I decided to use aluminium for the cowling bowl and was wondering how to shape it without going to learn how to use an English Wheel. I found out that a local pilot had a large press. If I made a pattern, he could press the aluminium around it.

This is the pattern I left cot outs for the prop hub and cooling inlets

Out of the mould and the edges welded.

Cut in two halves. I drilled holes so as to fit the engine crank studs and safety shaft. This will allow me to fit the cowling and have something to attach to.

Attachment holes

Attached to the front of the fuselage

After much fiddling about I decided the pressed cowl bowl was not going to fit without some major modification. I decided to use my original front end. I could use the pressed cowl sometime in the future.

I modified my original templates to produce the new cowling

Painted and Installed.

I carried out some taxi tests and found the cylinder head temps and oil temps were a bit high so I had to do a bit of a re-design of the baffles and cowling to incorporate an oil cooler. See here.