701/750 Cowling design and removal/replacement procedures

Any suggestions on design modifications and/or procedures to make cowling removal and reattachment easier? My 750 cowling is modified for the IO-240, but I presume the attachment design is the same on most or all. It is difficult (read: impossible) to see what one is doing when trying to feed the heavy wire pin through the hinge pieces, and it takes some forcing, even pounding vice-grips, as the "pin" binds, particularly on the curves. In addition there are machine-screws that secure the two fiberglass sections together, and safety wire is used to hold the ends of the pins in place (crude, but effective, I guess--or maybe redundant, but better to be sure they don't work out and get hit by the prop, I reckon.

Any ideas on this whole subject?

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Permalink Reply by Joe Spencer on March 14, 2015 at 6:49am

I had that same problem on my RV8. what I did was make up a nice cover plate outa fiberglass and install it over the hole and wire end with a couple nut plates and #6 flush head machine screws. with the pin proper length to bottom out at the aft end and protrude just enough to get a side grip on it at the front you got it licked...just need an undersized pin that works pretty easy. no need for a bend in the end of the pin and the plate keeps it from working forward. I usually use 3M clear shipping tape over whatever I'm laying up a part on for separation. pull it off, sand, shape and paint it. oughta look nice.

I just looked at your pics again. on my 8 the hinge was right at the pin hole. could see it there and made pin install easy. don't know if that's a problem on yours but if so would be easy to move the hole aft and make your plate cover the original hole so wouldn't have to do any paint work on the cowling.

whoever built your plane had good taste in paint color. same as mine. just gorgeous! I paid $35/gal for mine off ebay.

Permalink Reply by Joe Spencer on March 14, 2015 at 10:21am

>>>whoever built your plane had good taste in paint color. same as mine. just gorgeous! I paid $35/gal for mine off ebay.

awww...I had your paint mixed up with Austin's. It's his that's green like mine. you got no paint yet.

Permalink Reply by Wayne Tyson on March 15, 2015 at 11:43pm

Awww . . . and here I wuz thinkin' that you liked my aluminum paint job. I agree that Austin's is real purty, but at 895 pounds the way it sits, I just can't afford 30 pounds or so off my useful load. Anytime anybody confuses me with John, I take it as a high compliment!

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