The cowls on my bird have hinge pins everywhere; along the sides, along the rear sides of the bottom cowl, and along the rear top of the top cowl.

Gary, would you be able to post a few photos of this installation, perhaps with a hint as to how you insert and remove the hinge pin for the upper cowl at the firewall?

Regards
Tim 

 

The attached pics give a little info on the hinges on the top cowl. 

The pins have loops in them about the size of a broom handle to grab with my fingers.  To install and remove them, I reach in via the oil filler door.  I can see the pilot side thru the oil door to get it started, but the co-pilot side pin is done by feel.  After a few install/removals it becomes pretty easy unless you are in a hurry.  Then, of course you drop one in the cowl.  I use wax paper to keep them lubed up.

Installing the hinges along the curve will require some removal of loop material so no binding occurs when the mating hinge is applied.

And don't do like I did.  While fitting the pins to the lower cowl firewall hinges, the left hand was pushing the very pointed and sharp stainless pin thru the loops while the right hand was guiding the pin point lower down the hinge.  My little finger on the right hand was between a couple of loops when I gave the pin a big push with my left hand.  Yep, you guessed it.  I ran the pin all the way thru my little finger.  There I was stuck to the airplane, yanking on the pin, trying to get it back out of the loops.  It didn't feel very good.  After I got free and cleaned up the finger leak, I looked around to see if anybody was watching.  That sore finger kind of slowed down my building on the plane for a few weeks.

Gary Edwards

LNC2 N21SN