Sunday, January 4, 2015

Sunday, Jan 4th, 2015 - still working on the engine baffles

Didn't have time to do any updates recently.  The baffles are taking quite a bit more time than I thought they would.  I *mostly* have them trimmed to shape, but have yet to get them to the point where I can put on the top cowl and start trimming them down to final size.  Hopefully I'll be able to start that process this week.

The forward ramp on each side needs to be bent upward to meet the inlet, and also needs a bend both to improve strength as well as fit to the cowl inlet which is curved.  Also need to be trimmed back to allow clearance of the cowl and the baffle material, which will attach to the aft side of the inlet.

From Finish Kit

Working the left side (#2 cyl) forward ramp up into place.  Trimming is done carefully in iterations so as not to trim off too much.  That said, the provided pieces are *way* oversize  - maybe 3 inches too long at least.

From Finish Kit

Fitting the forward left (#2 cyl) ramp support.

From Finish Kit

The sides are bent inward (which requires more trimming on the forward ramp) and then a lip is formed to support the ramp and provide a mounting location for the curved baffles.

From Finish Kit

Getting pretty close at this point.

From Finish Kit

Nice fit on the #1 side, but still need a lot of trimming.

From Finish Kit

Overall view - I've removed the #3 and #4 baffles to make working on it easier.

From Finish Kit

Left side ramp trimmed to final size (probably anyway).

From Finish Kit

Same on the right side - this side is much shorter because #1 cylinder is more forward than #2.

From Finish Kit

Working on the curved baffle for the left side.  The paper piece is my template.

From Finish Kit

Working the curve around so it will match the cowl inlet.

From Finish Kit

Still a bit long, but the curve matches the cowl exactly.  Later this will all get match drilled and trimmed to fit.

From Finish Kit

Starting on the inboard forward baffles.  This side needed to be changed to match the ramp angle.

From Finish Kit

Left side trimmed and starting to match drill the attach clips.

From Finish Kit

Attach clip fabbed and match drilled to the right side.  NOTE:  I should have thought of this much sooner, but this evening I realized I didn't need the spinner or ring gear mounted to the crank any more.  Taking that off make it *much* easier to get in and work on this stuff.  Can't believe I didn't think of that sooner.

From Finish Kit