Cowl Oil Door

[Larry DeCamp]

I just cut the door out of the cowl with Dremel diamond wheel. The curf is so thin it leaves small gap than can be optimized to your preference with micro. As dan suggests, stiffeners may be required on the back side.

[fixnflyguy]

Mine is similar to Dans, but made from .063" aluminum. Singe pushbutton Hartwell latch I liberated from some big jet left overs. No great pictures on hand..in this shot its unlatched. Painted the mechanism red so it stands out if open, which I do on purpose after hangaring to remind me I haven't checked oil before flight.

[Bill Boyd]

I ga-ron-tee if you use piano hinge as a latch you will have zero bulging at any corner of your oil door.

One of my lasting regrets with how I did the 6A oil door 25-odd years ago was those kit-supplied elevated wing latches catching my hand and the polishing cloths every daggone time I worked around the upper cowl. Flat profile is the only way to go here.

I won't keep beating this drum but I am very happy with the combo of gooseneck flush hinge and piano hinge flush invisible latch. Easy to implement, secure as a vault, totally flush and smooth, zero cost using building scraps.

[77bonanza]

Thanks for all the responses and photos. Looking forward to using one of the recommendations.

Happy New Year all!

[goatflieg]

You may have already seen my Oil Door Test video... but in case you haven't, here's a link. I went with the aftermarket sprung hinge and Skybolt fasteners.
https://youtu.be/fdoIFG725Cs