Starting to work on the spinner, so the prop is on. With a fixed-pitch prop, this is pretty straightforward.
Spinner plates and prop spacer.
This is an aftermarket polished aluminum spinner from Geobeck out in Texas after cutting the holes in the prop out of it.
On the plane. Seems to fit fairly well, but it is a pretty tight fit.
The prop is on for good - at least in theory - so some safety wire is in order.
Getting ready to drill it to the aft spinner plate. Note the duct tape on the clecos to prevent scratching.
The aluminum spinner is a bit more difficult to get on the plane than the fiberglass one: the fiberglass one has the large advantage of being at least somewhat transparent before painting, so it's easy to see how everything fits together and check the fit, drill the holes, etc. The metal one requires a bunch more measuring to get it how you want it.
Also, this is extremely soft aluminum, so drilling it is a challenge. Deburring the whole to the point where there is no burr will remove more metal than is ideal.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch - work on the filtered air box:
In progress . . .
. . . there it is.
Also, we are attempting to get a bunch of the headwork for the baffles done, and the basic shape hammered out. Here's how we looked at the end of the day:
