Forgot to epoxy the piano hinge

I believe the directions say to apply epoxy to the piano hinge on the cowling before riveting. I forgot to do this on the bottom cowling. Is this a big deal? Should I remove all the rivets and then epoxy? Thoughts? Thanks in advance.

No need

You'll do more damage trying drill the rivets. There are couple of options but it isn't anything to worry about. Here's what I'd do. Get some thick CA adhesive (superglue) from a hobby shop and the accelerator. Run a bead along the edge of the hinge. It should wick under if there is any gap between the hinge. Spray the accelerator to lock the glue in place. From the outside you might be able to see where the glue migrated. Don't overdo it, just get some under the hinge.

Next, I would cut a piece of glass cloth 2" wide (6-8 oz) and apply to the hinge and the cowl to lock it in. That should take care of it.

I agree with Darwin. Adding a layer of glass over the top will help minimize vibration problems. You might want to add a second layer over the hinge along the bottom edge of the cowl. The rivets in the hinge near the exhaust are a known weak point from vibration.

greg