Hinge pin for forward baggage door

I am working on my forward baggage compartment door on an RV-8 and can't figure out how to make the hinge pin extractable. The hinge sits too high for the pin to be extracted through the firewall and below the cowling hinge. The pin would have to be bent downward too much. What have others done? I will want the capability of removing the baggage door at some point. Ideas will be appreciated.

Thanks,

Dan
Finishing kit

Baggage door pin.

Dan,
I have my baggage door pin going through the firewall and just under the cowl attach plates (I have skybolt fasteners). I was able to bias the furthest forward eyelet on the hinge which was attached to the F-821 skin in a slightly down angle and then drill through the firewall. I have an angular bend in the hinge pin which attaches to a clip on the firewall.
Slides in and out with no problem, use a pair of pliers to lock into the clip.
The pin could not go aft without hitting the windscreen.

Cheers
FM

Yes, you do have to bend the forward hinge loop down a little to make it work, just like FM says, and putting the pin in from the front takes a little coaxing - but you won't remove it that often once it's finished. It's not a perfect solution, but I had mine in and out countless times during construction - you get used to it.

Paul

Thanks for the advice

FM and Paul,

Thanks for the information. I sort of assumed that I'll have to pull the pin from the front somehow, but wasn't sure if the front of the hinge can be bend downward and still allow the door to open freely. Does your hinge extend all the way to the front edge of the baggage door, or did you stop the hinge one loop shy of the edge of the door? The latter might allow the pin to be bent downward. Thanks again for the quick response. I'm headed out to the hangar to make it work.

Cheers,

Dan
N3TU Superior IO-360 M1 with Whirlwind 200 RV and inverted systems. Finishing kit. Just canopy (ugh) and baggage door to go.

Dan,

Just checked my photo archives, and don't have a good one - I'm on the way to the airport to work on a busted wheel pant , and will try to remember to take a picture for you.

Paul

no picture, but...

Dan,

Sorry, but the camera I keep in my hanagr didn't want to wake up this afternoon, so I will try and describe my hinge. The forward-most hinge loop that is fastened to the door itself is lined up with the row of rivets on the forward edge of the door. There is one more loop of hinge (fastened to the fuselage), that is ahead of that one. That forward-most loop is diving down below the mold-line of the fuselage. The net result is that the hinge pin does have a little curve in it when installed - seems to work fine!

Good luck,

Paul

I installed the hinge with a spacer between the skin and the hinge in order to make the top of the hinge flush with the skin. This moves the eyes down enough so that you can get the hinge pin in from the front with very little bending of the most forward hinge eye. Since I used the hinges on the cowl I just cut a slot in the appropriate hinge section to allow the baggage door hinge pin to be inserted. That has the added benefit of capturing the door hinge pin behind the cowling hinge pin. Did the same thing with the oil door on the cowling.

Many thanks!

I really appreciate your and Paul's suggestions. With any luck, I should be able to make it work now. Many thanks.

Dan