Thorp Air Command - T18.net

After my morning flight in 'Feisty' a quick walk around inspection revealed 2 pulled dzus fasteners on the bottom of the left cowl cheek. They had pulled out of the lower cowl.
The old fiberglass is soft & wiggly. Kind of rubbery. To many years of hot oily engine nearby?
Now for full disclosure: I just finished my RV-8, and received the airworthiness certificate. I have over 5 hours of ground running time on it's turbocharged Mazda rotary engine (I'm on the flyrotary forum too). So I celebrated the certificate with a brief ground run, run-up and a short 2 seconds of take off power on the runway. The engine screamed like a banshee, took off like a scalded cat, and went POP! The died with grey smoke. What a let down!
But I still have my Feisty T-18! Until this cowl deal
Obviously Feisty gets fixed first! Smoke Wagon gets to wait his turn.

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Scott Emery
EAA Chapter 326
T-18 N18TE

Scott, plan a trip and come to Florida and you can make a new one using my molds. I live 40 minutes from the mouse. Bill

Today I decided a trip from Washington to Florida was probably beyond my capability, (thanks Bill) so I forged ahead with a repair. I used some .032 7075 aluminum scrap to make a doubler strip along the bottom left cowl cheek. I removed the Dzus fasteners (except the ends) and installed a bunch of plate nuts to the doubler and riveted the assembly to the lower fiberglass cowl. I assembled the cheek to the jowl and drilled + countersunk the new holes for #8 countersink screws. That lower cowl now has no puckers. It flies different too, less wing heavy on the left side. Don't know if it's faster, but it's not slower. Looks a little ruff with the scars from the old fasteners, but Feisty is back in the air!

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Scott Emery
EAA Chapter 326
T-18 N18TE

When I ran a fiberglass cowl, I ended up with an aluminum strip all the way around the perimeter of each cowl to fix the very problem discussed here. I finally made an aluminum cowl as, after 20 years or so, the 'glass finally got too rotten to go on.

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Bob Highley
N711SH
SN 835
KLAL

When I installed my MilSpecproducts.com cowl fasteners , I added a doubler that was riveted upon install . I used Cherry Max rivets to complete the installation per the fastener recommendation .

RB POW !

I glassed an aluminum strip along the edge of the cowl which worked for 12 years until I made the aluminum cowl. Funny thing about the aluminum cowl is the engine temperatures went down about 30 degrees

HI Bill, I'm working on a time frame to come down and make a cowl. Any idea how much cloth I'll need to bring?

Terry

Terry, I'm waiting on Lee to respond as he just did one and probably has the numbers.

Hey guys!
Sorry for the delay! I've already talked to both Terry and Bill but wanted to make a posting here to have it public and recorded. When Bill let us use his molds back in April. I went to Fiberglass Coatings in St. Petersburg.

Here's what do remember purchasing ... for one cowl set and wheel pants.

* 20 yards of 60in wide/6oz fiberglass cloth (standard unidirectional) NOTE: I would up this to 25 yards as at least 4 layups is required, we used 3.
* 20 yards of 3inch 6 oz. fiberglass tape (this is used for the edges and on the stiffeners)
* 1 Gallon Standard Laminating Resin (Epoxy)
* 1/2 Gallon "non-corrosive" catalyst (this is available in rations of 1:1 to 5:1) I used 2:1 which yielded about 30 mins. of working time. Note this is not the mixing ratio .. the "ratio" here refers to cure time
* 20 mixing sticks
* 1 box of rubber gloves
* 20 mixing cups
* 2 white suits (paper lab coats)
* 1 gallon "cleanser" (pretty sure this was Lacquer thinner)
* Two 4 ft lengths of triangular foam (cut again lengthwise in half) these were used as stiffeners
* glass rolling tools one small and one medium (these look like mini - paint rollers)
* 6 rolls paper towels (for blotting the resin out)
* 20 cloth pins (for pinching the glass down in stubborn areas)
* Mold Release

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Lee Walton
Houston, TX
N51863,N118LW
KEFD

All this cowl chatter raises my blood pressure a point or two. A few years ago I loaned the cowl molds that Dave Eby entrusted to my care to Don Doubleday with his fervent promise return them in as good condition as he received them. Every time I see him I remind him that I want them back. So far all I get is double talk.

GG

Gary, I know the concept.......I let my molds get away and it was 1 1/2 years before my brother retrieved them in Atlanta after chasing them for several months. A friend here in Lakeland finally brought them home.