C

Charles in SC

Well Known Member
I am curious as to why lots of builders use Skybolt fastners instead of Dzus, Camlocks, or Southco etc. Is it the looks of having a shiny thing or do they somehow hold better or something? I am not far from needing to buy fastners and was looking at using one of the cheaper systems but not all hinges.
Thanks in advance!
 
Piano Hinge

My -9A just got out of the paint shop with 80 hours on it. I used Skybolts across the top and if I had a do-over, I would use piano hinge accessed from the outside. In other words, create a plate to hide the ends in the center of the cowling instead of accessing the pins through the oil door.

My opinoin.
 
Not flying yet and I can echo your quote "Going at a snail's pace, life gets in the way". Anyway, I have installed Skybolts in my cowl and recommend them. A friend with an RV-8 and others I know with an RV-7 have them and they are really easy to use and extremely reliable. I am responding to your query because you mentioned Dzus fasteners. Another friend has a restored Stearman that uses the Dzus. They are a genuine pain, hard to align and hard to engage. I cannot comment on the other systems but the Skybolts are top notch. I think they look good but of course, others think the hidden hinges look good on theirs.
 
I think one of the big advantages of Skybolt that I have seen is the ease of adjustment to get a perfect fit and by perfect I mean a fit that holds the cowl tight and yet does not take the strength of Hercules to engage. You can achieve the same thing with Dzus if you have all the right installation/adjustment tools but the springs do move after a while and need to be re-adjusted. I cannot comment on camlock and southco.
 
I think the devil is in the details. I have Skybolt because they came with the kit I bought in process. If you have the time, you might just get one of each brand/type and install them in a 6 ply fiberglass layup to see how they compare in the details of installation, strength, precision, adjustability etc. I actually like the SB, but they have their issues too. All but hinges are single point loading, not a continuous bonding, fiberglass creeps and if it is in compression to hold it in place then it can be tight today and not so tight tomorrow. If lose then look at the shear load and area in mechanical contact with the cowl.

Maybe there is no perfect cowl fastener or method, but you might find the one of these suits you a lot better than others. Good news (even if contextually) is frequently touted, and a decisions that did not work so well are not so available.

BTW- I am fitting my SJ cowl this week with all SB fasteners. I am quite satisfied with this as I have no hours nor experience yet.
 
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