New builder

[Nightmare]

Hi guys. New to the site, kitfox 4 and rotax 912. Im about to purchase a project that is 90% done with 90% to go. Im also building a pietenpol aircamper that is about 75% done but will be putting that on hold while i concentrate on the kitfox. Im anxious to get my two teenage boys in the air.
To start with i was hoping to see pics and get some tips on fitting the 4 pieces that makeup the round cowling and also the windscreen. Have also been told that a third party vendor provides a molded windscreen and a lexan turtledeck. ?? Thanks. PAUL

[Av8r3400]

The windscreen and turtle-deck are available directly from Kitfox at the best price.

What are you wanting to see, specifically, on the cowl? The builders manual has a good section on fitting these parts. Do you have a manual?

[SoaringVA]

We have recently fit our cowl and cam locks. Maybe this picture helps:

https://goo.gl/photos/d6Hyqn2fWsi84EwT6

[Nightmare]

I guess ill wait till i get the manual home. Have looked through that section briefly. Just seems like the fiberglass is awful thin and wasnt sure if some beefing up at the attach points was necessary. Im just raring to go and wanted to get a little mental head start on it. I have never worked with camlocks either.
Can they be pop riveted in place? Im good at steel, welding and woodwork but need to educate myself a bit on fiberglass, aluminum and riveting.
Any pics of the 12005 bracket that supports the upper portion of the aft top cowl?

[jiott]

Camlocks are not usually pop riveted, but use solid rivets. The manual front section on builders tips shows the complete procedure for installing Camlocks. If you are carefull you can use vicegrips to squeeze the rivets. Just file some flat areas on the vicegrip jaw tips. I did all my solid rivets this way.

[Dave S]

Paul,

As Jim did, I also used a visegrip to set most of my solid rivets including the ones on the cowl - the rivet material is much softer than a person would first think and a good squeeze takes care of it. I think a lot of us do this. The solid rivets are countersunk into the edge for a flush fit where the other parts of the cowl fit.

Another trick with setting solid rivets, particularly where they are not near an edge (out of reach of the VG) is to select a chunk of steel to use for an anvil and select a right sized hammer - a heel dolly used for auto body works great for an anvil; but there is no limit what kind of piece of salvage steel could be used as an anvil - just looking for enough weight - probably at least a pound.

Hard waiting for the manual; but, when it shows up - so much is clearly explained - Kitfox has just about the best manual out there for a kit plane. I realize that there are differences among the designs of cowls we use; but, each model specific manual is very logical and the step by step instructions when followed will work out really well.

With regard to the light weight of the fiberglass......that is one of the tactics used to keep the weight of the plane down - what you will find out is that once the cowl is fit and camlocked in place the whole assembly is very rigid as well as light.

Now - the real reason we use lightweight fiberglass, carbon fiber, lightening holes in structures etc.....once the plane is built there are numerous $100 hamburger flights that have to be accomplished!:rolleyes:

[Nightmare]

Great tips. Thanks guys. Im sure more stupid questions to come, but ill wait till i wade into the manual more thoroughly first. Coming from a plans scratch built plane, going to a manual will be a treat. Paul

[jrevens]

You might also consider that if you belong to a local EAA chapter (if there's one in your area you should) you could probably borrow a squeezer from someone. It makes the work on edge located rivets so easy & accurate. Having built a scratch-built all metal airplane, I've got 2 of them. I've loaned them to fellow builders so many times, I've lost count. Of course, my wife & I drove thousands of them also with bucking bars & an air gun.

[efwd]

No stupid questions Nightmare only being stupid for not asking early. I have resolved to posting questions early because folks on here will answer quickly and with such simple replies that I felt STUPID for not seeing it first. Sometimes you just get wrapped up in a task that your mind quits seeing the big picture. Having someone who hasn't been thinking too hard on items in the task list then just walk up fresh and say "why don't you do this?" is so welcomed. Thank You, John M and Steve for revealing my inner stupid.

[rv9ralph]

I have found a handy pair of pliers that is very versatile, and can even be used to squeeze rivets. An image is here:
http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/th/aplus/knipex/knipex-B000SOSCFS-8603300-main-lg.jpg

Nothing beats the correct tool for the job, however, these have really helped many times on a variety of tasks, in the hangar, workshop and home. The flat, parallel jaws and adjustment make them very handy. I have used them to fit large nuts, press into place bushings and to squeeze rivets.

Ralph

[Dave S]

Ralph,

Ahhhhh...looks like smooth jaws too. Good idea.

[jrevens]

I have found a handy pair of pliers that is very versatile, and can even be used to squeeze rivets. An image is here:
http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/th/aplus/knipex/knipex-B000SOSCFS-8603300-main-lg.jpg

Nothing beats the correct tool for the job, however, these have really helped many times on a variety of tasks, in the hangar, workshop and home. The flat, parallel jaws and adjustment make them very handy. I have used them to fit large nuts, press into place bushings and to squeeze rivets.

Ralph

I've got one of those too, Ralph... I really like it. I guess you'd call it "adjustable wrench-pliers".

[Nightmare]

Just ordered one! Pricey but great design. Now how about cleco pliers and clecos. Just saw some different package kits on amazon. Paul

[jiott]

Just order the toolkit from Kitfox. You cant beat the price by much and you wiil use everythi g in it.

[Nightmare]

I may not need everything in the tool kit. The project is probably 90% done. Already covered. Ill need to install interior, panel, cowling, windscreen, turtledeck, plumb and hang the engine. Probably more.?

[Jerrytex]

Here is a link to what I encountered on my cowling. The previous builder started fitting the cowling on mine and I just finished it. The corners sticking out really bugged me and I always felt that there should be an extra cam lock or something to make this look better. I have noticed it on several KF 4's. I ended up heating the cowling and reshaping while it cooled. Got it closer to the point I could live with it.

http://www.teamkitfox.com/Forums/showthread.php?t=2048

[jmodguy]

I don't know why you could not use pop rivets on the camlocs. The aileron brackets are pop-riveted on, as are the lift strut attachments - all structural. The rivets are there to hold the camloc in place. It will not pull through the fiberglass. Just make sure they are long enough to set properly.
I believe the new Kitfox cowl fasteners are Skybolt Cloc 2500 series. Go to their website (skybolt.com) and download the engineering catalog. The catalog describes proper mounting and other selection criteria.
The upper cowl edge thickness is definitely not consistent which can cause a wavy look and high or low spots. I'm trying to figure out how to best resolve this...

[jiott]

If you do use pop rivets for the camlocks, use the flush head type rather than the standard rounded head which will prevent the mating cowl piece from pulling up tight.

[jmodguy]

Shoot dang yeah! I just picked up some 3/32 countersunk from amazon. about $10/100. Thats what I am using.

[HighWing]

The upper cowl edge thickness is definitely not consistent which can cause a wavy look and high or low spots. I'm trying to figure out how to best resolve this...

This is one reason I decided to use piano hinges with removable hinge pins between top and bottom cowl sections on my Model IV.