RV9A Builder's Journal

Here are some pictures of the cowl modifications that I have made to help keep the engine cool.

The first item is a pair of masks that are bolted to the front of the radiators. These masks block off a portion of the radiator inlet so air does not escape around the cowl inlet openings. Notice in the picture that this radiator shroud also has a hole cut for a scat tube. This tube goes to an enclosure around the fuel pumps mounted on the firewall.

The next item is to seal off the opening around the oil cooler shroud. I made some metal strips that seal the gap between the metal shroud and the fiberglass lower cowl to make up for the difference in angle.

The final item is an enlargement to the cowl exit area. I found some nice plastic vents at West Marine that were about 11" X 3". The left one is fairly close to the exhaust pipes on the inside, so I made a simple heat shield to avoid melting. After over 45 hours the plastic vents are still in excellent shape with no sign of heat damage.

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