David-aviator
Well Known Member
I've finally stopped un-modifying the cowl in an attempt to get it back to what it was before the Subaru adventure. The exit area is near where it was, 16x5 vrs 14x3.5, but still a bit larger than the standard Van's cowl. I decided to leave it that way because cooling has been just excellent. The Bonanza side cowl vents are staying also as they were a lot of work and do provide some exit area and since they have been around about 50 years on that venerable airplane, may be worth having.
The front of the cowl is also redone to accommodate the AFP ram valve with a 4" James ring intake and the filtered bypass duct drawing air from the left intake area as per Van's. The net result is the bottom cowl is about 50% raw fiber glass and needs filling, finishing, priming and painting. That's where the Frosting on the Wedding Cake comes in.
I am using West fast cure epoxy and glass micro balloons to fill the weave and transition areas that need filling. The first application goes on like frosting on a cake, in this case a wedding cake since we are all married to our airplanes. The old rule of thumb, mix the micro in until it stands up like frosting is just about right.
It started 4 days ago. First sand down was with 50 grit paper, the second with 80 grit, the third with 120 grit and then another fill today as there always seems to be another low spot or hole that was missed earlier. Tomorrow it may be ready for the first of a couple shots of primer which will be hit with wet paper at 220 and then 320 for the paint top coat.
I am a long way from being an expert painter but I will get this done and it will look a lot better than it did. The further away you get from the first 50 grit sand down the more fun and less dusty it becomes. It is a monster job to contemplate but once you get into it, it isn't all that bad.
The front of the cowl is also redone to accommodate the AFP ram valve with a 4" James ring intake and the filtered bypass duct drawing air from the left intake area as per Van's. The net result is the bottom cowl is about 50% raw fiber glass and needs filling, finishing, priming and painting. That's where the Frosting on the Wedding Cake comes in.
I am using West fast cure epoxy and glass micro balloons to fill the weave and transition areas that need filling. The first application goes on like frosting on a cake, in this case a wedding cake since we are all married to our airplanes. The old rule of thumb, mix the micro in until it stands up like frosting is just about right.
It started 4 days ago. First sand down was with 50 grit paper, the second with 80 grit, the third with 120 grit and then another fill today as there always seems to be another low spot or hole that was missed earlier. Tomorrow it may be ready for the first of a couple shots of primer which will be hit with wet paper at 220 and then 320 for the paint top coat.
I am a long way from being an expert painter but I will get this done and it will look a lot better than it did. The further away you get from the first 50 grit sand down the more fun and less dusty it becomes. It is a monster job to contemplate but once you get into it, it isn't all that bad.