Dismantaling question

[mhorowit]

Does the firewall and cowling come off as a seperate unit?

[dedrekon]

Re: Dismantaling question

The Boot Cowl is the firewall. It looks like this off the airplane.

V

[Robert Lees]

Re: Dismantaling question

Yes, Mike...and further to Vincent's post, it looks like this as you make a new boot cowl.

[mhorowit]

Re: Dismantaling question

Thanks.
Big suprise today to discover that when the glare shield(?) came off I had access to the back of all the instruments.

Tomorrow will be spent recording where all the lines and tubings go, then removing same. - Mike

[fearofpavement]

Re: Dismantaling question

If you don't have a digital camera, now you have a good reason to get one. Record photographically things in various stages of disassembly. don't assume you will remember how they go. Just today, I spent quite a while in my shop looking at a handful of motorcyle brake parts that I took apart to free up the stuck caliper. Well, six months later with the rare bolt finally in hand it is a mystery to me. I'm sure I will figure it out eventually but that is just a recent example of how times get long and memories fade.

[mhorowit]

Re: Dismantaling question

...digital camera,...

Oh yeah - Mike

[VictorBravo]

Re: Dismantaling question

Make a "schematic" drawing as well. This allows you to understand the instrumentation systems better. On a Taylorcraft it's pretty simple, but knowing how your instruments work and what tubes/wires/bowden cables go where and why is ALWAYS a very good thing to know. It also allows you to plan out your new installation.

You can start thinking about whether you want to make up a perfect replica of the original layout, or build a more custom panel to suit your personal needs.

Today's airplanes really ought to have a radio at minimum, and to be honest a transponder is not a bad thing to have. There are small panel mounted radios and TXP's that are a lot nicer than having a tangle of wires and cigarette lighter plugs flopping in your lap.

I have a Dittel glider radio that works GREAT and I love it. Much better than the handheld it replaced. If you are planning out a new panel now rather than later, you can incorporate all this stuff, or at least decide what you want.

This is all secondary to putting your airplane together safely, Bernoulli and Marconi and all that, but now is also the time to make the decisions about the panel when they're easy to make.