UnPossible
Well Known Member
Hey -
I am making good progress on my 10, and am looking ahead to working on the cowling. I am not a big fan of Van's hinges around the firewall, and on my 7A I used quarter turn fasteners all the way around the firewall. However on my 10, I am considering just using screws and nut plates. Why????
1) Price... I think the firewall kit fastener kit is around $500.... screws and nut plates would likely be $25 or less.
2) Putting the cowling on and off is a bit of a pain. The quarter turn fasteners hang down from the cowling and can scratch the paint if you aren't really careful getting everything aligned before setting the cowling down into position.
3) Long term maintenance... I have had to replace a couple of the quarter turn fasteners (which were replaced under warranty) when they failed to lock into place. Additionally, I have a couple of them that don't want to stay in the cowling when unlocked.
4) Speed... while the quarter turn fasteners are going to be faster... using a screw gun I can't imagine the time difference being all that much.
Is there some reason I am not thinking of why I shouldn't go ahead with screws and nut plates?
Thanks,
Jason
I am making good progress on my 10, and am looking ahead to working on the cowling. I am not a big fan of Van's hinges around the firewall, and on my 7A I used quarter turn fasteners all the way around the firewall. However on my 10, I am considering just using screws and nut plates. Why????
1) Price... I think the firewall kit fastener kit is around $500.... screws and nut plates would likely be $25 or less.
2) Putting the cowling on and off is a bit of a pain. The quarter turn fasteners hang down from the cowling and can scratch the paint if you aren't really careful getting everything aligned before setting the cowling down into position.
3) Long term maintenance... I have had to replace a couple of the quarter turn fasteners (which were replaced under warranty) when they failed to lock into place. Additionally, I have a couple of them that don't want to stay in the cowling when unlocked.
4) Speed... while the quarter turn fasteners are going to be faster... using a screw gun I can't imagine the time difference being all that much.
Is there some reason I am not thinking of why I shouldn't go ahead with screws and nut plates?
Thanks,
Jason