-- Cowling

 This page on the boot cowl and the dishpan describes the shape of the forward end of the fuselage on the Model 110 and the challenging shape required to clear the two lower longerons. The front is not round and can be seen in this photo: 

Therefore, the rear edge of the cowling needs to be this shape plus 1 inch all around the circumference. I made an exact pattern of what I needed, as described by the Monocoupe 110 prints, and sent the pattern off to David (DJ) Short who had fabricated the cowling blank. DJ then used the English wheel to shape the lower half of the cowling blank to stretch it to the proper shape. The pictures below show how and where the aluminum was stretched. 

Next, DJ hand hammered the “bumps” into the cowl using his purpose built jig and hammering mold. 

Here is how the cowling looked when I received it from DJ. 

I immediately took it up to the hangar to see how it fit and matched up with the fuselage. It was perfect! 

The next challenge was to fabricate a mounting system for the cowling. Requirements were 1) had to be concentric with the dishpan and perfectly centered in the front relative to the crankshaft 2) had to clear the front spark plug wires and 3) had to provide sufficient clearance with the Aeromatic prop. I fabricated a jig to hold the cowling where it needed to be, essentially suspended in mid air around the engine. 

I then designed and fabricated 7 steel mounting brackets, which attach to machined holes in the Warner cylinder heads. Because of the unique shape of the cowling (bottom half stretched out to match the longerons) I had to custom tailor each bracket to mate up with the cowl. The brackets were designed with a 0.5′′ thick piece of rubber on the top of each bracket, which is where the cowling sits. 

Next I fabricated brackets, which were riveted to the inside of the cowl, and were positioned to align with the steel brackets between the cylinders. These brackets are very much like a suspension bushing with an inner steel sleeve surrounded by a rubber bushing and finally another steel sleeve that bolts to the cylinder brackets. This allows for the cowling to float on the motor and there are no visible attach points on the outside of the cowl. 

The end result is a very clean cowling installation.