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  #21  
Old 01-26-2010, 09:34 AM
pmshep pmshep is offline
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Carefree, AZ
Posts: 50
Default Bottom Line

If your not there yet, avoid this flustering situation by installing the cowling AFTER you hang the engine and spinner. You can not trust the scribe lines to put the cowling where you need it. Period
Paul Shepard 120007
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  #22  
Old 01-26-2010, 02:08 PM
Mark Henderson Mark Henderson is offline
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Napa, Calif
Posts: 274
Default Thanks everyone

I appreciate the feed back. I'll wait till after I've hung the engine.
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  #23  
Old 03-22-2010, 02:15 PM
okiejohn okiejohn is offline
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Oklahoma City
Posts: 74
Default Thinking this out

I think it is a good idea to do avionics first, you hug the firewall a lot. Also, the Garmin plugs are huge so they are best put first thru the grommet.

I am a newbie builder, I was sorta waiting to do the cowling. I decided I didn't want to get fiberglass dust all over the mounted engine, so I went ahead and mounted the cowl. I have an idea, if you leave it clecoed and it turns out too low, you could sand the back 1/16 and mount a new set of hinge halves and just drill them, then you would not have to drill out the rivets. If mine looks good it is all ready to countersink and rivet.

The factory sequence is hard to beat, whenever I do things out of order I usually regret it.
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  #24  
Old 04-14-2010, 07:40 AM
Mark Henderson Mark Henderson is offline
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Napa, Calif
Posts: 274
Default What is the ideal clearance?

I have completed the spinner and am about ready to fit the cowling. What clearance should I try to achieve? The vertical should be exact, but how much is enough for the spinner to cowling. I was thinking about somewhere between 1/8" and 3/16". From field experience, what is the ideal amount?
Thanks
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  #25  
Old 04-14-2010, 10:06 AM
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MartySantic MartySantic is offline
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Davenport, IA
Posts: 1,390
Default

As I recall, Scott McDaniels gave Larry and I a minimum distance of 0.070". I personally would not go greater than 1/8" (0.125"). I am at about 0.090" and the fit is very good. Still very easy to remove/re-install the top and bottom cowls.
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  #26  
Old 08-16-2011, 09:02 AM
Lapsley Lapsley is offline
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Okeechobee, FL
Posts: 14
Default Cowl Clearance

I ordered a second backing plate and cut out the center part the size of the prop flange to make a shim behind the original backing plate. Thus I gained 1/16 inch clearance fore/aft.

Roger
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  #27  
Old 08-16-2011, 01:07 PM
Dave12 Dave12 is offline
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Elkton, Md.
Posts: 1,652
Default

Will your bolts be long enough?
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  #28  
Old 08-16-2011, 01:19 PM
Daver Daver is offline
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Albuquerque
Posts: 297
Default crooked spinner

This happened to my -9A.

I measured and measured and I determined that the cowl was on straight (square) with the airframe.

But the spinner looked crooked.

I called Van's and they said this is normal - the thrust angle built into the engine mount causes this.

You can use filler to make it look better if you want but it really does not matter.

My plane flies fast and perfectly trim like it is.

I think if you try to install the cowl so it lines up perfectly with the spinner you've created a banana shaped fuselage and might have trim issues.

Dave
-9A
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  #29  
Old 09-14-2011, 10:19 PM
aussi aussi is offline
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Newport Beach NSW
Posts: 8
Default Spinner/Cowl Clearance

My spinner was 1/8" higher than the cowl and looked bad so I contaced Vans without much joy so I shimmed the top engine mount about .025" and It all lines up OK now.I hope this does not alter the flight characteristics.
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  #30  
Old 09-15-2011, 09:49 AM
Driftdown Driftdown is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Clearwater, Florida
Posts: 398
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by aussi View Post
My spinner was 1/8" higher than the cowl and looked bad so I contaced Vans without much joy so I shimmed the top engine mount about .025" and It all lines up OK now.I hope this does not alter the flight characteristics.
With that shimming, wouldn't that change the propeller thrust vector?
i.e. the thrust vector may not be aligned now with the engineered design to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft. If that decreases or increases resultant thrust, even minutely, it most likely will show up in actual performance.
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