So I have a much more complicated engine mount story, confounded by my inability to "just put it together" without alterations...
I am using the Saito FG-60R3 radial, and the mount spacing is such that the holes in the firewall will be very close to the edge at the top, even if I were to mount it upright and square (which I don't plan to, as you will see). I just bolted the standoffs to the mount plate to eyeball the position on the firewall, and you can see it's probably tight (note that the fuse is inverted in this photo)...
To further complicate matters, I stubbornly wish to add what I consider the most glaringly obvious omission on the model, and that's the external exhaust extension on the outside of the cowl:
I could just make it cosmetic, but where'd be the fun in that...
So I need to route the actual engine exhaust out through the cowl bottom side, so it can exit in the scale position. However (again), I have an exhaust ring that outputs on the bottom, which means I'd have to route it sideways, then back, etc. Which I could do, but where's... well you know.
So it occurred to me that I could rotate the engine 1 scale cylinder (as in 1/9 of the circle or 40*) have have the exhaust in the exact right spot. Problem is, that makes the mount spacing even worse...
You can see if I am to mount it in this manner, I will need a new larger firewall to mount it to. One more wrinkle is that the instructions call for the firewall-to-thrustwasher distance to be 170mm, and I measure stock mount on the engine to the thrust washer as about 180mm already. So just doing something like cutting of the front edges of the motor box and slapping a larger firewall on it won't work unless I significantly shorten the standoffs, which will probably result in other interference problems.
To make things even worse, this motor mount is put together like a Chinese puzzle. The firewall has tabs that stick through the sides and top of the motorbox, and the sides are actually two extended plies that continue through the front former and the next two formers inside the fuse (being joined by a third ply in the process). See the single-headed arrows in the pictures below. Thus, disassembling this mess is out of the question, and some cutting must be done.
I am thinking of just cutting the whole front off the box, right behind the current firewall, along the double headed arrows above, and in the photo below. Then I think some 3/4 ply might be just the right size, and glued and pinned it might be strong enough. What do you all think?
