It was a big relief to get the propeller installed without too much reiterative work or problems. The next thing it says in the RV-14 instruction manual (pp 42-02) is the check the aft spinner plate for flatness. Apparently, when you tighten these plates to the specified torque, they warp; and sure enough, mine was. I used an adjustable wood-working square and calipers to measure distances between the front of the hub and the starter gear ring at multiple clocking positions around the aft hub. I removed any discrepancies by firmly grasping and pushing on either side of the aft spinner hub until the distance varied no more than .040 inches. After doing that, I attempted to install the upper cowl to make sure I had the requisite clearance, and that’s when the very big sighs began. The upper cowl (which will have the least clearance) overlapped the aft spinner flange by approximately ¼ inch. I hoped by removing all the spacer washers VAN’s instructions told me to install, would take care of the problem; AND I would still have adequate clearance around the propeller hub. Thankfully, I didn’t have to remove the entire propeller to get the bolts off. I removed all the spacer washers down to the1/2” spinner spacer and now had approximately 3/16” clearance on the upper cowl. The engine sags downward slightly, so I know I will have adequate clearance for the lower cowl. I took a couple hours to get the aft hub adjusted for flatness and cowling clearance. I temporarily installed the front spinner hub to get ready for the next potential gut wrencher…cutting the fiberglass spinner so it fits around the constant speed propeller blades through the entire range of pitch adjustments AND it completely covers the flange of the aft hub!
