Questions re: Attaching the cowl with screws

[coupe1942]

Okay, I mentioned that I have big mitts and fingers in previous threads, but my hands tend to shake when I am doing delicate work and of course, small screws seem to jump into the darkest hiding holes in the universe know to man when I work with them. The cowl screws fit into my qualification of what a small screw actually is and how stealth in nature they are when they hide in the carpet after escaping my finger grasp. Of course, my vision is not owl-like these days, so any tiny object I have to wrestle with is a real pain in the tail pretty quickly.

Is there a good way to line up that cowl and put those tiny screws into place without stripping something or losing a screw in the process?
What do they actually screw into to secure? Foam or the plastic firewall?

I could probably take the cowl off and look it over for myself, but I am being lazy tonight and I have a spot or two of Locktite glue on my finger tips, so I don't want to get frustrated in losing any screws at the moment.  I was wondering if it would work to simply replace the screws with a couple of shortened stick pins/hat pins that are used for hemming in sewing? I could them simply line up the cowl to a decent degree and insert or remove the pin when needed.

I finally got my landing gear attached fully and made some mods to the battery box. Waiting on some diy stuff do dry. This screw to the cowl issue may have to wait until the morning, but thanks in advance for any helpful info on it and tips for resolving the issue. 

[jklong03]

Coupe,

Don't know if this idea will help, but in my case I too got fed up with the tiny screws and now (well, I used to anyway before FankenCub was created) I just use one screw, the same as those used to hold the struts to the bottom of the battery box. I put this larger and easier to handle screw in the top of the cowl and it screws into a hole at the top of the nylon firewall. I find this has two advantages: (a) easier to manipulate and locate the hole, can even squeeze the cowl on the sides and look from the rear to locate the hole and, (b) it might just be my wishful thinking, but I think that in leaving the bottom of the cowl free to move, it tended to flex in a mishap and not crack as easily.

[coupe1942]

I had an idea about chopping off the heads of the screws and inserting them backward into the correct hole, so that only a small section would stick out just enough to squeeze the cowl and hook it over the threaded screw post. Of course, with the tiny screws they provide, that would be a near impossibility for me and my big fingers to manipulate in trying to grind off the heads. Any rate, thanks for the idea. I may try out your idea. I sure like the thought of an easier approach to removal and reinsertion of the cowl. I also tried my stick pin idea and got one of the side holes to work, but not at the top where it would be better. I didn't want to push the pin into any wiring or such, so I didn't really pursue it aggressively. The attached photo shows what I am speaking of, but I have not had luck in pushing in the pin at all 3 holes just yet. Probably hits some of the firewall plastic. I guess I could drill that area just enough to put a hole into the plastic, but not something I favor doing at this point.

[kenninny]

you can use Velcro just cut some small strips, and hook them together, pull the plastic protection off one side,
and stick on the fire wall at the screw holes, pull the other protection off, and put on the cowl, and press
down on the Velcro so it will stick to the cowl. then separate the hook & loop to remove the cowl, easy.

[coupe1942]

Most Velcro I use often sticks up a bit too much. I have thought about using the small, round dots of Velcro, but I don't like it pooching and I am a bit concerned that the pooching is a problem I'd run into with it. Still, it is worth considering, as it is an easy diy mod to make and I may be completely wrong in how much it would show with any pooching of the hook and pile. Thanks for the suggestion.

[coupe1942]

Well, I happened to have some small squares of Velcro that I had picked up this past weekend. I decided to try out the Velcro idea on the cowl. Here are some problems I ran into doing it in that manner:

It is not so much a pooch out problem, as I had originally thought. However, you have to push on the cowl in exactly the right position on the first go, as it will snag and put the cowl at an angle that may interfere with the shaft for the prop. Unfortunately, I also found that removal is probably just as serious a problem, as this stuff does not turn loose easily, even with just small strips used. Getting it on can be just as much a problem as getting it off. It may work differently for someone else, but this mod just does not float my boat in making the cowl reinsertion or removal any easier a process in the long run. I never learn much without some trial and error happening first, so this mod won't be the final one I use, but I would not know that without trying it out.

I may go to the enlarged screws or stick with the stick pin once I find just where they work best.

Thanks for the info and suggestion.

[coupe1942]

Sorry, duplicate post removed.

[coupe1942]

Well, since it is difficult to remove the cowl with the Velcro strips, I decided to simply leave them on until the next time the cowl has to be removed for servicing the plane in some manner. I did have to readjust my cowl a little bit, but the tabs seem to be holding it securely, so I'll give it a try and see what, if any, problems arise.