JackinMichigan
Well Known Member
Last night was the first time we attempted to install the lower cowl with the prop in place (MT 3-blade composite). We found it near impossible to do without removing the spinner cone and several of the attachment brackets, and we stripped out the head on a couple of screws in the process. We did extend the front landing gear slot as recommended by several people.
I suspect this is going to be an ongoing issue, and I just want to ask the more experienced community if there's an easier or better way to do this. Did you construct any special tools or jigs? What is the best order of assembly (top cowl first or bottom)? How do I get the piano hinge pins installed without buggering up the paint job? Our plane isn't painted yet, but we had to do a fair amount of prying in order to install the second cowl's firewall hinge pin.
As I'm sure everyone knows removing the lower cowl is essential to maintenance, and I want to get it down to a choreographed science so there's minimal damage and frustration. I think maybe a YouTube instructional video is in my future.
I suspect this is going to be an ongoing issue, and I just want to ask the more experienced community if there's an easier or better way to do this. Did you construct any special tools or jigs? What is the best order of assembly (top cowl first or bottom)? How do I get the piano hinge pins installed without buggering up the paint job? Our plane isn't painted yet, but we had to do a fair amount of prying in order to install the second cowl's firewall hinge pin.
As I'm sure everyone knows removing the lower cowl is essential to maintenance, and I want to get it down to a choreographed science so there's minimal damage and frustration. I think maybe a YouTube instructional video is in my future.