Remember, Click on Eyebrow on the left to get back here.

Background:

I hate all the plastic parts used in the Grummans; for several reasons. First, six months after spending the money and time to install a new two piece plastic eyebrow, it too warped from sitting in the sun; even with a windshield shade. Second, every time one of the lights burned out (particularly the corner lights which required pulling back the side panels and removing the plastic corner) I had to spend 20-30 minutes removing and replacing the plastic pieces just to spend 30 seconds replacing a bulb. Third, the method of attaching grounding wires for the lights to the airframe are poor at best. And lastly, the jumble of wires and the blade type connectors are time consuming and cumbersome to work around. In 1999, I started my own eyebrow design to eliminate all of the plastic, make working on and around the eyebrow easier, make replacing the lights the 30 second job it’s supposed to be, and make for a lot more durable, reliable, and more aesthetically pleasing installation. A year and $4,000 later I had the first one. It took many more iterations (and fabricators) than I imagined. The eyebrow is made of fiberglass using epoxy resin. Not only does it look better, it is also light and a hell of a lot stronger than the plastic version. A hangar neighbor asked me to make a custon eyebrow for his Piper Cherokee. The tooling alone cost $600. But, it is a one of a kind eyebrow that gives a lot more professional look to the Cherokee.

Eyebrow:

Installation:

• I wish I could say this is a 30 minute job. It isn't. Also, it isn't for the mechanically challenged or the faint of heart. • Installing the new eyebrow takes 8-16 hours depending on what you want out of it Removing the plastic eyebrow:

1. Remove the original plastic eyebow and glare shield* (over the top of the instruments). . . . .* Note: It is possible to install the eyebrow without totally removing the top glare shield - - - There are 7 screws across the top. - - - There are anywhere from 0 to 6 screws holding the plastic corner pieces on (depending on who installed it.) - - - - - - To get to some of the screws, the side panels need to be removed or partially removed. 2. Remove the side panels. - - - The right side plastic panel has the wires for the compass light, side light and eyebrow lights. - - - The left side plastic panel has the map and cabin lights and the switch for them both.. 3. Remove the eyebrow - - - To remove the plastic eyebrow, you 'll need to disconnect the wires to the side lights . . . . . .and the ground wire which is (in)conviently located in the middle and connected to . . . . . .the brace which goes from the instrument panel to the base of the windshield. 4. Cleanup the corners - - - Remove the map light* and the map light/cabin light switch. - - - Remove the (2) L-shaped aluminum supports for the plastic side panels . . . .* You can leave the map light if you like. I think it's pretty useless.

Moving the Pitot Static line:

The static line on the pilots side needs to be rerouted to go below the bottom of the instrument panel and up to where it was. I’ve done many of these. Odds are, you'll need to add a 12 inch section of tubing from the original static line back to where you disconnected the static line. It's no big deal. Get a static check after you’re done.

Next Step:

Now that the eyebrow, glareshield, side panels, and plastic corners have been removed, and the static line moved, it's time to start putting it all back together. Note: there are many ways of wiring the lights to the eyebrow. I've tried many different approaches in order to find the easiest. I'm going to describe the easiest way to get power to the eyebrow lights, map light, and cabin light. The goal, is to get a three wire Molex connector to the left side of the panel such that it comes out in the space between the windshield and the honeycomb.

Power to the eyebrow:

The power to the factory OEM eyebrow comes in on wire no. 51LB2; it is on the right side. The compass light wire is connected to it. The original wiring (diagram) is really strange. It goes from the right side to the left with the ground in the middle. There is nothing professional looking about it. . . (a) On my plane, I ran a separate wire to the compass light from the NAV light switch so that the compass light was on . . . . .any time the Nav Lights were on. Don't worry about it being too bright. It's pathetic at best. . . (b) I, then, relocated the eyebrow wire (51LB2) to the left side of the panel so I could use it for the new eyebrow lights. . . . . .Another option is to wire a separate wire from the rheostat to the left side of the panel and leave the 51LB2 wire . . . . .on the right side to power the compass light. No matter what you chose, getting the power to the left side of the panel . . . . .for the eyebrow is a pretty good challenge. Making it look good, like it was made that way, using the original wiring . . . . .loom, is even a bigger challenge. (for-what-it's-worth, there is a pre-wired connector, number 201, on '77 . . . . .through '79 planes. Simply put the correct pin into the connector and you have lights.) . . (c) Alternately, if you choose to use the Ultra Vision lights. you can mount the power supply under the glove box, . . . . .inside the glove box, or, (my favorite,) on the "U" shaped channel that runs from the instrument panel to the firewall . . . . .(angling toward the floor), or any where you want and run the wires for the Ultra Vision lights, to a 5 pin Molex . . . . .connector. You'll have the shield wire, the orange wire, and the black wire, along with the map light wire and the . . . . .ground wire going into the eyebrow. This et-up requires a separate, dedicated ground wire. . . . . .Personally, I have used the Ultra-Vision lights and I don't care for them. Ground wire: I use the factory ground on the left windshield bow. It might chip paint off to get the nut loose, but, it's a good ground.

.	Map and cabin lights:

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For the map and cabin lights, wire in a couple of toggle switches on the instrument panel. Pick a spot you like. I put them under the 2 1/4 in hole on the lower left of the instrument panel. Run the hot lead from the fuse on the battery relay, wire no. 51LA3, to the hot sides of the both the map and cabin light toggle switches. (note: this wire is already on the left hand side. It goes to the original rocker switch in the plastic panel on the left.) Wire together the map light wire, no. 5LA4 (that lights the rediculous map light in the overhead light) and wire no. 5LA5 from the overhead cabin lights. Then, connect this to the Cabin Light toggle switch. You can use 22 gauge, but, I recommend 20 gauge wire to connect to the toggle switch. The way I wire the eyebrow, there will be a map light in the middle of the eyebrow. Wire this to the Map Light toggle switch. You can also connect the wand map light to the toggle switch or any combination of which you can imagine Now you should have both map and cabin lights operated from toggle switches on the instrument panel.

.	Final Wiring:

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Now that you have . . (a) the wire to the left side for the eyebrow lights . . (b) the hot lead from fuse on the battery box, 51LA3, wired to the hot side of the toggle switches . . (c) the overhead map, 5LA4, and cabin, 5LA5, lights wired togetehr and connected to the new cabin toggle switch . . . . . . • This completes this connection. Try it just to check. . . (d) the wand map light wired connected to the map light toggle switch (if that's what you want) . . (e) toggle switches wired for the map and cabin lights (and the toggle switches installed), . . (f) . . . . AND . . . the ground wire installed . . . . Then, Now, it's time to wire it all to the connector on the eyebrow. . . . . . (1) Connect a new 20 gauge wire from the map light toggle switch to the 3-wire Molex connector. . .. . . . (2) Connect a new 20 gauge wire from the ground to the 3-wire Molex connector. . .. . . . (3) Connect the wire from the rheostat, 51LB2 (or a new wire if you leave 51LB2 connected to the compass) to the 3-wire Molex connector

Fabricating the aluminum side panels:

- For both corners, to hide the interface between the windshield and the aircraft structure, fabricate a piece of 0.020 aluminum approximately 8 x 8 inches and fit it to the sides of the cabin to hide the area beneath the window to the honeycomb. (Look at the pics on my web site.) Cover the aluminum with a suitable material. I used some headliner material. The piece is screwed to the side honeycomb and is left there. I bent the top (top 1 inch) at about a 30 degree angle so it fits snug against the window.

Fitting the eyebrow:

Trial fit the eyebrow. Make sure the glareshield is in place. Hold everything down snug and in it's proper position. Use a pick or other sharp tool to mark the location of the screw holes in the vinyl on the eyebrow. Remove the eyebrow. Make sure the eyebrow is positioned evenly across the instrument panel (equa-distant from the edge.) Drill the holes with a #9 or #10 drill bit. Fit the eyebrow. Secure it with screws. - Connect the eyebrow connector to the connector you previously installed. Install the cabin side panels. You’re done. Let me know if you have any questions: PS. Regarding the lights without the red lens. Air Force studies have shown that white or blue light is easier on the eyes. Red is a hold over from the old days.