What is my first step, SJ Cowl

looking through the threads I am pondering this next step in the build, I am using the SkyBolt fasteners with a SJ long cowl and CS hz prop. what are some of the things to look out for, like gap for paint here and there and....................Pics? Thanks, Bret.

Bret,
I am picking up my SJ cowl next week. Im going with skybolts all around too. We need to keep in touch!

I fit the upper cowl first.


setting the spinner gap and allowing for sag...6 years later it hasn't dropped.


once the upper was trimmed to length and taped down. I brought the lower into position and started trimming it.


I went with hinges all around. split line pins are inserted from the cockpit area.




I fit the plenum next to ensure proper alignment with the cooling inlets


Once I liked the cowl and plenum fit I glassed in the rings. I stood it on the nose and poured epoxy from above.




It came out pretty well.

Thanks Brian. You can come down to Meridian to help me out. It just a quick flight for you! Ha!

On sky bolts just space out and watch spacing on cylinder heads.
Use .032 strip on bottom cowl.

Boomer

Thanks for the pics, so I need to fit my spinner first ya? that paint came out beautiful! did you have to do any pin hole filling?

When you trim it to length at the firewall, approach it carefully and sneak up on it, it's very easy to cut too much and have a gap at the joint. The resulting gap can be filled later, but not easily.

bret said:

Thanks for the pics, so I need to fit my spinner first ya? that paint came out beautiful! did you have to do any pin hole filling?

Click to expand...

I figured if the interface between the cowl and spinner is critical for how it looks....then best method was to fit the spinner and mount the prop, then fit the cowl to it.

I did sand and fill the pinholes in the cowl, but it really didn't need much effort. the James fiberglass isn't as porous as the Vans glass.

Bruce said:

On sky bolts just space out and watch spacing on cylinder heads.
Use .032 strip on bottom cowl.

Boomer

Click to expand...

Do we still need a strip on the bottom? is this for strength or to hid a gap, on the SkyBolt kit it comes with the mount plates and they say to raise the thing E so it is .250 up, to leave no gap visible?

bret said:

Do we still need a strip on the bottom? is this for strength or to hid a gap, on the SkyBolt kit it comes with the mount plates and they say to raise the thing E so it is .250 up, to leave no gap visible?

Click to expand...

You won't need the strip if you use the skylocs BUT, they are planar, and the cowl is a compound curve up to the nose. So, you are gonna have a choice, depending on how nice you want it to fit. I will let you figure the pros and cons, but here is where I went through that same question. I scrapped the skylocs on the split.

http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=114861

What not to do in locating your SB positions. http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=111929

Thanks for the links Bill, so, the tabs will not work on the split, because of the compound? and where do you start on the FW tab to get it lined up with the split row? line up the top or bottom first? looks like I am going to be cowl and decowling a couple hundred times ya?

Ya for sure.

bret said:

Thanks for the links Bill, so, the tabs will not work on the split, because of the compound? and where do you start on the FW tab to get it lined up with the split row? line up the top or bottom first? looks like I am going to be cowl and decowling a couple hundred times ya?

Click to expand...

You can see I considered putting the SB in the lower cowl and that is just a bad idea. So, when the upper cowl is fitted, connect the upper and lower cowls at the front, ala DanH pictures here in the past, then define the split line point on the side and extend the line of SB holes on the upper cowl down to the firewall. Then space them up and down from there. My SJ cowl required very little to be trimmed off the cowl split line.

I cut a 3/4" length off some hardware store 1.5x1.5x.125 aluminum angle. mounted them to the holes in the flywheel. Then installed some bolts to hold the upper cowl in a fixed position relative to the crank. I will look for a picture.

Since the SB fit over/into the sockets, getting the upper cowl is nicely locked in position. It gets bent out for removal but comes off with out issue.