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Dave's RV-7A Builder's Log
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Date: 9-13-2014
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Number of Hours: 5.00
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Manual Reference:
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Brief Description: Cowling fitting and attachment
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Had I known the value of a pneumatic shear when I first started on this project, I would have purchased one long ago. Trying to figure out a way to cut the .050 aluminum for the cowling attachment into 2 1/2" strips, I stopped by Harbor Freight yesterday and picked one up. Cuts like buddah...
After marking and cutting about six or seven strips, I headed over to the fuselage to start measuring for the first piece. Early on, I figured a couple of things out--one long piece wouldn't work (cut the top piece in half); top skin has to be in place for everything to fit properly (cleco top skin on); cowling must be measured with prop attached (uh oh...)
So, after drilling a bunch of holes for the top strip, I took a break and attached the prop (see second entry for today). Once the prop was on, I needed to find a 1/4" spacer to ensure that the front edge of the cowling was properly aligned, so I turned to a high tech piece of cardboard to keep everything spaced properly.
After marking a 2" line on the fuselage for reference, I spent about 30 minutes lining things up and making sure I had thought of everything before I cut my $500 cowling. The primary challenge at this point is that the cowling extends about 3' forward of the firewall, and the only reference point is the prop hub...hope I attached it properly. Line marked, cowling off...and BTW...the shear cuts fiberglass too...
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Curly fries anyone?
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Drill, cleco, drill, cleco...
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Cardboard spacer between cowl and spinner hub
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