reasons. The cured Polyester base product is nowhere near as strong as Vinylester, and the polyester-based products shrink and crack over time. The sole advantage of Polyester product is its low price.
2. When installed, the lower edge of the eyebrow portion of the
glareshield slightly extended down over my VSI and AI so I took the
opportunity to install 2 spacers (½” PVC x 2” long) behind the eyebrow
between the upper and lower edges of the eyebrow (beneath/between top and bottom securing screw holes). When installed the screws pass through the top of the eyebrow hole through the center of the PVC out the screw hole located in bottom of the eyebrow into the threaded whole in top edge of the instrument panel. I used fiberglass to secure the PVC spacer in place, but is not necessary because the screws will hold the spacers in place when installed.
Editor’s Note: There are some glareshields that don’t have the overhanging front pad; primarily those with the offset front edge and floating instrument panel. These may or may not need the spacer. The original Beech spacers were drilled wood dowels. CPVC would make a better replacement than PVC, as it will be more resistant to deforming due to the heat from the sun. That’s not a factor if you keep sunshades in the plane or keep it hangared. Original glareshields often have damaged holes where the two front screws pass through. Using a Tinnermann washer there, embedded in the top and painted to match, will end that problem.
3. Sanded upper glareshield surface with 220 sandpaper removing all
rough impediments followed by 320 fine sandpaper.
4. Thoroughly cleaned both upper and lower surfaces removing any dust
and any foreign material that may affect the finish.
5. Spray painted glareshield upper surface with KRYLON® FUSION FOR
PLASTIC™ satin flat black. My local hardware store didn’t’t have it in stock
so he had to order it for me (took a couple of days). I only applied 2
coats; individual situations may need more or less coats.
Editor’s Note: Wise choice by Mark; he used a paint specifically designed for plastics and flexible surfaces. There is a larger selection of this paint available at auto refinishing stores, if you don’t find exactly what you want in the Krylon or Molecubond brands. Note that you need to use a very dark color (or black) with a flat finish. You’ll be amazed at the extent of sun glare, if you fail to heed this advice.
6. After drying in my basement shop for a couple of days, I reinstalled. Looks great, just like for the factory.
This was a simple project, cost was about $5.00 for the spray paint, about
$5.00 for the sandpaper, and I had the ½” PVC hanging around my shop so no cost. As for time, I might have a total of 4 to 5 hours in the project.
Editor’s Note:
This is a great project for BAC members. It is simple, legal, and does wonders for the interior. You can make your own logbook entry and sign it, as interior refurbishment. Replacement new glareshields are impossible to find, and were once priced at $500 or more.