ccsmith51

ccsmith51

Well Known Member
My RV-4 has a non-Van's cowl air scoop. While it functions just fine, I do not like the way it looks. I am considering replacing it with the Van's FAB-4-SCOOP-360 cowl air scoop.

Has anyone performed this replacement? If so, can you tell me how difficult it is, how it turned out, what pitfalls to watch out for?

Thanks and Merry Christmas to All!!
 
Good point, Mike...

Mike S said:
Photos of the existing setup would help...............
Click to expand...

Here are a couple...

2mfncrc.jpg


zmhbhj.jpg
 
I have a new one in my hangar that I don't need. It is a Sam James scoop for a 360. $50 plus shipping. let me know if you are interested. You could check the cowling section of my project (below in signature section). The process should be similar. The biggest problem will probably be that your current cowling has oil and dirt on it. you will have to have a nice clean surface on the inside and you will have to end up painting the outside to match becasue the paint has to come off for the instal.

CIMG3660.JPG

CIMG3661.JPG
 
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Chris,

My old kit (circa 1995) came with the inlet for an O-320 already cast in. Incorporating the O-360 inlet involved cutting off the existing scoop and glassing on the bigger one.

In my case the O-360 scoop I received left a large gap where it should have joined the surface of the cowling when it was correctly aligned with the airbox. After looking at it for a while I convinced myself to cast my own scoop (done the old-fashioned way by building up and shaping blue foam around the airbox with the lower cowling in place to make a mold and casting the scoop in place). My Van's O-360 scoop didn't go to waste- I gave it to a friend who used it as the induction scoop for his Formula V racecar.

.....but the operation isn't difficult if you have a little fiberglass experience- it's important to make sure the surfaces on moth sides of the splice are really clean. I sometimes mix some flox into the epoxy for splices.

Good luck,

Andy
 
Chris - Didn't you just have your plane painted?

I don't think it looks bad at all and if it works....

I can tell you it will be a ton of work repainting the cowl to match.

Merry Christmas!

Spank
 
RV8R999 said:
Chris - Didn't you just have your plane painted?

I don't think it looks bad at all and if it works....

I can tell you it will be a ton of work repainting the cowl to match.

Merry Christmas!

Spank
Click to expand...

Hi Spank,

The plane was painted in early 2010, about a year before I purchased it. All I have done is put the checkerboard on the tail.

Next spring I want to put some color on the outside, and I was thinking of a scheme similar to Hide's. That would require painting most of the cowl halves, so I thought that would be a good time to make the change.

Thanks to all that responded, and Merry Christmas!!
 
Say What?

As they say, 'beauty is in the eyes of the beholder'. I think your inlet looks GREAT and I wouldn't waste my time or money changing it.

Nice airplane - good luck and Merry Christmas!!

ccsmith51 said:
My RV-4 has a non-Van's cowl air scoop. While it functions just fine, I do not like the way it looks. I am considering replacing it with the Van's FAB-4-SCOOP-360 cowl air scoop.

Has anyone performed this replacement? If so, can you tell me how difficult it is, how it turned out, what pitfalls to watch out for?

Thanks and Merry Christmas to All!!
Click to expand...
 
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