Time to install engine baffling?

The engine baffling on my -6 is from the C172 that the engine came from. It seems to work well enough, but since I like to tinker with the plane, and the baffle kit from Van's seems reasonably priced, and the new ones should seal better, I thought I would put in the regulation kit.

My question is, about how many hours should I estimate for this project? I have some flying to do and don't want to mess that up.

Thanks,

Baffling

I would estimate you are going to spend about 40 hours to put the baffling in. They come pretty close in fitting around the cylinders and such but you can spend a lot of time getting the seal strips and clearances just right for your cowl. One word of caution is that you need more clearance for your baffling to the cowl on the right side as opposed to the left. I used my finger (about 1/2") as reference for fit around the cowl before I put my seal strip in. After about two hours of flying, my cowl was cracked along the line of my baffling. The metal was rubbing up against the cowl and cracking the paint. When the engine is running, the torque of the engine lifts the right side up and pushes the left side down........so give yourself a little more clearance on the right side.

Food for thought.....


Aden

I just finished the baffle for my RV7. I think 40 hours is about right, maybe on the high side.

For the clearance to the cowling, once you get it trimmed just enough so the cowl fits, barely attach a bunch of paper clips on the metal edge. Then carefully install and remove the cowl. The paper clips will get pushed down and show you the curvature of the cowl. Then you can go and precisely cut the metal for the cowl's shape.

Wish I was smart enough to figure that out on my own, but my neighbor Gaylon (RV10 builder) showed me! Worked great!