Started Filling Snorkel

I mixed up some West System epoxy and lightweight filler and smeared a coat over the snorkel.  This will fill the weave and smooth out the transition to the new glass I applied yesterday.  This stuff is pretty easy to sand, so I don’t have to worry too much about getting this really smooth right now.

Finished Glassing Snorkel

Instead of cutting and glassing in a dimple to clear the mixture arm, I heated the snorkel with a heat gun and simply pressed in with my thumb to create a depression.  There’s just over 1/8″ of clearance now, but the mixture arm is only in this position when the mixture is in idle cutoff.  When the engine is running, the arm is no where near the snorkel.

I also opened up the hole for the alternator clearance a bit and then prepped four layers of 9oz bid cloth between a couple of sheets of plastic (this picture was obviously taken after I cut out the piece to be applied to the snorkel).

Here’s the glass applied to the snorkel.

I was having a hard time keeping the edges of the glass stuck down to the snorkel because of the tight curve, so I laid a piece of plastic over it and taped it tight.  I also wanted to keep the center depressed to provide additional clearance for the alternator bracket, so I taped a paper towel down over the depression.  I should have roughly 1/4″ of clearance between the snorkel and the alternator bracket.

Worked on Snorkel

I’ve been traveling for work recently, so I haven’t had much time to work on the plane.  I did manage to put a couple of hours in on the project today though,  First up, the mixture control cable interferes with the snorkel in the full lean position.  I marked the snorkel and will have to glass in a blister.

Next up, I mixed up some epoxy with flox and riveted the upper flanges on to the snorkel.

The rivets are flush on the inside (mostly) so that they don’t interfere with the air filter.

On the outside, small washers were slipped over the rivet shanks before pulling to spread the load out on the glass.

Finally, I mixed up some proseal and sealed the corners between the flanges to prevent air leaks around the filter.