First I offset teh upper cowling by 6" and used a tongue depressor to scribe a line 6 1/4" down. That got the metal baffles within about 1/2" everwhere but around the flywheel.
Then I went to the paperclip method and after about 3 hours of trimming - the metal baffles were in pretty good shape. After trimming, they were really rough looking. However, after belt sanding - I was surprised - everything shaped up really well.
The gussets/air-stops are all cleco'ed in.
I am debating whether to go forward or to repaint the baffles with white high-temp paint.
I also reworked the mix cable. It was rubbing a little bit, but after a couple of washers as shims - problem solved.
