Spinner and Cowling
Fit of the spinner was the first piece attacked in this section, followed by the installation of the air dams in the upper cowling. Before mating the cowling, we installed an access panel for ease in checking the oil.
Now we were ready to mate the upper and lower cowling. This process required establishment of 'stand off' lines by which to measure the cut lines for the cowl. The initial cuts were made where the cowl mated to the fuselage. Once these were complete and the hinges installed, we could mark the horizontal cuts to mate the top and bottom cowls. Once a good fit was established the hinges were installed and the spacing to the spinner evaluated. To achieve a good straight finish on the edges of the cowl, we took a sanding belt, cut it, and glued it lengthwise to a 1 by 3 piece of wood. We nicknamed it the nail file and it allowed us to get a good long sanding stroke along the edges and ensured straight edges. (We took advantage of the nail file in finishing the edges of the wing tip fairings as well.
