[Wally]

Getting ready to permanently mount the cowl cheeks to the fuselage. Mine have a very pronounced curl away from the fuselage. I have tapered the edges as much as possible, now almost a knife edge, and still some space.

How have some of you RV-4 builders handled this part of the building process?

I have considered different fillers but am concerned that it will crack through the paint sooner or later.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Happy Flying Safely,

Wally Hunt
Rockford, IL
RV-4 Finishing Kit

 

[Brian Vickers]

Mine were the same way

I had the same problem and therefore used tricks learned from fixing the white fiberglass wing root fairings. I put a layer or two of glass/epoxy on the inside edge that is against the aluminum. This thickens the edge. Then sanded to fit flush with tapered edges. Worked great on the wing root fairings.

 

[Steve Sampson]

Wally, if I remember correctly as well as rivets I stuck them on with Sikaflex. (Proseal would do if you are not using Sikaflex, but much harder to sand I suspect.)

While it sounds as though I did not have parts quite as misshapen (is that a word) as yours, there was a distinct curl away. The Sikaflex allowed me to sand aggressively and provided a very broad attachment area.

Good luck.

PS This blog entry confirms I used Sikaflex and shows how it looked before painting.