GREAT PLANES Super Stearman Instruction Manual page 23

centering it as much as possible. At the point where the
engine begins to make contact with the cowl, mark the
inside of the cowl with a felt-tip marker. Make small cut outs
in the cowl where the engine contacts the fuselage until you
can completely slide the cowl into position. Install the back
plate of the spinner and the propeller onto the engine
crankshaft. This will help you position the cowl. When
centering the cowl, be sure to match the stripes on the side
of the cowl with the stripes on the side of the fuselage.
6. Once you are satisfied with the position of the cowl,
tack glue the cowl ring to the cowl with medium CA using a
CA applicator tip. Apply the glue on the back of the cowl ring
and apply some CA accelerator to the glue to enable it to
cure quickly. Do this on both sides of the cowl.
7. Remove the four screws from the cowl ring, and then
remove the cowl from the fuselage.
8. Sand the inside of the cowl, in front of the cowl ring with
220-grit sandpaper.Wipe the area clean with denatured alcohol
and allow the area to dry. Mix one ounce of 6-minute epoxy and
micro balloons. Apply a fillet of the glue to the cowl and the cowl
ring. Set the cowl aside until the glue has cured.
9. Cut out any areas in the cowl that will be required for
the engine cylinder head, muffler, needle valve, remote glow
driver, etc. for your particular engine installation.
Note : When positioning your muffler, angle it away from the
fiberglass landing gear or plan on using an exhaust diverter.
The heat from the muffler will discolor and possibly burn the
surface of the gear. After all areas have been removed, re-
install the cowl one final time to be sure you are happy with
the installation.
10. Mix 1/4 ounce of 6-minute epoxy with a few drops of
denatured alcohol to thin the epoxy. Brush a coat of the
mixture on the tabs and the cowl ring to fuelproof the bare
wood. Allow the epoxy to fully cure before attaching the cowl
to the fuselage. You may wish to rub some talcum powder
onto the tabs where they contact the cowl ring to prevent the
glue from sticking.
11. Cut out the center of the dummy engine. Slide it over
the engine crankshaft. Mark the area where the dummy
engine covers the cylinder head of your engine. Remove the
dummy engine and cut out the area you marked.
Note: When installing the dummy engine, one cylinder head
should be at the top of the cowl. Trim the dummy engine as
needed to get it to fit completely forward into the cowl.
12. Drill 1/8" [3mm] holes in each of the rocker covers and
the center of the engine for the aluminum pushrod tubes. If
you would like to add some additional detail you may wish
to use wire (not included) as a spark plug lead. We used a
20-gauge red wire, then drilled 1/16" [1.6mm] holes in each
cylinder for the wire.
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