The original T-Craft Instrument Panel is becoming a rare bird. They are often "improved" by adding additional instrument holes, electrical switches, radios, GPS units, digital clocks and other horrid junk. Also common is the panel that is concave. The original panel was apparently made of aluminum sheet that was too thin and they easily dent inward and are almost impossible to pop back out.
It's hard to beat the original design...simple, clean, light, functional. Some folks will take out the old panel and replace it with a new, thicker flat panel. Not original and doesn't look antique...but not a bad solution to the panel problem.
Another typical "repair" is to cut out the entire middle section of the panel and then add an insert that is made of thicker aluminum. Photo 2 The insert shown has holes for 6 (!) 3 inch instruments, enough for a IFR T-craft!
A better fix for the concare panel is to add a aluminum angle across the back. Photo 3 shows a 1 1/2 aluminum angle bolted onto the back of the panel. The reinforcement angle is 15" long and 1/16 thick. It has two cutouts for the oil pressure and temperature gages and is fastened through the front with black instrument screws. This simple repair is invisible from the cockpit, retains the original panel design, yet gives the whole unit a remarkable lightweight strength.
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