Zippi

My Feedback: (10)

I've tried various ways to secure a cowl, canopy, wheel pants, etc. I like using blind nuts if at all possible with socket head bolts with washers that have rubber on one side. This method seems to work best and does not come loose. If you have a good method that works well for you lets hear it.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

What I have found works best is to drill the hole, then glue a piece of inner pushrod tubing into the mount. Use a servo screw (#2) to secure the cowl it will thread into the pushrod tube and won't vibrate out.

Then, enlarge the hole in the cowl and put a short piece of fuel line through it.

Now you can tighten the screw and it will expand the fuel line giving you a "Shock absorber" of sorts to keep the cowl holes from vibrating against the screw

starkms

I just put in blind nuts and am using plastic bolts, so they won't vibrate out as easily.

Zippi

My Feedback: (10)

Those are two very good ideas. The idea MinnFlyer has seems fine but it looks like it might hold the cowl away from the fuse just a little but still a good idea.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Ok, a more accurate drawing

Bob Yeager

My Feedback: (5)

http://www.pspmfg.com/WheelPantsSupportBracket.html

http://www.pspmfg.com/CowlBinders.html

I have used these cowl "binders" with success. I haven't tried the wheel pants support brackets. I have a PSP test stand, and our club has one of their frequency boards. Top Notch Stuff!

Zippi

My Feedback: (10)

I've seen the cowl binders before because I've used the PSP fuel dots. Nice looking.

Zippi

My Feedback: (10)

Has anyone shopped at Lowes or Home Depot and found any thin rubber that could be glued to the back of a washer to make this setup I spoke off? I have only had them in the ARF's I've had and they really work well.

plasticjoe

My Feedback: (22)

Any Gasket supply house in your area should have some cutoffs of neoprene

mirwin

My Feedback: (1)

I tried MinnFlyer's method 4 yrs ago, when I first saw his post, on my then new Super Skybolt kit. It holds the fiberglass cowling very well, AND it prevents the hole in the cowling from enlarging due to vibration. I even used the method on a 108" gasser that vibrates like a washing machine, but I used blind nuts and thread - locker with it.

It is by far the best method I've ever seen.


Mike

Rcpilot

My Feedback: (78)

My latest method.

I'm mostly flying larger planes now, so there is always a motorbox sticking out in front of the F2 former.

Glue blocks of wood to the motorbox. This is where the blind nuts will go.
Now tape the cowl on and make sure it's all lined up.
Drill the holes through the cowl and through the wood.
Install 4-40 blind nuts in wood blocks and epoxy them in.
Now go back and overdrill the holes in the cowl.
Mount a Tee shaped piece of plastic (bushing) in the cowl with medium CA. It should have a flange on the back side. I got them at Ace hardware in the nuts-n-bolts section.
Now use thin CA and 2oz glass cloth to build a couple layers over the back of the bushing to keep it in place.
Get small rubber grommets from Harbor Freight and split them in half with an exacto knife. Use them as a vibration isolator behind the head of the bolts.

It works pretty good. My biggest gripe was the holes in the cowl always wore out. Before long, the cowl is flopping around. It didn't matter how good I put the screws in, they would work the holes in the cowl and eventually, they were the size of a pencil. This new method uses a hard plastic bushing in the cowl. The bolt goes through the bushing. The bushing is glassed in from the back side so it can't move around. It sticks out a bit, but on a larger model, looks almost scale.