I trimmed the sides of the lower cowl and then sanded them so that they tuck in against the hinge (which I also drilled but didn’t get a picture of). I drilled one hole through the top of each side into the hinge to lock the position of the lower cowl in place.
I then marked and trimmed the aft end of the top cowl. This will need a little sanding, but it is enough to let it drop down against the hinge.
Unfortunately, there is still a gap along the sides. The plans (and other builder’s websites) say these should overlap along the sides so that you can trim them both to get a perfectly straight joint.
The left side is even worse with a roughly 1/8″ gap down the entire side.
The fit at the front still looks great. Here’s the lineup at the top.
And the lower point on the cowl lines up nicely with the spinner. Clearly the front of the cowl is in the right spot and the back is pulled in as tight as it can go. Time to chat with Van’s again about this.
