SJ Cowl Intake Air Question(s)

I have the cowl fitted up, SkyBolts installed, I have cut off the air intake scoop on the original o-360 (long) carb cowl and installed the IO-360 injected portion from Will James. The part has been bonded, two layers of 8.9oz 8 harness laid on the inside to bring it up to the cowl thickness and I am looking at the intake air ring. James instructions say to bond/glass it to the cowl. This is were I stopped and started scratching my head.

For the life of me I can not visualize how the cowl gets installed and the air intake ring connected to the air filter box tube. It seems like a bear of an operation to align and slip over a tube on the inside while clearing painted stuff in the back and slipping it under the painted spinner. Easy to bring it up, but not to slip over (or in) a tube. Many questions. Is this the way it really works? Or does that boot not connect until after the lower cowl is in place? Is the boot clamped afterward by reaching down from the top? Is there enough room to slide this boot down a tube then back to make it easy?

What if I left the ring loose but had a high bore on the cowl, then allowed the ring to slide inside the boot then clamp? The ring could be held in place with a set screw from below, accessible outside the cowl?

Even if I make a removable section like the rockets (DanH), what exact problem does this solve?

Sorry for so many questions but I want to move on and have learned that if the path can not be visualized, the job won't work out right. Hope is not a plan.

Please help, what did you do? Recommendations most welcome.

Bill,

I hope I can help.

The rings stay on the plenum.
The bottom cowl goes on first.
Put rings in seat.
Put snorkel tube on. C- clamp front only.
Put on top cowl.


You will lay up the rings with cowl off airplane.
Use the flox mix and plenty of wax on rings.
This is the starting point and the rest will make sense after that.
Used the same set up as you and you will like it when finished.

Boomer

Thanks, Bruce, I have the upper and lower fitted and the cooling rings glassed in already. It is just the engine air intake part that has me thinking.

I found some threads with discussion and DanH uses a firm silicone boot/tube for the attachment from servo to FAB and from the FAB forward to the cowl.
This would mean I would have to slide the air inlet ring inside the air tube as the lower cowl is installed. That seems like a problem given the limitations on movement forward due to the spinner.

Bill,

Slide the foam ring over carb inlet.

Using the scuba suit material attach the front end then slide over.
I then used clamp over the snorkel end that I could reach from the top side.

Hope it helps.

Bruce said:

Bill,

Slide the foam ring over carb inlet.

Using the scuba suit material attach the front end then slide over.
I then used clamp over the snorkel end that I could reach from the top side.

Hope it helps.

Click to expand...

That is what I was missing! Thanks