It's been a long time since an update on my RV-4 build....

To long.
When last I posted an update I think I had just lit up the panel:



Well I took the day off work to install the engine today.
I had Lycon in CA build me a new Lycoming parallel valve IO-360 set up for a constant speed prop.
I had Lycon install 10:1 pistons, roller tappets, and an Airflow Performance fuel injection system.
The dyno report I got from Lycon show the engine producing 210 HP at 2700 rpm.

The install in a few pics:











Lots of hard and expensive work, and lots more to come.
But one step at a time and I still hope to get this thing in the air by the end of the year.....

UDPATE: 3/18

Fitted the upper engine cowl and cheek pieces:







UDATE: 3/19
Didn't have to go to work - power failure there due to snowstorm, worked some more on my cowling.
Started in on the lower cowling.

Almost there - just a bit more sanding.....



Oops, looks like I'm going to have to do some glass work in order to get the "spinner-to-cowling" gap uniform....
Nothing ever goes as planned.....



Oh well - all part of building an airplane...

UPDATE 3/24

Well I've drilled the piano hinge to mate the upper and lower cowling.

Ost

Nice, nice shop too.

Awesome.

Awesome! What were you doing when you took the picture though? Or have you just ridden horses for WAY too long? I've always liked the polished skins, do you plan on painting it or polishing it? I've polished a Swift more times than I care to remember and its a whole lot of work. They sure are pretty though.

I personally like RV's

LOL!
I saw that after I posted the pic - knew I'd probably take shit.....
Actually I do ride horses, and actually I spent the whole day installing the engine while I was wearing my "cowboy" boots with riding heels...
My legs were so sore I guess I just didn't want to kneel down again.....

I have a friend that owns a polished C-45 "Beech 18" aircraft and I see what he goes through to keep that thing polished - NO WAY!!!
I'm painting mine, I prefer flying to polishing.....

very cool

Looks great (shop/RV/motor)!

Are the engine mount bolts temporary? They don't look like AN's.

Just started my third in the living room....Pitts S-1C...

Yes, the "mount to fuselage" bolts are temps.
I wasn't sure how many times I might need to pull the set away from the fuselage to drill the firewall and I didn't want to muck up the final bolts.
I'll be replacing those with AN hardware.

Beautiful, thanks for sharing

That panel is awesome!! Which PFD is that?

The PFD is a Dynon D100, mounted underneath it is the Dynon HS34 which converts the ARINC 429 from the Garmin GNS480 to serial data that the Dynon can use for nav info. The engine info glass is a Vision Micro System VM1000C.

With a push of a button, the PFD can be full screen attitude:



or as you've already seen, it can be split screen to pull up nav data:

Your cockpit is slick. You will love having one central MFD for all your pertinent information.

Did you do the quick build kit?

No.
When I bought the kit (many years ago) there was no such thing as a "quick build kit". In fact there still isn't for the RV-4....

Keep up the good fight Sky.

Mines not a 4 but definitely a sibling.

hmmm this all seems "familiar"

Looking very good!
I hope you have better luck with your canopy skirt than I did......

thank you, and no it's ugly so far, and pink to boot, I used SikaFlex on the canopy and one of "Todd's canopies" just to make it more difficult to fit the skirt

Fitted the upper engine cowl today - pics in OP......

Beautiful machines gentlemen!
I love RV's.

dont make the gap too even, over time the engine mounts give some, and the engine will swing down changing the gap.

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