Thorp Air Command - T18.net

Supporting Owners, Builders and Pilots of the Thorp T-18 and its variants.
It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 1:31 pm

All times are UTC - 6 hours [ DST ]




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 11 posts ] 
Author Message
SHIPCHIEF
PostPosted: Tue Jun 18, 2013 9:07 pm 
Sr. Member
Sr. Member

Joined: Tue Nov 29, 2011 9:05 pm
Posts: 471
Location: USA
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 :P
Obviously Feisty gets fixed first! Smoke Wagon gets to wait his turn.

_________________
Scott Emery
EAA Chapter 326
T-18 N18TE


Top
 Profile  
 
Bill Williams
PostPosted: Wed Jun 19, 2013 5:23 am 
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


Top
  
 
SHIPCHIEF
PostPosted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 1:04 am 
Sr. Member
Sr. Member

Joined: Tue Nov 29, 2011 9:05 pm
Posts: 471
Location: USA
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!

_________________
Scott Emery
EAA Chapter 326
T-18 N18TE


Top
 Profile  
 
fytrplt
PostPosted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:50 am 
Hero Member
Hero Member
User avatar

Joined: Tue Oct 20, 2009 8:07 pm
Posts: 1140
Images: 2
Location: Lakeland, Florida, USA
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.

_________________
Bob Highley
N711SH
SN 835
KLAL


Top
 Profile Personal album  
 
Rich Brazell
PostPosted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 8:46 pm 
Hero Member
Hero Member

Joined: Wed Oct 21, 2009 12:33 pm
Posts: 3095
Images: 64
Location: Jamul, CA (San Diego area)
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 O0 POW !


Top
 Profile Personal album  
 
Bill Williams
PostPosted: Mon Jun 24, 2013 5:35 am 
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


Top
  
 
Hagle347
PostPosted: Mon Jun 24, 2013 2:51 pm 
Sr. Member
Sr. Member
User avatar

Joined: Tue Oct 26, 2010 3:42 pm
Posts: 566
Images: 19
Location: USA
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


Top
 Profile Personal album  
 
Bill Williams
PostPosted: Mon Jun 24, 2013 4:56 pm 
Terry, I'm waiting on Lee to respond as he just did one and probably has the numbers.


Top
  
 
leewwalton
PostPosted: Wed Jun 26, 2013 9:37 am 
Administrator
Administrator
User avatar

Joined: Tue Oct 20, 2009 4:09 pm
Posts: 1705
Images: 107
Location: Houston, TX
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

_________________
Lee Walton
Houston, TX
N51863,N118LW
KEFD


Top
 Profile Personal album  
 
Gary Green
PostPosted: Sun Apr 05, 2015 11:24 am 
Jr. Member
Jr. Member

Joined: Mon Oct 26, 2009 10:53 am
Posts: 61
Location: USA
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


Top
 Profile  
 
Bill Williams
PostPosted: Sun Apr 05, 2015 11:51 am 
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.


Top
  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 11 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 6 hours [ DST ]


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 8 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
cron

[ Time : 0.241s | 12 Queries | GZIP : On ]