N4094 Cowl

[Mike Magnani]

I purchased an A65-8 engine for the Crankshaft and Lifter Bodies that were rejected from my -12. So, while I go through the process of overhauling the -12, I reassembled the -8 without the Crankshaft and Camshaft to use as a mock up to fit the new cowl. I had to modify the wooden cradle I'd been using so the weight of the engine wouldn't tip the whole thing over. The Nose Wheel Well, Floorboards (both aluminum and wooden), the new Belly Skin and those pesky little brackets that the Main Landing Gear Retract Rod go through are finished, fitted and removed for paint.
I started remaking the piece that mounts to the left side of the Firewall by running it through the Joggle Rollers and match-drilling it to fit the Firewall Flange. I drilled the Firewall Flange first so I would have a chance at maintaining proper Edge Distance for the rivet holes. Next I'll run the whole thing through the sheetmetal rollers to get the contour just right.

[Mike Magnani]

Today, while I was waiting for our leather guy to finish with the semi-annual treatment to the seats of the big airplane, I had a chance to rough-out the new piece that fits to the right side of the firewall. Then I kind of stuck some of the other cowl pieces on to see how they fit. I never realized that the Mites use a modified filler neck for the oil tank. I used the one that came with the -8 engine and noticed that it hits the side of the cowl.
It's my hope that one or more of the fine Mite owners that fly to Porterville this weekend will be kind enough to let me poke around their airplane and maybe even remove a few cowl pieces so I can take some pictures.