Aug 31, 2023     oil door - (4 hours)       Category: Fuselage

As I mentioned previously, the fiberglass oil door provided in the kit is too thick to sit flush in the recess cast into the factory cowl. I can think of several ways to fix this, but ultimately the simplest seemed like it would be to just make a thinner door out of aluminum.

I cut a new door out of .032 from my scrap pile, hand formed it to the correct contour, and match drill to the hidden hinge I had previously bought from somebody on VAF.

Once I was sure it was going to work, I made a paper template for the cutout shape needed for the Harrell latches I ordered from Wicks, and then spend an hour or so trimming and filing them to shape.

I built a strike plate to go on the latch side, and will bond it on the next time I mix up a batch of epoxy. I'll also need to fill in the gaps around the edge of the door with some micro for a nice flush fit