One last cowl sanding iteration
After enjoying a smoke-free beer at the Roanoke with Steve-o (Washington’s smoking ban is awesome), I didn’t do too much on the plane.
I decided to check the paint gap on the cowl all around one last time. In the process of doing that, I realized I screwed up the side hinges. I attached them one rivet too far down. I double-checked yesterday when I was riveting them on, but apparently still messed it up. The only real problem is that there is one less hinge loop at the top to support the corners of the cowl. I’m trying to decide whether to drill them out and re-attach, or just leave them as is.
After carefully looking at all of the gaps and testing them with a strip of .020, I sanded just a tiny bit more along the horizontal seams. It should be ready to go now. I had Julie document the special occasion.
I’ve also been looking at the Milspec camloc group buy. Those things sure are tempting. I’ve installed/removed the cowl a couple of times now using the hinge pins. The hinges along the horizontal seams are easy to install. The others, especially along the top and bottom, are not easy. With the 30% group buy discount, I could do the firewall for about $200 including tools. Hmm…