Van's Air Force
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cutting RV-8 cowl sides
- Thread starter skidookid
- Start date
Cowl
I don't have any words of wisdom because I am at the exact same spot. As my top forward skin isn't riveted, I trimmed the upper cowl just forward of the cleco's so it is currently resting on top of the upper forward skin. I have it pinned down at the forward edge and also the trailing edge to prevent movement. I cut the back of the cowl with a cut-off wheel in a die grinder. I was surprised how slow the cutting went. How are you cutting your cowl?
I don't have any words of wisdom because I am at the exact same spot. As my top forward skin isn't riveted, I trimmed the upper cowl just forward of the cleco's so it is currently resting on top of the upper forward skin. I have it pinned down at the forward edge and also the trailing edge to prevent movement. I cut the back of the cowl with a cut-off wheel in a die grinder. I was surprised how slow the cutting went. How are you cutting your cowl?
timandmeli
Well Known Member
Cutting cowl
Just an idea. I dropped a light into the oil door opening which backlit the cowl and let me see where I needed to mark the cut line. Then I cut outside the line and used the forementioned sanding block for final fitting. Tim
Just an idea. I dropped a light into the oil door opening which backlit the cowl and let me see where I needed to mark the cut line. Then I cut outside the line and used the forementioned sanding block for final fitting. Tim
You have first fitted the nose sections together, before any attempt to fit to the airplane?
http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showpost.php?p=461049
http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showpost.php?p=461049
Larry DeCamp
Well Known Member
Cutting tool
Dremel diamond coated cutoff wheels go trough fiberglass like butter with a very small kerf.
Dremel diamond coated cutoff wheels go trough fiberglass like butter with a very small kerf.
cfiidon
Well Known Member
Dremel Diamond and Laser Level
I wholeheartedly agree. It is also invaluable when cutting the canopy.
I found a laser level also invaluable during my build for leveling the aircraft, marking the cowl for position and for cutting, as well as setting the horizontal and vertical stabs.
Don
I wholeheartedly agree. It is also invaluable when cutting the canopy.
I found a laser level also invaluable during my build for leveling the aircraft, marking the cowl for position and for cutting, as well as setting the horizontal and vertical stabs.
Don
RV8 James cowl.
I'm using the James cowl on my RV8 with IO360 parallel valve forward horizontal cold air induction and will not get the three blade MT prop for some time, but would like to continue working on the cowl. Does anyone have a measurement for this combination from the flywheel starter ring to the very front of the cowl?
Ed
I'm using the James cowl on my RV8 with IO360 parallel valve forward horizontal cold air induction and will not get the three blade MT prop for some time, but would like to continue working on the cowl. Does anyone have a measurement for this combination from the flywheel starter ring to the very front of the cowl?
Ed
I've had one airplane that I set high, and it never settled, and then the next one I set neutral, and it settled - you can't win for losing sometimes!
humptybump
Well Known Member
On one of the recent eaa webinars with builder tips, the speaker recommended creating a temporary rolling fixture with a piece of wood acting as the firewall (around minute 51 in the webinar).
Attach the engine mount and then hang the engine. Use this setup for doing most of the FWF work. Leave it on the fixture for at least a month (which will likely be more than consumed by the FWF tasks).
This way, the engine has an opportunity to "settle" before you attach the entire system to the air-frame firewall.
Attach the engine mount and then hang the engine. Use this setup for doing most of the FWF work. Leave it on the fixture for at least a month (which will likely be more than consumed by the FWF tasks).
This way, the engine has an opportunity to "settle" before you attach the entire system to the air-frame firewall.
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tomhanaway
Well Known Member
Dan,
Just getting ready to do this.
Are you talking about just trimming the circular part of front of cowl?
Leave the overlapping edge (to the outer side of the inlets) alone until trimming the sides?
Thanks,
Tom H
Just getting ready to do this.
Are you talking about just trimming the circular part of front of cowl?
Leave the overlapping edge (to the outer side of the inlets) alone until trimming the sides?
Thanks,
Tom H
I try to first get the circle to fit, that includes rasping the two flanges in the lower cowl, whatever it takes to get those half circles to mate their best. The corners outboard the inlets need to be nibbled back as you go. Just enought to allow the inboard parts to fit. Keep the outboards true with your split line laterally (don't sand a corner high or low). I like to build flanges outboard on the lower cowl like the ones on the circle.
What Dave said. Viewed from the side, the skin outboard of the inlets gets a sort of slash cut...trimmed to the bisect line at the leading edge of the inlet lip, transitioning to an overlap not far aft. See the illustrations here: http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showpost.php?p=971560&postcount=2
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rightrudder
Well Known Member
I had really good results using aviation offset snips for trimming the sides and back. Yours is a pink cowling, right? You can trim within about 1/16" of the line you mark without damage. To finish, I buzzed down the uneven spots with a Dremel sanding drum, then finished with a long sanding block. Easier to do than describe.
Yep, I remember that....and it happened in Marysville. I think the paint job had a lot to do with it....
