I'm cutting my own 1/5 pica/ brotherhood kit. Hey bill, was that a 1/4 you removed from the FS pants? I think I remember it being 1/4". So that would be 2 1/2" wide?
Yes Steve, you will need to remove a quarter of an inch from the center of the pants. I used two dremel cut off wheels with a buffing pad in-between for a spacer, plus the pad helps keep the cutoff wheels at a set distance instead of plunging in and out. As for the cowl, it seems that they all need some body work but I was thankful they were still available.
Of course you could buy one of the Great Planes Waco cowls.