Randy Moore wrote: > has anyone used a piano hinge around the firewall to attach the cowl to? I > have a friend with a glass air done this way works good, any thoughts?
That's exactly how I did it and it works great! See the bottom of http://www.n56ml.com/cowling.html for the "after" picture. Surely I took some pictures of the joint you're referring to, but really, I did it so fast I may have forgotten to photograph it. I'll see if I can find a few. I riveted the hinge to the carbon fiber. I wasn't sure it would work, but it did. One thing I did that made it easier than the RV installation I've seen is that I ran the hinge pin in from the rear, so it doesn't start out in a sharp curve. When it hits the tight curve at the front, it binds up, and you don't have to worry about it loosening, although I did put a loop in the aft end and secure it with a #4 wood screw for good measure. If things tighten up, you can give yourself a little more clearance with piano wire from AS&S or Wicks, which is a few thousandths smaller in diameter. I also learned to wax the hinge pins if things got tight...makes a world of difference. I highly recommend it over screws...much quicker, much more secure, and invisible from the outside. I did use five #8 screws on the top of the cowling...because it's got a sharp curve on each end... -- Mark Langford ML at N56ML.com http://www.n56ml.com
