Spin it
Hours: 5.5 | Posted in Cowling & BafflesTrying to finish up the spinner/prop install. Re-fit the spinner to the bulkheads, measured marked and drilled the holes which attach to the forward bulkhead — forgot what I was doing and made a 9-hole pattern instead of the prescribed six. It’s good and sturdy now. Final drilled all the spinner-bulkhead holes for #8 screws, and countersunk for tinnerman washers. Removed the assembly from the plane and drilled/deburred/countersunk and riveted the 24 nutplates.
Screwed the spinner to the aft bulkhead on the bench, made a rough template for the gap fillers, then marked and cut three of them from .063. Fit the plates to the holes and drilled for 4 rivets each per plans. Then, reinstalled the bulkheads, prop, and spinner, and made another rough template to trim the gap fillers to the contour of the prop. One at a time, mark/shape/file/refit/repeat to get the gaps and contour correct for each blade position. (They’re not all identical due to variations in the spinner’s blade cutouts.) As the day’s final task, cut and bend three tabs out of .063 stock, which will later be affixed to the back of each gap filler, and drilled to the spinner to provide a place to secure the filler to the fiberglass with a screw.
Had hoped to get a start on some of the cowling glasswork today, but duty called. I’m trying to take 3 more days from work over the next two weeks to knock some of this out, but it’s getting to the busy season and many evenings are lost to one workplace or another. It may yet be feasible to fly before summer, but it’s looking more doubtful each passing day.
